Gas powered pump thread..

[planted1]

I dont know what you were lookin at but those pumps are only like 350 bucks and there only 13 pounds. otherwise i would pack that fucker out there and dig a hole and bury it with a plastic bag around it! those pumps are sweet though there not loud at all. ive had mine since last season and cant complain at all.

 

[BigTex]

Has anyone set up an automated electric pump run off batteries and a solar panel?Here's what I'm thinkin- 12v dc pump ( bilge pump maybe), 12v dc marine grade batt. to run pump, 12v dc solar panel to charge batt., and some sort of timer to operate the pump( something like a deer feeder timer but with a lil longer run time. I'm pumping water a short distance over flat ground. I think a lil setup like this running for one hour or so a night would meet my needs. Has anyone done this kind of setup before???

 

[floater]

i've used the honda whisper generator. 4 stroke, with the econo switch on it runs pretty quiet. however, the weight and size is not really comparable to the WX10, which is also a 4 stroke.

one thing that might help mitigate sound is digging a hole near the water source where the pump can be placed. for the WX10, this would probably require a 18" deep, 2ft square hole. if positioned correctly, i think intake and outtake hoses will be fine.

also, two 1x2ft pieces of plywood could be placed on top of the hole when the pump is running to deflect some of the sound back into the hole, while leaving a small slit for ventilation.

when using one of these pumps at a guerilla plot with 8-15 plants, i can't imagine needing to run one for more than 5 or 10 minutes once all the hoses are set up.... i would simply fill a collapsible bladder on the order of 30-60 gallons and hand fill (which should take about 5-7 minutes max, plus 2 minutes to prime a longer-distance pumping job). or, with a grow partner, one could water with the hose, and the other man the pump. this amount of time would provide 2-4 gallons of H20 per plant. which is enough to keep 'em going. at least where i am...

 

[BigTex]

Well there she is boys. I love this lil thing! No more f'n buckets for me. Watering with buckets by hand was really holding me back. I've been playin around with this pump and I have to admit I'm pretty darn impressed. This was money well spent. $340 out tha door. Not as loud as I thought either. The sound shouldn't be too hard to improve upon. Thanks for all the great info everyone

 

[fatcat666]

ive read all the stats on the Honda wx10 and wx15 about its pump head and psi and whatever, but i cant figure out how to determine how FAR it can pump horizontally across relatively flat ground. can anyone help? i need to pump like 800ft. over mostly flat ground. will the wx15 do the job?

 

[Fast_Pine]

i need to pump like 800ft. over mostly flat ground. will the wx15 do the job?

yep.

 

[fatcat666]

yep.

really? here i was thinking that id need to daisy chain a bunch of pumps to get it that distance. thats great if true cause the wx15 is about 20 pounds and i can easily haul that for long distances. used to carry 55 lb water jugs back and forth a half mile so i think lugging a pump is a much better alternative.

 

[Fast_Pine]

The wx-10 would do it too.....Gas powered pumps dont have much trouble pushing water horizontaly..

 

[fatcat666]

The wx-10 would do it too.....Gas powered pumps dont have much trouble pushing water horizontaly..

awesome bro thanks for the tip. ill probably stick with the 15 cause its still only 20 lbs and i might need the extra distance at future plots

i checked out your grows man and they are impressive as hell, looks like the wx10 has really been great for you!

 

[antimatter]

Just like to add to this thread, if you want expand into dry areas and do not have access to a large selection of viable water sources you may want to look into purchasing a Water Trailer, they look pretty badass, but would be a night mission since they don't look very discreet http://www.watertrailers.net/watertrailers.htm

 

[BigTex]

Once I learned my WX10 has a plastic impeller I became even more concerned about sucking up debris. I made this mod to my suction strainer with window screen and plastic zip ties in like 30 minutes. It's simple, light weight, effecient, and doesn't reduce flow at all. Check it out......

 

[fatcat666]

hey boys got the wx-10. i was gonna get the 15 but the cost of 1.5" hosing was too high for me. i was just gonna convert it down to 1" garden hose so the extra HP would be lost anyways... gonna give it a go tonight. will let you all know how it went.

bigtex thanks for the pic, now i dont have to wander around the store for an hour looking for what i need

 

[cali mike]

I'm really a fan of small electric pumps if you dont have much to move, and not far uphill. There are many 12volt pumps out there that can work for moving limited ammounts of water.
The cheeper types would be the small (boat) bilge pumps, these usually cost around $20 and up, the only problem with them is that they are not designed to move water uphill, how far up they could push it is hard to tell, being able to move 500 GPH to 1500 GPH(or better) I am sure they could do some uphill.

Here is a link to Bass pro shops Bilge pump page- Bilge pumps

Another option would be the Shurflow pumps, these are pretty high quality pumps designed to be used in RVs and camper trailers, I grew up with a water system using a early version of it, and I know for a fact they will push alot of water pretty fast over 75 feet in elevation or better. They run around $60 and up.

Link to Shurflow manufactuers website- 12 volt Shurflow pumps

Link to one available online- Shurflow pump for $59.13

Powering these pumps in the bush can be a problem, your best option for a lightweight battery would be a small Motorcycle battery, they should provide enough power to fill a reasonable sized resivour, say 50 to 200 gallons. You would figure on the battery getting completely discharged on each use and would need to recharge them. After a seasons use the battery would be trash, these batteries are not designed for repeated complete dishcharge, but they should do the trick for one season.
________

What about using a solar panel to power an electric pump? Climb a tree and stash one up there. The off the grid folks have many 12V direct solar drive well pumps that can draw water up a well bore 200' or more. Im sure you could find a panel/pump combination that would work. Might be expensive. Wires are easy to hide too.

Another idea for a solar powered pump is to use the sun directly.... by letting it evaporate the ocean water in the winter and let the rain deliver the water direct to you in little droplets. Go to the grow site in the winter and create a reservoir by burying a bunch of 50 gal trash cans or maybe digging a hole and putting a pond liner with a cover. Then get clear plastic tarps and hoses to rig a "rain-catcher" in the trees or find a seasonal stream and use the plastic tubes to direct water into the reservoir.

Collecting water and using it for agriculture has been the downfall of many a human civilization. Take pride in our ancestors and have fun as we try and master this ancient, suicidal art!

CM

 

[badmf]

A solar panel reflects the light making it a "Beacon" you may not wish to have!!

 

[smurfin'herb]

Well this seems appropriate for this thread. Not sure if its been mentioned, but this is the best pump info i have ever come across. Leave it to honda... http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/pumps/content.aspx?asset=wp_theory

Im trying to download the pump select pdf file from the site, but its a windows file and im a mac. Can someone download and post it here or a link to where non windows users can access it..?

Heres some more useful stuff that helped me...

http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/pump.htm
http://www.dripirrigation.com/drip_tutorial.php

 

[smurfin'herb]

Once I learned my WX10 has a plastic impeller I became even more concerned about sucking up debris. I made this mod to my suction strainer with window screen and plastic zip ties in like 30 minutes. It's simple, light weight, effecient, and doesn't reduce flow at all. Check it out......

do u think a paint strainer net would work better without noticeably reducing the flow...?

 

[smurfin'herb]

what about this one? think its too much of a sissy or can it work..?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66585

 

[apartmentblower]

have had my wx10 sucking up murky shallow lake water (cant get out to deeper portions easily) and even spitting up slug shells through 400+ ft of garden hose and the thing still works fine


i reckon its gonna need a total breakdown and replacement of some major parts eventually but its sure doing its job well. i dont even have a pre-filter over the yellow sucker nozzle thing

 

[NightVision]

Heres mine

Heres mine

Here is my pump. $169 delivered to my door. Its a 1.5", 2.5 hp 4-stroke pump, weighs about 20-25 lbs with oil and gas. It can pump up to 100 gallons a minute, that would be with minimal suction lift and an open spout. It is a non-brand china edition, but for $169 I figured its worth the risk, especially as compared to a wx-10 at $420.

Getting it ready for first run now, thought I'd snap some pics first.

 

[NightVision]

Heres mine

Heres mine

Here is a picture of it running showing the water flow at about 1800 to 2000 rpm. It will rev up to 4000. The flow is just like from my house.