Efficient Spring Water Pumping System for Glamping Sites: Step-by-Step Build with a 3-Horsepower Pump
Alright, welcome back to Base Camp WNC! It’s been a while since our last update, but I’ve got hours of footage on my phone that I need to get downloaded while I’m supposed to be resting. Over the next week or so, I’ll be working hard to get a bunch of videos out for you all to watch, comment on, and yes, even for the critics to pick apart.
We’re currently tackling a project where we’re pumping spring water up a hill with a lot of flow. This is for a guy who’s setting up an Airbnb and a bunch of glamping campsites.
In this video, we’re dealing with a 3-horsepower pump that’s pushing out around 38 gallons per minute, and it’s got some serious hills to climb. I’ll take you along for the ride as we work on this build. We’re just getting started with installing this pump, but I’ll be breaking it down for you, showing the pump, the check valves, and all the fittings involved.
The purpose of this setup is to make sure the water is drawn in one end, cools the motor as it passes through, and then goes into the intake of the pump, coming out the other end and heading up and out of the tank. I’ll also be setting up the pressure tanks and showing you how we put them together on-site.
This particular tank we’re using is a 350-gallon one I happened to have lying around. If the pump were mounted vertically inside this tank, you’d lose about 125 gallons that you couldn’t pump out. But since the tank is only 3.5 feet in diameter, you can’t lay it down. So, when selecting a tank, it’s a matter of what comes first—the chicken or the egg. You’ve got to know what tank you’re using before you pick the pump. Maybe I’ll do a video on pump selection, covering horsepower, head (which is the pump’s ability to lift vertically), and distance.
This 350-gallon tank isn’t ideal for a deep well pump because it’s not wide enough at the bottom. However, we’ll actually be placing two pumps inside this tank, which is 7.5 feet wide, so a 5T pump across the bottom will work fine. I’ll walk you through the entire setup.
Here’s the deal: on the end of the pump, there’s an inch-and-a-quarter thread where this bushing goes, along with a check valve to prevent the water from flowing back and draining the pressure. We’ll screw it in and connect the pipe, which is one-inch PEX pipe going up. We’ve built caps for the pipe to fit into the PVC slide, with a hole drilled in the center where this will stick out.
Now, I’ve got some white nylon tape that we’ll use to pull the pump if we need to lift it, so we don’t yank on the power cord. The pump is set up with conduit to protect the power cord, and it all slides down into a 4-inch PVC pipe. Inside the pipe, there are runners glued in place, and the pump will sit at the bottom. Once I’ve got it all together, I’ll mark the top so we know where the runners are, ensuring the pump is secure.
Let me show you the stand we’ll be using. I’ve got some 10-pound weights from an old weight set that we’ll use to keep the pump off the bottom of the tank, preventing it from sucking in sediment. This setup gives us about 6 inches of clearance at the bottom, so the pump stays clean and runs efficiently.
Now, to build these saddle mounts, I used some leftover 6-inch pipe, cutting it down with a chop saw, and drilling out holes with a hole saw. We end up with two legs that fit perfectly on the mount, secured with galvanized bolts. It’s a simple and cost-effective solution—much cheaper than buying the commercial versions.
Thanks for sticking around to the end of this video! As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the build—good or bad, any ideas or improvements you think I should consider. This is just one of many videos coming your way, so be sure to like, share, and subscribe. Spread the word, and I’ll see you in the next one!
For more information on Homestead planning, visit our website at: CarolinaHomesteadPlanner.com
Via CAROLINA HOMESTEAD & SURVIVAL PLANNING - Blog https://ift.tt/vhswALZ
We’re currently tackling a project where we’re pumping spring water up a hill with a lot of flow. This is for a guy who’s setting up an Airbnb and a bunch of glamping campsites.
In this video, we’re dealing with a 3-horsepower pump that’s pushing out around 38 gallons per minute, and it’s got some serious hills to climb. I’ll take you along for the ride as we work on this build. We’re just getting started with installing this pump, but I’ll be breaking it down for you, showing the pump, the check valves, and all the fittings involved.
The purpose of this setup is to make sure the water is drawn in one end, cools the motor as it passes through, and then goes into the intake of the pump, coming out the other end and heading up and out of the tank. I’ll also be setting up the pressure tanks and showing you how we put them together on-site.
This particular tank we’re using is a 350-gallon one I happened to have lying around. If the pump were mounted vertically inside this tank, you’d lose about 125 gallons that you couldn’t pump out. But since the tank is only 3.5 feet in diameter, you can’t lay it down. So, when selecting a tank, it’s a matter of what comes first—the chicken or the egg. You’ve got to know what tank you’re using before you pick the pump. Maybe I’ll do a video on pump selection, covering horsepower, head (which is the pump’s ability to lift vertically), and distance.
This 350-gallon tank isn’t ideal for a deep well pump because it’s not wide enough at the bottom. However, we’ll actually be placing two pumps inside this tank, which is 7.5 feet wide, so a 5T pump across the bottom will work fine. I’ll walk you through the entire setup.
Here’s the deal: on the end of the pump, there’s an inch-and-a-quarter thread where this bushing goes, along with a check valve to prevent the water from flowing back and draining the pressure. We’ll screw it in and connect the pipe, which is one-inch PEX pipe going up. We’ve built caps for the pipe to fit into the PVC slide, with a hole drilled in the center where this will stick out.
Now, I’ve got some white nylon tape that we’ll use to pull the pump if we need to lift it, so we don’t yank on the power cord. The pump is set up with conduit to protect the power cord, and it all slides down into a 4-inch PVC pipe. Inside the pipe, there are runners glued in place, and the pump will sit at the bottom. Once I’ve got it all together, I’ll mark the top so we know where the runners are, ensuring the pump is secure.
Let me show you the stand we’ll be using. I’ve got some 10-pound weights from an old weight set that we’ll use to keep the pump off the bottom of the tank, preventing it from sucking in sediment. This setup gives us about 6 inches of clearance at the bottom, so the pump stays clean and runs efficiently.
Now, to build these saddle mounts, I used some leftover 6-inch pipe, cutting it down with a chop saw, and drilling out holes with a hole saw. We end up with two legs that fit perfectly on the mount, secured with galvanized bolts. It’s a simple and cost-effective solution—much cheaper than buying the commercial versions.
Thanks for sticking around to the end of this video! As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the build—good or bad, any ideas or improvements you think I should consider. This is just one of many videos coming your way, so be sure to like, share, and subscribe. Spread the word, and I’ll see you in the next one!
For more information on Homestead planning, visit our website at: CarolinaHomesteadPlanner.com
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