I have a couple rain barrels. New to collecting water and then using it. Done a lot of research on how to set them up but I see a lot of people have used water pumps to pump the water from the barrel to the garden, which is my intent.

Been looking on Amazon for a pump. Every review I've read, the 1, 2 & 3* say similar things; poor customer service, pump failure either immediately or within weeks to just outside the 3 month return window.

So I'm looking for a pump that connects to a garden hose and is powered from a 110VAC outlet. Low voltage pumps would mean dragging a battery out to the pump. And even those LV pumps seem to suffer failures.

Was looking at diaphragm pumps, which seemed promising, but even those had a lot of negative reviews. 4 & 5* reviews don't concern me because some people get something that works great then when it fails they just move on. 1 & 2* reviews highlight the worst of the product. I've been a victim of the worst of things and on rare occasion I've actually gotten decent customer service. 3* reviews seem to be the most reliable to gauge how a product is going to perform and how well the company supports their product.

So does anyone have any recommendations for a decent pump? Ones I've looked at range in price from a few tens of dollars ($45, $55, $65) to over a hundred dollars ($135, $155). I don't want to spend $200, nor does a suggestion for a pump costing $199.99 work for me. There's little sense in spending a lot of money to negate a slight uptick in my water bill. By slight I mean a buck or two every month. It would be many months before I saved enough to justify the cost.

Your advice please?

 

Have you looked at basement sump pumps?
Buy from a reputable HW store, They generally stock reliable brands,
Has the added advantage of submersible & auto shut-off.

 

Perhaps something as small as an aquarium or pond pump would work.
They should be reliable, are relatively cheap, and their small pumping capacity should still likely be adequate for your purposes.
For example, Amazon has this 45W, 800GPH one for $24, rated for 25,000 hours of operation.
Here's a 100W version that pumps 1050GPH.
If you think you need even more output, here's a 155W, 2900GPH unit for $85.
I haven't look closely at their reviews, so you would need to do that.

Depending on which you buy, it may need some type of adapter to connect to your garden hose.

Is there any significant elevation difference between the barrels and your garden?

 

This is the pump I use for that same purpose. When I bought it, it was on sale at a local supplier. I don’t recall how much I paid for it.



https://www.littlegiant.com/product...r-pumps/pony-pump-series-utility-pump/555112/

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Little-...riming-Transfer-Pump-555110/206870821#overlay
https://www.homedepot.com/p/LEO-1-10-HP-115-Volt-Utility-Transfer-Pump-TRP010-2/313671066
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superio...Non-Submersible-Transfer-Pump-90040/206511906https://www.amazon.com/Limodot-Transfer-Portable-self-priming-Aquariums/dp/B09QBPJWWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7Z34NG7
https://www.amazon.com/Limodot-Transfer-Portable-self-priming-Aquariums/dp/B09QBPJWWQ/
https://www.amazon.com/Transfer-Self-Priming-Portable-Electric-Attachment/dp/B095Y8JZNQ/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1NZ4CC4/

 

I have a couple rain barrels. New to collecting water and then using it. Done a lot of research on how to set them up but I see a lot of people have used water pumps to pump the water from the barrel to the garden, which is my intent.

Been looking on Amazon for a pump. Every review I've read, the 1, 2 & 3* say similar things; poor customer service, pump failure either immediately or within weeks to just outside the 3 month return window.

So I'm looking for a pump that connects to a garden hose and is powered from a 110VAC outlet. Low voltage pumps would mean dragging a battery out to the pump. And even those LV pumps seem to suffer failures.

Was looking at diaphragm pumps, which seemed promising, but even those had a lot of negative reviews. 4 & 5* reviews don't concern me because some people get something that works great then when it fails they just move on. 1 & 2* reviews highlight the worst of the product. I've been a victim of the worst of things and on rare occasion I've actually gotten decent customer service. 3* reviews seem to be the most reliable to gauge how a product is going to perform and how well the company supports their product.

So does anyone have any recommendations for a decent pump? Ones I've looked at range in price from a few tens of dollars ($45, $55, $65) to over a hundred dollars ($135, $155). I don't want to spend $200, nor does a suggestion for a pump costing $199.99 work for me. There's little sense in spending a lot of money to negate a slight uptick in my water bill. By slight I mean a buck or two every month. It would be many months before I saved enough to justify the cost.

Your advice please?

I have two submersible pumps with garden hose connectors and 120VAC power that I got off the shelf at Lowe’s. I use them to drain my pond every spring for cleaning (~1300 gal). Have had no problems with them for maybe 10-15 years, but then the only run for about 3 hours a year.

Edit: corrected pond size to 1300 gal.

Here is a similar pump the sell today:

Utility pump

 

Have you looked at basement sump pumps?
Buy from a reputable HW store, They generally stock reliable brands,
Has the added advantage of submersible & auto shut-off.

Submersible doesn't work in my situation. I have two 2" openings at the top of the barrel. Dropping a submersible would be nice but then the barrel would have an open top meaning all kinds of junk can get in.

 

You don’t have faucets at the bottom of the barrels? (My silly question.)

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7Z34NG7

Looks like a decent choice.

You don’t have faucets at the bottom of the barrels? (My silly question.)

Not a silly question at all. And - no - no faucets or outlets. The barrel has two threaded 2" bong's. One is FNPT the other is F??T (not pipe thread). Will snap a picture later today to show what I have at present. Will even upload a drawing of how it's configured.

This is a diaphragm pump that boasts 50 PSI. My thinking on this is that it's good for the wife's garden. Take a PVC pipe and cut it in half, make notches every few inches, then pump water into the troth. Let it fill and spill out the notches to water the gardens. However, it has some low ratings and complaints of early failures. Of course one has to consider the users mental acuity and ability to use without abusing a device. Nevertheless, this is lower rated than the one quoted from @MrChips recommendation.

As for noise and switching on and off - I have a remote control electrical outlet that MIGHT be suitable. Off hand I don't know if it's rated for a resistive load AND inductive load or purely a resistive load. Given that it was purchased around Christmas several years ago it might be only for resistive loads. But then again I do keep a fan plugged into one and it seems to work quite well. Time will tell. Noise? I don't care that much. Actually it might be a good thing; that lets you know it's running.

 

At present my barrels stand upright. I'm considering building a frame to lay them sideways. But will still need a pump.

 

Only two bongs; one FNPT the other F??T (it's not pipe thread). The TEE with the valve above goes through the plug with a semi snug fit. Inside the tank is a one way check valve, only allows water to flow up the pipe. With the valve at the top open you can yank the assembly up and down and it will pump and prime itself. Once you've gotten all the air out you close the top valve and can then open the bottom valve and get a decent syphon going. However, being 100% gravity fed I can't water the elevated garden, some 30 inches higher than the outlet. I WILL get some water, but will quickly be exhausted for lack of draw. Hence the pump. I have two barrels set up the same way. The second picture shows the downspouts and the waste pipe at the bottom. There's a cap at the bottom with a 1/16" weep hole to allow the waste pipe to drain. This is what collects the dirt and other crap every fresh rainfall. When the barrel is full water backs up into the downspout and pours out the upper tee. The original downspout is bent open and formed to the 2" elbow outside diameter. If you're worried about leaks - forget about it. It's raining. EVERYthing is going to be wet. So what if it leaks a little. With a slight rainfall both barrels were 2/3 filled. With a heavier rain they'd fill in less than 15 minutes. And no - I haven't timed it. But they fill quickly. The roof is 30' by 27' with a 4:12 pitch. Over 800 sq. ft. of roof surface to gather water.

Today I'm taking the barrels into the garage. Don't want them filling up then freezing and cracking. $85 per barrel is not cheap. Funny thing is I pay every month for 10,000 gallons of water whether I use that much or not. Summertime with watering the lawn and gardens I use about 11,000 gallons so I pay for the extra. But Fall, Winter and Spring I typically use around 3,000 gallons per month. And I don't get credit for the unused water. They claim it's to support infrastructure. Meanwhile they're building apartment buildings everywhere. They've been upgrading the water supply lines. 1300 has been closed all summer for digging up the old line and putting in the new larger line. But if I know this area - they build for obsolescence. Meaning they will need to upgrade again soon. They've been doing that with the highway. Close down several lanes so they can add another lane. This has been a bi-annual event for the last 8 years. Rather than just build six lanes they want to do it one lane at a time. Darn contractors! They're getting paid handsomely and they do that every few years. Not to mention it takes them a year to complete a stretch of highway. Do it all at once and be done with it I say. But I'm not a highway traffic engineer so what do I know?!

 

I know it's not quite to your spec, because it's 12V not mains, but a caravan water pump
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09SH3K...979e&s=diy&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw
will fit through the opening in the lid.
Might be worth making a 12V supply.

 

Translate for NA.
Caravan = Camper Trailer.

 

Today I'm taking the barrels into the garage. Don't want them filling up then freezing and cracking.

Might be easier just to add a manual value on the intake that you can shut off.

 

I know it's not quite to your spec

Nawh. But thanks.

 

Might be easier just to add a manual value on the intake that you can shut off.

Worth a consideration. But the problem isn't stopping water from filling the barrel it's all about pumping it out and using it in a useful way.

 

Translate for NA.
Caravan = Camper Trailer.

Oh that IS confusing. A camper trailer is a small trailer that one would use to transport the tent and all the associated equipment that one would need to go camping.
At least I understood "Rain Barrel" - known as a "Water Butt" here.

 

I have a couple rain barrels. New to collecting water and then using it. Done a lot of research on how to set them up but I see a lot of people have used water pumps to pump the water from the barrel to the garden, which is my intent.

Been looking on Amazon for a pump. Every review I've read, the 1, 2 & 3* say similar things; poor customer service, pump failure either immediately or within weeks to just outside the 3 month return window.

So I'm looking for a pump that connects to a garden hose and is powered from a 110VAC outlet. Low voltage pumps would mean dragging a battery out to the pump. And even those LV pumps seem to suffer failures.

Was looking at diaphragm pumps, which seemed promising, but even those had a lot of negative reviews. 4 & 5* reviews don't concern me because some people get something that works great then when it fails they just move on. 1 & 2* reviews highlight the worst of the product. I've been a victim of the worst of things and on rare occasion I've actually gotten decent customer service. 3* reviews seem to be the most reliable to gauge how a product is going to perform and how well the company supports their product.

So does anyone have any recommendations for a decent pump? Ones I've looked at range in price from a few tens of dollars ($45, $55, $65) to over a hundred dollars ($135, $155). I don't want to spend $200, nor does a suggestion for a pump costing $199.99 work for me. There's little sense in spending a lot of money to negate a slight uptick in my water bill. By slight I mean a buck or two every month. It would be many months before I saved enough to justify the cost.

Your advice please?

Look at your local swimming pool store for a pump.

 

Oh that IS confusing. A camper trailer is a small trailer that one would use to transport the tent and all the associated equipment that one would need to go camping.

Perhaps "Travel Trailer" is more of an accurate description .

 

Worth a consideration. But the problem isn't stopping water from filling the barrel it's all about pumping it out and using it in a useful way.

I meant to add the valve so you didn't have to move the barrels inside in the winter.

 

No Harbor Freight near you? Instead of an Amazon pump that you can't see how good it is, go to HF and you can see it in person. People talk about HF bad products but I've bought from them since they were mail order only and never got a bad item.