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Creek pumping update

creek pump sprinkler


When we first started using the large well pump to supply water to the irrigation sprinklers I was timid about how long it should be used at one time.

I was concerned that too much continued pumping might damage the motor, but little by little we kept using it for longer episodes. Now it's not uncommon to see them going for hours at a time.

Every now and then a sprinkler head will get clogged with some creek debris, but it only takes a minute to unscrew the hose and remove any offending algae or sand.

What's most challenging is getting 220 volts from the trailer to the creek. More on that in part 2 of this creek pumping series.



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WELL PUMP
My Gould pump has been down in my well for 30 years now with no problems at all. Knock on wood.
Comment by zimmy — Tue Jun 1 22:25:23 2010
comment 2
I'm glad that you're doing a short series on this, as I've been very curious about how it's been working out - we used an old sump pump in our creek for keeping a fish pond filled for one season and toyed with the idea of using it for the garden as well, but were concerned about things exactly like "gee, won't it suck up sediment and clog the sprinklers?"
Comment by Ikwig — Tue Jun 1 23:05:49 2010
comment 3

Zimmy --- awesome! I hope ours will last that long (though who knows how old it was when we got it.)

Ikwig --- We built our whole irrigation system around the pump. All of the other sprinklers we tried did clog up with sediment, but these impulse sprinklers are real troopers. I suspect our plants get a bit of additional nutrition by being watered with creek water.

Comment by anna — Wed Jun 2 06:39:47 2010
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