Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. (I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)

thanks,

nate

N8N wrote:

Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. (I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)

thanks,

nate

It will work, but not nearly as well as:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47907

Which is what I recommended the last time you asked about this. It's on
a moderate sale now and has been seen even lower at times. Complete
package with what you need ready to plug and play.

Add the cost of a pressure switch to your $20 pump and you are well on
your way to the cost of the complete unit. Harbor Freight is good about
returns and exchanges too.

"N8N" wrote in message
...
Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. (I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)


Without some kind of pressure tank. the pressure switch may not work very well.
It will certainly short cycle, and may go into a cyclic "jitter" mode.

Bob

Bob F wrote:

"N8N" wrote in message
...
Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. (I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)


Without some kind of pressure tank. the pressure switch may not work very well.
It will certainly short cycle, and may go into a cyclic "jitter" mode.

Bob

The garden hose will provide some pressure buffering, but it won't be
ideal. RV water systems use a similar setup, and often need an add on
accumulator for good results. RVs are shifting to variable speed pumps
to maintain consistent pressure, they're more expensive, but in RVs
space for accumulator tanks is at a premium.

On Jan 7, 11:04*am, N8N wrote:
Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. *I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. *What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. *(I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) *My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. *Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)

thanks,

nate

My cistern needed a water pump for her 2002 Dodge.

Luckily my cousern is a mechanic so she got a good deal.

On Jan 7, 8:47*pm, "Dr. Hardcrab" wrote:
My cistern looks cute in her braces and boots,
a handful of grease in her hair.....

"N8N" wrote in message

...



Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. *I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. *What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. *(I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) *My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. *Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)

thanks,

nate- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way.
He had a boogie style that no one else could play.
- The Andrews Cisterns

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Jan 7, 8:47 pm, "Dr. Hardcrab" wrote:
My cistern looks cute in her braces and boots,
a handful of grease in her hair.....

"N8N" wrote in message

...



Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. (I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)

thanks,

nate- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way.
He had a boogie style that no one else could play.
- The Andrews Cisterns


We are family
I got all my Cisterns with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing

- Cistern Sledge

On Jan 8, 5:53*pm, "Dr. Hardcrab" wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

...
On Jan 7, 8:47 pm, "Dr. Hardcrab" wrote:





My cistern looks cute in her braces and boots,
a handful of grease in her hair.....

"N8N" wrote in message

...

Hi again,

was over at Harbor Freight this past weekend and found a little clear
water pump on sale for $20. I am sure that it is cheap Chinese crap
but I really only want it for occasional use. What I'm thinking of
doing is just putting garden hose fittings on it and using it to pump
water from my cistern so that I can wash cars etc. with it. (I have a
sloped driveway and the location of the cistern is such that I don't
have quite enough head to hold a hose above the roof of my car and
have water come out.) My thought was simply to put a pressure switch,
like you'd use for a well, on the outlet of the pump to shut it off if
I was using a nozzle and let go of the trigger. Do you think this
would work, or is a more complicated control setup required (or did I
just waste $20 on something that won't work for my app?)

thanks,

nate- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way.
He had a boogie style that no one else could play.
* *- The Andrews Cisterns

We are family
I got all my Cisterns with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing

- Cistern Sledge- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"It was an order, a duty, an absolute certainty. I knew what to do,
but I did not know how".

- Cistern Teresa, September 10, 1937 - "Inspiration Day"

Andy replies:

I bought that little pump from Harbor Freight a couple years ago.

I live on a lake, and I use it to run my lawn sprinklers from the
lake
water. During the spring and summer, it is in use 5-6 hours a day,
since it only draws about 6 amps and the water is free from the lake.
The pump is locate 10 feet above the lake level and the sprinkler
sysem is about 5 feet above the pump. Under these conditions,
the pump will run only one wide area sprinkler at a time, and
will pump about 4-5 gallons per minute..... If you don't have any
head on the input or output, you can improve on that some, but
it isn't really really great on putting out pressure --- good for
rinsing
but not for cleaning. I just hook it to a sprinkler and go inside
to
drink beer and watch TV all day (retired...)

I have used mine for 2 years now, without a problem... It is NOT
self -priming, so you need to put a check valve on the intake and
fill up the suction line. Then you won't need to prime it again.

Be sure to take it inside in the winter because the water in the
pump housing will freeze and crack it.... However, they are very
portable.....

I even bought a second one to use someday in the future when
the first one runs out......

Andy in Eureka, Texas

"DerbyDad03" wrote

On Jan 7, 8:47 pm, "Dr. Hardcrab" wrote:

My cistern looks cute in her braces and boots,
a handful of grease in her hair.....


He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way.
He had a boogie style that no one else could play.
- The Andrews Cisterns

We are family
I got all my Cisterns with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing

- Cistern Sledge- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"It was an order, a duty, an absolute certainty. I knew what to do,
but I did not know how".

- Cistern Teresa, September 10, 1937 - "Inspiration Day"

Oh We're Not Gonna Take It
no, We Ain't Gonna Take It
oh We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore

- Twisted (Frickin') Cistern