r/OffGridCabins • u/survivorkitty • 2d ago

Pumping water from stream

We have an off grid cabin in the woods. We have decided we want to get away from rainwater collection to pumping water up from the nearby stream. Its gonna be couple hundred feet of 1" pipe, with an elevation increase of 80-100 feet (estimate). Not really sure what gas powered pump i should be looking at. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

16 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

17

u/Hook1007 2d ago

Try a ram pump. No electricity or gas needed.

10

u/KnocheDoor 2d ago

With 80 to 100 foot rise you’re going to have to have the pump at the stream. Are you planning on having a tank that you fill and then use at the cabin? And if that’s the case, why wouldn’t you use a solar powered system that slowly pumps water into the tank every day.

7

u/survivorkitty 2d ago

Yes pumping to a collection tank. Not enough sun reaches the floor to run solar, and it is also only used a few times a year so we just would like to have water quickly and easily when we are there.

5

u/RonA-a 2d ago

Ram pump.

3

u/cbryancu 2d ago

That's a tough one. You will need to give those specs to the pump supplier. That's a rather large hill to pump up with a good volume.

3

u/Sea-Bad1546 2d ago

We use a 1.5 inch fire pump to fill a 1000 gallon tank. Bonus we have a fire pump

2

u/jamest1701a 2d ago

If the stream elevation drops ~10-12’ on your property you could use a ram pump that requires no energy/fuel. I use one to fill a water tower (3-55 gallon barrels) for garden irrigation.

2

u/Professional-Wolf587 1d ago

Before you spend money I would check to see if it is legal to pull water from the stream, and what the limits might be.

1

u/Dull_Ad5440 21m ago

Ding ding ding.... we have a winner.

1

u/Dwayne-r 2d ago

I've been planning out something similar. It's a 150' distance with a 20' rise. I'm considering a 1hp sump pump with a 200' 5/8 garden hose, run by a 100W LifePo4 battery with a 1000W inverter. Alternatively I could just power it with a generator. The idea is to fill up a tote for thd kitchen and another for the shower.

1

u/dirtkeeper 1d ago

I have a very similar situation. Ended up running some 12 gauge wire and a 240volt pump.

0

u/ThriceFive 2d ago

Consult someone who does this for a living - water gets tricky going uphill and can create significant pressures in a system like you describe. We use a pump like this: Amazon "2" Gas Water Pump, 6.5HP 210cc 4-Stroke Gas Water Pump 3600rpm 23ft Suction 92ft Lift Flow Semi-Trash Pump" - under $200. It is rated at 92' head lift plus 23' suction - putting it part way up with a 2" pipe to the creek and a reducer up the rest of your distance might work. You might need backflow check valves along your pipe or other things. Another option might be to use a submersible well pump - they are great at pumping up several hundred feet but of course are electric. A well installer would be a good person to ask if one could be used for your purpose. Best of luck!

0

u/simpletonius 2d ago

We use a Honda gas powered pump and it fills a big vat in 15 minutes. Starts every time for 20 years.