Try a pump rated for that much draw. And run a pipe to the river. If your yard is sloped it may work. Terraced could be a problem. A friend of mine does this at there cabin. But on a much smaller scale.

You can get a solar panel, battery, and 12v submersible pump. Stick the pump in the river and feed plastic pipe up the terraces. Just have to be sure the bends are as gentle as possible, which means the pipe is going to be way off the ground in places.

Wiring the pump is a little tricky because the connections are underwater. I did one once and it died after a month or two because I didn't wait for the sealant to dry before putting it in the water.

Hand pumps will be a lot more involved to set up, plus you'd need three of them. They could pump into chutes or pipes running at a slight slope to troughs at the foot of each terrace, from which the next pump lifts. But the 35 foot lift will be a problem, ordinary suction hand-pumps don't work well over 20 feet or so, which means that one will have to have a drop-rod and submersible bellows - much more expensive.

I have a similar situation, creek at the back of the property at the bottom of a 15' sheer bank. The yard slopes gently from the house to the lip of the bank. Our water/sewer rates keep going up, and I'm running out of room for more rainbarrels.

Where would one buy such a pump as described?

Could it be hooked up to hose rather than pipe? Removed from the creek when not needed?

In my fevered imagination I have this image of a pump interfaced with a stationary bicycle. Think of something the Professor would set Gilligan to peddling on. Thoughts?

Hand pumps can be bought at Lehman's catalog among many other sources.

A friend of mine makes 12v sumbersible pumps. Search for 'nemo' submersible pump. There are many other 12v pumps, of course, but his are the cheapest as he doesn't believe in profit.

before you really get into this and start flinging stuff around, read-up on pumps and pumping... centrifugal pumps, piston pumps'; pipe sizes and resistance factors... all that sort of thing. find out what they are and what they can do for your needs or to your desires. get as much fact and data as you can before you start pitching money and work into the project because anything you do wrong will have to be re-done; and that means wasted money and lots of frustration.... which nobody WANTS to afford.

and think about this: when pumping water it is easier to 'push' the water than it is to 'suck' the water - which translates into meaning that if if you have to move the water uphill, for some distance, it'll be easier to push the water from point 'a' to point 'b'.

the one nice thing about advice is that you never HAVE to take it.

luck to you.

d.

what about a windmill to pump the water? pump it into a storage tank for later use.

Will try the 12v pump method. I had envisioned a hand pump in the backyard where I can pump the water as needed, scrapped that one!

Shoud you decide to run the pump with a solar panel, I forgot to mention that you could get away without a battery system. Simply pump water when the sun is out.

All you will need in that case is a small panel, voltage regulator, and the pump. And wire and pipe. The pump threads right into a standard pipe fitting that you put on the pipe, and the 12v leads wrap around the pipe to reach the pump.

is a 12v pump [no idea of hp rating] up to the amount of work you'll need from it?

i wouldn't bet on it.

and once you get it to the top of the hill, do you intend to pump directly onto yard & garden, or to pump into a cistern [at yard-level]and irrigate [with enhanced pressure from a second pump] from that point?

-d.

Yes, good point. 12v pumps are low-flow, so it's best to pump into some kind of tank. Then you can run the pump when the sun is shining and keep the tank/s full all the time.

Oh..I could also use something like this!

But pumping the water up from 20 to 40 ' below ground is not an easy task!

I'm still searching for a 12V pump, what has that much lift!

How much lift you have, lets say a fuel pump???

Konrad

The nemo pump I'm talking about can pump up to 75' to 100' ft rise without a problem. I have one, it works.

It's just lower volume per minute than the much more powerful AC pumps.

Thanks pnbrown
That sounds good!
Where and how much was the pump, how big the solar panel?? Any breakdowns??
Konrad

Konrad, write to bgl@nemosolar.com and tell him what you want. He has a homestead in Canada and is entirely solar.

Thanks again!
Konrad

Hi,
I know this is something not brought up, do you have the water right's to that water in your name? We have had a few problem with our water rights for it was part of the property line. Neighbors down the road were rasing livestock and were asking(legal means) for all the water right's in the area-well something like that. Any way the previous owners who lived here said he had the water right's to the creek, and the livestock owners had to change their plans.
Before you put your money into it.
Nice to know ahead of time.
Sincerely,
GT

Once you get the water to your property the Water Department may require you to install a Reduced Pressure Type Backflow Preventor such as Watts 009, Watts 909, Wilkins 975, Febco 825 ect. This device would have to be installed downstream from your water meter and be tested annually by a certified tester. Cost of the device would be about $150 plus installation and testing between $50 and $100 per year. The purpose of this device is to prevent auxillary water (such as river water or well water) from being pushed into the city lines in the event of a city pressure drop or loss. Even though you might not be cross connecting your city lines with this auxillary system the EPA defines any auxillary water source on your property as a "potential" hazard. This may not have been a cost you were anticipating so please check with your local water proveyor first. Good luck.

Some areas limit how much water you can use from a river or creek. I know where I live that is the case, both because of salmon in our river, and because of agriculture. In my case, the river is so far from our house and garden that anything I want to water near the river just gets the bucket treatment, but it would be an issue if I used a pump.

O.K. I got that water finally!!
How? let me tell you......

It's a poor man's water pump and it woks like a charm!
Yes, that Fuel pump, I had it sitting around, since the Dealer installed a new one which wasn't the problem, [Clogged fuel Line] I have discovered myself, and gave the dealer heck, picked up my old one, and this year it came to action!

It's a Eclectic, 12 V and came from a Honda Acura
It's suction, about 8 feet up into the pump without priming, or more, and still can push very high up, have tried 20 feet, and still pushed out water.
Right now, I have sprinkler hose buried into the ground, about 350 feet, and barrels on two places, where I needed most.
It fills a barrel, 45gal. in about 1 to 1 1/2 Hours.
It did better then I expected......very very pleased for very little money.

The Battery gets charged by a cheap $19 Solar Panel from Canadian Tire, 1.5 W output

Konrad