The pumps for watering the garden

Is your garden close to a river, pond or well? It is in your best interest to install a sprinkler pump. Here's how it works and the different existing models.

What is the use of a sprinkler pump?

It allows you to water your garden cheaply and without squandering water resources: the water pump has the advantage of drawing water deep from the reserves - free - that you have nearby (it can be as mentioned above a river, a basin or well, but also a stormwater recovery tank,cistern, canal, ditch or lake).

In addition to being economical, the watering pump is beneficial for plants since it allows not to use tap water, which is usually too limestone and can be harmful for some sensitive plants, such as begonia, camellia, peony, eucalyptus ... And many other species.

Which model to choose for my garden?

There are different types of sprinkler pumps,such as the surface pump, the submerged pump and the lift pump, that are suitable for different uses.

The surface pump

It is sometimes called the garden pump because it is particularly suitable for garden watering: the surface pump is one of the most popular models by individuals,and is used to draw clear water requiring a relatively small suction depth (less than 9m vertical)) which is why we speak of a "surface" pump..

Its operation is based on a fairly basic mechanism: the air in the pipe is sucked in, which automatically carries water from a point A (the water tank) to a point B (the garden). Simply connect the pump to your garden hose or sprinklers before you start watering the garden.

Note that there are different types of surface pumps, which are suitable for various uses:

• water jet pumps that position themselves at the bottom of the basins and ensure a constant mixing of water;
• centrifugalpumps, usually for industrial use, which allow for the pumping of charged liquids;
• self-startingpumps, which do not need to be manually activated with each use. They are ideal for agricultural uses; ;
• the overpressorpumps,which manage pressure and maintain constant pressure over time thanks to the presence of a pressostat. Another advantage of this kind of model is that it can meet a small need for water without having to start the pump, as the overpressants are equipped with a storage tank.

Warning: the surface pump does not extract water at more than 9m. To do this, you will need to have another system.

The submerged pump

It was mentioned above: some water sources, such as wells or boreholes, are too deep (the well can go up to 20m deep, not to mention the drilling that is even deeper) to be reached with a surface pump.

A submerged pump should be used to collect water and transport it to the garden - or home, since water can be used to power a flushing system or washing machine.

Because it is often used to empty flooded homes due to bad weather, the submerged pump is also called a "drain pump." It is placed in the water so that its engine is cooled, and is therefore perfectly waterproof. The advantage of a submerged pump is that it makes no noise: its engine is almost inaudible.

Generally, they are multi-cellular, i.e. they have several turbines,which allows for a greater increase in pressure. Note that despite the fact that submerged pumps are designed to draw water deep, the deeper you go to pump, the less efficient your pump will be in terms of pressure and flow.

The lift pump

In case you decide to pump water from a canal or ditch, you will need to use a liftpump, capable of suckingsolid bodies and ideal to pump excess water.

Note, however, that this type of pump is not used much in the garden: it is generally designed to raise the water - the so-called "black" water from the toilets, the household grey water, or the sewage laden with mud - of a certain height, when the latter are at a level below that of the sewerage system, for example.

In case you need to suck water carrying solid particles with a surface pump or a surpressor, it is better to equip the hose with a filter. This is not advisable, however, as the risk is that the filter will become clogged and the pump will dry, being prevented from sucking up the water.

On Multitanks.com you can choose from all our available watering pump models: a surface pump, a submerged pump or a pumping station.