Electric Water Pump | Irrigating Garden or Lawn

An electric water pump is a handy way to water your garden or lawn! Having adequate water and a viable watering system is vital especially if you live in a dry or arid location. Consider using a small irrigation pump to water your garden area or yard.

Electric Water Pump

Here are some top tips on how we pumped water from a pond to run sprinklers to water our garden and lawn.

This is just an example of what we did. We are not suggesting you do what we have done as your situation will be different from ours.

First of all, make sure you research the proper pump size for your project. Double check on distance from water source to sprinkler heads and variation in elevation. You will need the proper pipe size for the volume and pressure of water pumped.

This is why having a plumber design your system might be helpful or have the irrigation expert at your local ranch store design the system.

Always check with your plumber and electrician to set your system up correctly.

We continued to use this small electric pump year after year for garden irrigation and to water the lawn. It has been the best water pump as it is easy to set up and works well with our hoses and sprinkler heads. We have not hooked up our pump to a lawn sprinkler system or an automatic sprinkler system.

This irrigation pump was set up by the pond each spring and then drained and stored in our garage each fall / winter.

#1 Determine Locations

Water Source:how to pump water from pond to garden

We have a small pond on our property that we use but any type of water source will work just fine: such as a stream, river, irrigation ditch, pond or lake.

It is important to have your pump located close to your water source as your pump will be drawing the water through the uptake siphon and then pumping it out to the sprinkler, irrigation system or ditch. Make sure your water source maintains an adequate water level. This is important for continual water pressure and water flow.

Long distances causes extra stress on the pump if it has to pull the water too far from the original source, so keep it under 20 feet if possible.

Location of Pump: when pumping from pond or lake

When pumping water from a lake for irrigation, your pump should be conveniently located on fairly level ground close to your water source.

Make sure you have enough water to supply the pump so the pump does not pump the water source dry.

Our particular pump can draw water from 25 feet away but it is not designed to pull water vertically for that distance.

Our water source is about 5 feet below the pump so it does have to pull uphill a little bit.

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Location of Power Source:

Make sure to have your power source close by but note that our electrical outlet is approximately 125 feet away which is why we use a heavy gauge wire.

#2 Garden Watering Pump

Type of Electric Water Pump:

You will need to determine the best option for your particular application.

We had originally bought a gas-powered water pump but have since replaced it with a small electric water pump.

The gas powered pump was okay but we found that the gas tank was too small and needed to be refilled often. Plus, the oil needed to be changed frequently, almost daily…..and, it was very noisy!

It is very important to purchase the correct type of pump for your location and for the job at hand. Take some time to review electric vs gas powered pumps to determine the right pump for your situation.

Make sure to review the gas tank size, air filter requirements, daily oil changes and the noise level for all gas water pumps that you are looking at.

If you do decide to go with a gas pump, make sure to carefully read the maintenance instructions for these small gas powered pumps.

Because of the abovementioned negatives with our small gas pump, we decided to replace the gas model with a small electric pump and never looked back. Interestingly enough, our electric pump was 1/2 the cost of the gas pump!

We purchased our pump from a farm and ranch store ~ if you are looking at new pumps, take a look at these Red Lion Lawn and Irrigation type pumps.

Also, look at a tool supply company or even a feed store. The people at the farm and ranch stores are super helpful in determining what you will need for your system.

Our pump cost approximately $200 plus $100 for all the attachments. This may be different for you depending on your area. But, this particular pump was the best value that we could find locally.

The overall cost is probably more now but our cast iron pump was used year after year and was pretty much maintenance free.

The model we bought is a Red Lion Electric Sprinkler Pump This pump can be plugged into any normal outlet. Double check with our electrician on the model and style that is best suited for your situation.

Also, take a look at and do some research on other similar type pumps. Make sure to check with either a plumber or irrigation expert at your farm and ranch store.

Wiring or Extension Cord from Power Source or Outlet:

We used a heavy wire with a 3-way ground plug-in on one end and an outlet box on the other end. We made this DIY heavy gauge wire that is rated for outdoor use.

A long heavy gauge extension cord will also work. Just be careful if you are mowing or weed-eating around or over the top of it. Make sure to review the proper gauge of wire for the pump amps.

Wire Garden Staples worked well for us in securing the electrical wire or extension cord into the ground so no one trips over it or cuts it when mowing the grass.

We added a receptacle to the end of the wire and attached this to the wooden shed. The pump can be plugged in and unplugged right at the site instead of having to go back to the power source.

Most importantly, this is tremendously handy should you need to unplug the pump for any repairs or blockages.

If you look closely, you can see the heavy gauge wire with the receptacle attached to the pump house.

The pump electric cord is simply plugged into the receptacle. This is such a tremendous time saver if the pump needs to be unplugged for any reason.

You can also see the square thumb nut on the upper left by the outlet hose, this is where the pump in primed by filling with water.

You will prime your pump and then turn it on. It should begin immediately drawing water.

#3 Accessories for Ditch or Irrigation Pump for Pond

Attachments and Valves for Pump:

There are several attachments that are necessary for your pump. The following should be available at your local Hardware Store.

• The UPTAKE HOSE is a heavy gauge 2-inch flexible hose which is placed into your water source.
• The FOOT VALVE with SCREEN on HOSE END-this protects the pump by screening out sticks, twigs, rocks, algae clumps, debris, etc. Having a way to filter out debris is the best way to help your pump have a long life.

• CLAMPS to attach the hose to the intake port on pump  NOTE: quick release attachments are super helpful
• A Short Extension Hose (ours is black, but this is a good one ) which attaches directly to the pump and then to your hoses leading to the sprinklers

Y-attachment for a Pump to Water Garden:

We added a 2-Way Y-shutoff valve attachment  (you can purchase a plastic model or a longer lasting brass valve) on the end of the 6 foot hose coming from the pump outlet. We then attached 2 garden hoses to this Y-shutoff valve.

Depending on the length of your hoses, you will need to determine if you can run 1 or 2 sprinklers at a time.

We were going quite a distance so normally only run a single Rainbird Brass Impact Sprinkler at a time.

Therefore, depending on your location, you will need to determine the type of sprinklers that you will need:

Gardena Classic Impulse Sprinkler on Weighted Sled Base

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Photos of our set-up:

#4 Protection for Pump

Wooden Shelter to Protect Pump:

We built a small wooden shelter for our pump to protect it from the direct sunshine. This works very well as the pump is bolted to the floor of the shelter.

Therefore, this protects your pump from falling objects as well as from the sun.

Likewise, we can now load the pump and shelter into either a wagon, garden cart or wheelbarrow to easily move it to and from the location.

In Conclusion:

This Red Lion Electric Pump has worked out just great for us. It is simple to set up, simple to move around and simply to store. If you take proper care of your pump, you should get years of reliable service out of it.

This is the perfect set up for our irrigation and watering needs and might work well for your needs.

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• ⇒Beginning Homesteading Skills You Should Know
• ⇒Vegetable Garden Crop Rotation Guide

Please feel free to send any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. You must determine your own needs and seek the qualified experts to set up your system for you.

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