Buckets Be Gone!

Now that the rain barrel on the water tower is connected to the plumbing inside, wouldn't it be nice to  have a pump to fill that rain barrel?

Here's a link to our latest acquisition:

http://honda.ca/HPower/Models/ModelOverview?L=E&Type=WaterPumps&Series=Transfer&Model=WX10K1C

This Honda water pump is lightweight and compact, so we can easily transport it home between visits to the lake.   I just set it up on the dock, connect the intake hose on one side and a 100 foot garden hose on the discharge side and water flows right into the rain barrel.  It worked very well the first try and has lots of power to spare.  It could fill the barrel in about 5 minutes or less.  Before filling the rain barrel, I connected the pump's hose directly to the cottage water intake pipe, hoping the higher water pressure would bleed any remaining air out of the pipes thus increasing the pressure when the cottage water lines are connected to the rain barrel. Also, I shortened the length of the hose that runs from the rain barrel to the cottage intake pipe from 15 to 7 feet and installed a new fitting on the severed end.  It was longer than needed and the extra length caused unnecessary friction, reducing water pressure in the house. These two efforts made a small difference.  The flow from the faucets is more than it was, but still not quite adequate. And water does flow into the toilet tank after flushing, only it doesn't fill it all the way so you have to top it up.  Either the water pressure isn't strong enough to fill the tank or the toilet mechanism needs adjusting.  I tried adjusting the settings on the mechanism in the tank but it still wasn't enough. Either way, I am now going to explore adding a pressure pump in the basement, powered by a battery, with an inverter and a solar panel.  But that will probably take place in the spring. I have other projects for this fall, including insulating the floor so we can stay over in the winter.  The alternative would be to build a higher tower, but my rough calculations tell me it would have to be much much higher before I obtained adequate water pressure.

Pictures will be posted at a later date.