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General Forestry => Alternative methods and solutions => Topic started by: kwendt on March 26, 2015, 11:32:39 AM

Title: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: kwendt on March 26, 2015, 11:32:39 AM
Anyone on here using wind powered irrigation systems to water crops? Particularly pumping water from a farm pond or reservoir to multi sectioned, drip irrigation zones/fields? Looking at options to build such a thing. Ideas? Options? The crop would be trees... Orchard, blueberries, maple, balsam. Drip sections would be non perminant, only needed while trees are young, and during drought. Might use for true cropping I suppose... Up by the house. ???
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: sprucebunny on March 26, 2015, 02:01:11 PM
PV solar might be less hassle. There are kits sold for pumping.
Wind requires diversion loads for when it's too windy and is generally a pain and more expensive.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: Southside on March 26, 2015, 02:24:39 PM
Do you have any elevation to work with?  Being low pressure pumping up to storage when the sun ow wind is there and gravity down?
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: kwendt on March 26, 2015, 04:38:54 PM
Quote from: Southside logger on March 26, 2015, 02:24:39 PM
Do you have any elevation to work with?  Being low pressure pumping up to storage when the sun ow wind is there and gravity down?

No really, rise of only 10 feet or so, gentle rolling top of a long ridge.. Got lots of wind. There is the remains of a 12 to 15' tower on site, next to a pumphouse? I'm guessing. No one seems to know what the tower was used for. Best guess is farm windmill like Oz. One pond is spring fed and year round.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: Southside on March 26, 2015, 05:01:34 PM
The old windmills you speak of only spill water, they don't develop any pressure at all. However with a lot of wind you could compress air, store it in propane tanks and use that to power a pump resulting in all the water pressure you need. Those systems are very common among the Amish to pump well water. Maybe visit some of the communities down the road from you.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: red on March 26, 2015, 05:28:55 PM
Old School hydraulic ram pump
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: kwendt on March 26, 2015, 07:42:31 PM
Quote from: red on March 26, 2015, 05:28:55 PM
Old School hydraulic ram pump

Yes red, a Ram is what I was thinking... Drip irrigation doesn't need much pressure other than to get to the field.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: submarinesailor on March 26, 2015, 10:12:53 PM
Quote from: sprucebunny on March 26, 2015, 02:01:11 PM
PV solar might be less hassle. There are kits sold for pumping.
Wind requires diversion loads for when it's too windy and is generally a pain and more expensive.

I agree with SB.  If you need reliability, PV is the way to go.  Back about 15-18 years ago, while I worked a the Pentagon facilities, I had to look into removing ground water from a bunch of utility vaults and PV came way out ahead.

Bruce
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: sprucebunny on March 27, 2015, 08:35:55 AM
kwendt might be thinking of a direct drive sort of system like remote farms used to have.
Might be something like this ??? http://blrampump.com
I have no idea how those work.

I have no useable water at my land and no electricity that I didn't bring with me but I do have a good size garden. I bought some 275 gallon totes. Put one up on some pallets at the land and put another in my trailer. Fill the tote at home about 2200 pounds. I transfer the water with a generator and an electric pump ( takes 1.2 hours) and let gravity do the rest.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: kwendt on March 27, 2015, 06:52:11 PM
FUNNY you should mention PV....

I'm looking at another system - PV - running off a single 220watt panel we already have (we bought two pallets of them and did the roof of the Florida house, will do the south roof of the barn after the barn is renovated). Anyways... thinking of a Shurflo 9325-043-101 Submersible Pump, which has an impressive 200' lift capacity, running off one panel. [Mods: I'm in no way connected/affiliated with this company, or anything... other than potentially buying this product.]

I can make this semi portable, build a structure to mount the panel, run the lines, screening, output to the drip system in the fields, using sprinkler line, manual open/close valves, and drip line/emitters. I'm working on the layout and design, gallon flow rate. My unknowns are the pond refresh rate (hidden springs) and the exact amount of lift x distance needed.

I'm a little leery of the fact that this pump is for "potable" water.... so if I stick this in my spring fed pond, suspended by float, with a double filter/screen for large particulate... is it going to work? Thoughts? I don't know anything about this Shurflo company... other than reviews... anybody on here used them?

The windmill project will still be fun - especially as we already have a short tower and old pump house.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: kwendt on March 27, 2015, 07:10:22 PM
Quote from: sprucebunny on March 27, 2015, 08:35:55 AM
kwendt might be thinking of a direct drive sort of system like remote farms used to have.
Might be something like this ??? http://blrampump.com
I have no idea how those work.

KWENDT: Similar thought, although the air pressure that is driving our pump is from a windmill. Do not need a gravity fed "fall" to achieve lift, and there is no waste water value. Hydraulic Rams come in various configurations - the BL one uses NO outside sources of power to pump - it's gravity feed only. We used to have one on our camp water line, when the took certified drinking water from the stream coming down the side of the mountain. Awesome thing. 

I have no useable water at my land and no electricity that I didn't bring with me but I do have a good size garden. I bought some 275 gallon totes. Put one up on some pallets at the land and put another in my trailer. Fill the tote at home about 2200 pounds. I transfer the water with a generator and an electric pump ( takes 1.2 hours) and let gravity do the rest.

KWENDT: Wow, that's pretty cool. Tough to not have water. Great, inventive solution. Have rain barrels too? I'm so thankful that we have the year round tiny lake (spring fed pond) and the overflow pond in the spring. Now to harness the water in them for crops efficiently and wisely!
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: Holmes on March 28, 2015, 12:33:50 PM
 On top of a ridge?  Any chance you can siphon the water out down hill to the crops?   
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: landscraper on March 29, 2015, 09:10:38 AM
Companies like Rife (no gain to me) have been making ram pumps for this kind of application for over 100 years.  Many pumps have been in service for decades or more.  Proven, durable, simple.  Pump to an elevated holding tank, gravity to the irrigation zones. 
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: tmarch on March 29, 2015, 11:46:45 AM
Quote from: kwendt on March 27, 2015, 06:52:11 PM
Anyways... thinking of a Shurflo 9325-043-101 Submersible
I'm a little leery of the fact that this pump is for "potable" water.... so if I stick this in my spring fed pond, suspended by float, with a double filter/screen for large particulate... is it going to work? Thoughts? I don't know anything about this Shurflo company... other than reviews... anybody on here used them?
I'm not sure, but I believe the Shurflo pump is a diaphragm pump and my experience with them hasn't been the best. 
For my customers that want to pump out of a pond I recommend they dig a shallow well close to the pond and let the water clean as it leaches into the cased and grouted well.  Easy enough to do and will save your pump.  A good helical rotor pump will last a long time and pump lots of water.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: kwendt on March 29, 2015, 02:15:38 PM
Could be that what the original farmers did 60 years ago...
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: J D in AUS on May 03, 2015, 05:00:21 AM
http://bontech.net.au/index.php/spilla-pump-adaptor/spilla-and-poly-website/
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: Kbeitz on February 18, 2016, 07:05:29 PM
I have my own wind mill. I've done everything with it. Pump water, generate electric and run wind chimes.
It take a lot of work for upkeep. I used a VW Bug transaxle for my turn table. Figure on replaceing your
blades about every 5 years. I've tryed wood and plastic for my blades. My next set will be alum.
I looked for a picture of it in my collection of over 100,000 pictures and the only one I can find is this one
my mom took back in the 60's of me draging part of the tower down the road before it was put up.
I will post more pictures if I can find them...



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/Windmill_tower.jpg)
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: thecfarm on February 18, 2016, 07:07:56 PM
Looks like the dog is use to things being dragged down the road.
Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: Kbeitz on February 18, 2016, 07:08:13 PM
Ahhh found some more... I need to cut some trees back...
When I put up the tower there was no trees there.



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/Windmill.jpg)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/Windmill_2.jpg)

Title: Re: Anyone using wind powered, pond based, irrigation AG systems?
Post by: spyder68 on February 24, 2016, 07:56:30 AM
I have a old wind mill tower. I bought one blade from American eagle windmills and used it as a pattern. I cut twelve blades out of steel barrels. I bought rim that they fit on from American eagle and the pump two. I build the box that they fit in using aluminum. The pump is a air bag with a cam like rotation bar. It works good.