Plumbing/Wiring Underground Cistern

Started by midrover170, April 12, 2016, 05:01:10 PM

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midrover170

Hi folks -

My 325 gallon Norwesco spherical tank arrived yesterday, coincidentally the same day the County approved my test holes and septic/water layout. I'll probably be placing the tank in 1-2 weeks and wanted some input on plumbing and wiring these. Let me get this out there in open: I'm a ROOKIE when it comes to this stuff. So be easy on me. Lots of questions.

I'd like to plumb the tank to my utility room where I'll have a smaller, 50-100 gallon holding tank. The distance from cistern to holding tank is roughly 50ft. horizontal and then maybe 8ft. vertical to where the holding tank inlet will be. Ideally, when solar is installed, I could just flip a switch in the utility room and fill up the holding tank. What type of pump is best for this? Submersible lift I'm guessing? If so, anyone have recommendation/direction for figuring out size - both for water line and pump? On wiring, I'm also guessing that would be buried in conduit in the supply line trench? The tank also needs a vent pipe, yes? If so, I could run that directly up with an 180 degree elbow at the top?

What about maintenance? Say this sump pump goes out on me, are there any tricks to making replacement and/or general maintenance easier? I have a 20" dia. riser that will be poking above the dirt, that doesn't leave much room to access parts/pieces.

Final question: Transferring water from my haul tank (back of truck) into the spherical. Should I plumb in a hookup for, say, a garden hose? Or, should I just open up the hatch and drain it directly in?

Thanks, and again, apologies for my lack of know-how on this stuff.

- D

MountainDon

We used a Rule IL200P pump. Grainger sells them and so does Amazon. They have other models too. The number designates the maximum gallons per hour at a zero head. Flow decreases with the distance the pump must push/lift the water. There are 12 VDC and 24 VDC versions I believe. The models that end in a "P" are rated for continuous run IIRC.  A lift of 10 feet reduces capacity to about 130 GPH.

I installed two of them, the second is the backup if/when needed. It is wired and plumbed and changeover would be fairly simple with no access to the tank required.  Those inline pumps do not have a foot valve, which for me is good. When the pump shuts off water returns to the cistern by gravity flow. Therefore there is no need to drain that part for winter. We use it in the dead of winter with no problems. However that was only after we insulated the top portion of the tank after the original burial.  I think I linked to the process earlier.

Last year I installed a pump controller I found on ebay. It uses sensors in the house holding tank to turn the pump on and off automatically as the level changes with use. I also have a return line plumbed from the holding tank back to the cistern so I can winter drain that tank and save the water.


Anyhow, that is how we did it.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.