Use a wand when hand watering.

Use a wand when hand watering.

Its late in the day, you just picked up a load of recycled water but you don’t have time to water the yard. What can you do? Unload your tank into a temporary storage tank and water the plants when you have time.

In this guide, we’ll show you what one recycled water hauler built to make his life easier.

A friend of the blog said “I bring recycled water home in the truck tote. From there, connect the transfer pump and connect it to this hose curled up in my front yard. It runs along the side of my house to my temporary storage tote. The hose discharges into the tote. I keep a sump pump inside it and just plug it in when I’m ready. The sump pump is connected to a 75 foot garden hose that I drag around the yard to water.”

If you choose to go this route, use the water within 4 days as it can turn green. It would be best to use it when you get it, but other things may creep up and you definitely don’t want to waste recycled water.

Step 1:

Pick up a load of recycled water. Available from numerous residential recycled water fill stations around California.

Step 2:

Bring the recycled water home, setup pumps and hoses.

Tote connection

Tote connection

Transfer pump from truck.

Transfer hose coiled up in front of house.

Transfer hose coiled up in front of house.

Step 3:

There is a coiled hose in front of house runs through a hole in the fence, along side of house into the tank. A PVC fitting on the side of the tank keeps the hose from crimping making the turn down.

Garden hose running down side of house.

Garden hose running down side of house.

PVC parts keep hose from crimping.

PVC parts keep hose from crimping.

Step 4:

As water level rises, it covers a sump pump sitting inside the tote.

This particular pump is a Superior Pump Model 91250 1/4HP Submersible Thermoplastic Utility Pump and is available from Home Depot for $48.24. Slight modification to the top of the tote had to be made to get the pump in and out.

View of sump in tote.

View of sump in tote.

1/4 HP sump pump pulled out of tote to show label.

1/4 HP sump pump pulled out of tote to show label.

Top of tote show inlet hose in back, discharge from sump pump in front.

Top of tote show inlet hose in back, discharge from sump pump in front.

The tote is re-used in the winter time, same setup, for rainwater harvesting from a roof downspout.

Step 5:

When ready to water the yard and unload the tote (no more than 4 days after filling the tote as the water has a tendency to turn green), just plug in the sump pump and water the plants with a spray wand or above ground sprinkler.

Garden hose with handheld wand coiled up near tote.

Garden hose with handheld wand coiled up near tote.

Sump pump puts out enough pressure to use a hose wand.

That’s all there is to it. Questions?

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