Building a Prototype Water Pumphouse

One of this winters’ activities was building a ‘pumphouse’ to protect the water pump and related items from the weather. 

The intended benefits were to

• Protect expensive equipment from the elements for the long term

• Provide a tidy central hub for the various inputs e.g. power supply and outputs e.g. irrigation

• Host a solar-charged battery for the pump, allowing it to run independent of the house supply.

For various reasons, I opted to build a ‘simple’ prototype first. As usual, that evolved into something beyond my skills - if I squint, the lean isn’t too obvious…

The net result is that such a housing isn’t the ‘value add’ I’d thought it would be, but is good-to-have at a cheap enough price. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the right sort of product on sale or second hand.

What I Built

For a sense of scale, overall internal dimensions of the main body are: 840 wide x 740 deep x 1390 high. Key attributes are: Weather-proof Works with elevated foundation slab Has separate equipment and storage compartments Can have inlets and outlets added for water and power Lockable Air circulation for drying out via holes drilled in the bottom floor Tidy storage on the ground level for the hose reel.

The equipment concerned is Inlet for the water supply from the rainwater tank.  A  dual filter housing containing a 10 micron filter to remove thicker sediment in order to protect the pump, and a 0.5 micron activated carbon filter to reduce any heavy metals A Jetflo 375 Watt jet pump which outputs to a standard garden hose mounted on a hose reel (not shown)

If you’re interested in how and why I built the above, see ‘Construction Method’ below.

Revisiting The Business Case       

The table below outlines my final assessment…     

Proven Benefits	Costs	Key Requirements	Risks	Lessons
·      Protects  equipment from the elements  ·     Provide a  central hub for the various inputs e.g. power supply and outputs e.g. irrigation water ·     Equipment can be installed in the right place to use existing irrigation storage and pipes ·     Store parts, fittings etc close to where they will be used.	·     Cash - $250, mostly on treated plywood.   ·     My time, estimated at 30 to 40 hours, including rework.	·     Weather-proof ·     Can be separated into equipment and storage compartments ·     Inlets and outlets for water and power ·     Lockable ·     Minimum dimensions of 840 wide x 740 deep x 1390 high. ·     Air circulation for drying out any leaks ·     Can be bolted to foundation against storms. ·     Tidy storage on the ground level for the hose reel.	·     Uncertainty about what is needed has been eliminated.	·     Cost-effectiveness of an independent solar-power disproven. ·     Opportunity to use the rainwater for some domestic uses proven.

 So is it worth buying a cabinet/housing?...

Overall yes, but it’s not a ‘value add’ that produces more or saves on an ongoing cost - more an 'enabler' that keeps things tidy and efficient. A more presentable housing is nice to have, however I’d rather wait for something cheap enough.

Next Steps

1. Start watching for suitable sheds/outdoor cabinets etc on trademe etc. Estimate worth up to $500.
2. Build foundation slab and install new shed/cabinet, transfer equipment etc. 
3. Transfer homemade housing to another purpose.

 Appendix: Construction Method

Construction was improvised, because of the combination of 

• It wasn’t really clear what I needed 
• Commercial options seemed quite expensive for what you got 
• I wanted to be sure of my requirements before shelling out the money.

The method of construction was to

1. Convert an existing shipping crate made from untreated wood into an inner shell
2. Wrap the inner shell in some left-over black plastic sheeting
3. Drill holes through the walls for the required inlets/outlets
4. Install the equipment.
5. Change my mind about what I needed.
6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 until satisfied.
7. Create a water-proof outer shell from treated plywood, including the door. Which also helped cover up the un-needed holes.
8. Cobble it all together using available screws, and various types of tape as needed.