Since it was such a dry fall and I think a lot of evergreens, especially broadleaf evergreens, might struggle as we reach spring, I thought I’d write about our portable water system. It has received quite a bit of use the last 4 or more months. We used it throughout the fall, trying to make sure all our newly planted evergreens received some supplemental water before the ground froze. We actually have taken advantage of a couple of the ‘warmer’ days this winter to get out and water, trying to get ahead of any winter desiccation that is quite common after a dry fall.
In this video, we are using our 65 gallon tank but we also have the ability to bring 275 gallons of water with this same setup. We purchase these small transfer pumps and wire them to run off our trailer RV plug. This is an upgrade from our previous method of powering the system. In our first variation, we’d power the system with a commercial sized battery jumper. You could also use a car battery. The jumper worked fine and we used it for years but I decided to go in a different direction when someone forgot to shut off the battery jumper after use. It was put back into the barn and was left on for weeks. Unfortunately, that fried the computer board. Our new system has been working good. It will run whether the truck is running or not. We do leave the truck running, at least for part of the time, when we’re emptying the 275 gallon tank.
The one upgrade I’d like to make is to upgrade to a larger pump that can push more gallons per minute. I’ve looked but haven’t found an appropriate, affordable alternative. Give it a try!
