I've been trying to keep my maine lawn wet, it took nearly 4 hours with an old fashioned oscillating sprinkler to get it wet. I'm using well water but have a 10 mile lake right here.

Couple of questions - anyone have any idea how long you can water off a well without a drying out? Up here the wells go down hundreds of feet (Poland Spring gets there water about 10 miles south of me).

My parents have a pump connected to the lake; if I were to do something like that could it drive a real sprinkler system if I ever made that leap or do you really need municipal water with high pressure?

Here's my post from last year:
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I'm still using the same setup and pump. I found out the pump has good SKS bearings in it with no signs of wear after 4 years of abuse. It'll only run 2 sprinklers at a time but for $50 can't be beat I don't think. Northerntool.com

Even an average $75-100 sump pump would work,as they can pump 6000 or do gallons per hour and many come with garden hose size fittings for the output! Look on amazon,they have tons of pumps at reasonable prices. I would assume the real challenge is providing an intake filter fine enough to keep any lake debris from going thru pump and clogging the small sprinkler head nozzles,yet a filter that does not become clogged and affect output quickly?

Thanks, I spoke to my plumber. For now he suggested contacting the guys who put in my well and finding out the flow rate (it wasn't in my sales contract), apparently they have to keep it on file. He said that most wells around here can handle handle/hose irrigation; if we move to a real sprinkler system he said then we should consider a pump. I'm waiting to hear back on my flow rate from the pump company.

Are you referring to your pumps flow rate, or actual gallons per minute available water from your well itself.....two very different things, and the only one that is near constant is the pump output.

Well water availability is generally the figure that is used in home sale contracts and a minimum gallons per minute number required by your state.....and the number is NOT a constant, it can drastically change at any time.

HanLawn wrote:Are you referring to your pumps flow rate, or actual gallons per minute available water from your well itself.....two very different things, and the only one that is near constant is the pump output.

Well water availability is generally the figure that is used in home sale contracts and a minimum gallons per minute number required by your state.....and the number is NOT a constant, it can drastically change at any time.

Gallons per minute, just want to get an idea. Long term I'll probably get the pump, the only problem is the lake is very shallow where I am with lots of "muck" and weeds. 3 miles north of me its 150 feet deep, it would be easy up there.