Our guide to rain to mains systems covers the valve side of pulling water off a tank — but it only briefly touches on which pump to actually run. This guide picks up where that one left off: three pump types, and which real jobs each one suits.
Garden and light laundry use: stainless jet pump
The Hyjet HSJ370 (370W) is a self-priming stainless jet pump supplied with an automatic PC10 pressure controller and a Y strainer. It's the standard starting point for garden irrigation and a light household load, and it's the pump MaxiSAVE bundles into its smallest rain-to-mains packages (the DN20 valve with 4-tap sizing). The HSJ750 (750W) steps up flow for a bigger garden or more taps running together, used in MaxiSAVE's higher-tap-count DN25 packages.
Whole-house toilets and laundry, quieter running: horizontal multistage
The Hyjet HCM series is a stainless horizontal multistage pump built to be quieter than a jet pump, with an automatic PC12 controller and run-dry protection. The HCM2-40 (550W) suits a standard household feeding toilets and the laundry — it's the pump in MaxiSAVE's mid-tier DN25 package (4-8 taps). The HCM4-60 (1100W) steps up for a bigger household or multiple bathrooms where more than a couple of taps might run at once.
Quiet and out of sight: submersible
The Hyjet HSM series sits inside the tank itself rather than beside it. The HSM370-PC (370W) and HSM1100-PC (1100W) both have the pressure controller built in and a float switch that cuts the pump on low water, so there's nothing audible outside the tank and no exposed pump to protect from weather. They're the closest option to "set and forget" for a tank install, at the cost of needing to pull the tank apart (or at least open the access point) for any servicing. See our dedicated comparison of submersible vs surface pumps for more on that trade-off.
How to actually choose
Garden only, or a small place with modest demand: HSJ370 jet pump. Whole house (toilets, laundry), want it quieter than a jet pump: HCM2-40, stepping up to HCM4-60 for a bigger household. Want the pump silent and out of the weather: HSM370-PC or HSM1100-PC submersible. If a rain to mains changeover is also needed, the MaxiSAVE packages bundle these exact pumps with the matching valve by tap count, which is the simplest way to order a matched system in one SKU — see the full range in our Rain to Mains Pumps collection. For more general background on jet vs multistage pumps outside the tank-specific context, see our guides to household pressure pumps and multistage vs jet pumps. Whichever pump is chosen, an inline filter between the tank and the pump keeps debris out of it — and keeping debris out of the tank in the first place starts further up the chain, with the first flush diverters and downpipe diverters covered elsewhere on this blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the simplest pump for just watering the garden off a tank?
The Hyjet HSJ370 jet pump — it's the standard starting point for garden irrigation and light use, and the pump used in MaxiSAVE's smallest rain-to-mains package.
Which pump is quietest for a whole-house setup?
A submersible, like the HSM370-PC or HSM1100-PC, since the pump itself is inside the tank. The horizontal multistage HCM series is the next-quietest option for a surface-mounted pump.
How do I know whether to choose the 370W or the larger model?
Match it to the load: a single bathroom and laundry suits the smaller models (HSJ370, HCM2-40, HSM370-PC); more taps running together or a larger household suits the bigger models (HSJ750, HCM4-60, HSM1100-PC).
Do these pumps come with a rain to mains changeover valve included?
Not on their own — but MaxiSAVE sells them pre-packaged with a matching DN20 or DN25 changeover valve by tap count, which is the simplest way to order a matched system.