OT: Question about new well pump

I'm in the process of building a new house and need advise on well pumps. I had planned to install my own submersible pump, thinking I would save a little money. The well is 180 ft and delivering at least

10 gpm.

In looking for pump information I came across info on "constant pressure" systems. These use a variable speed pump and a small ( 2-4 gal) tank. I think I would like this system.

In some of these systems, the controller is matched to a particular pump. There is an alternative controller that will operate any 3-wire pump. See it here

formatting link
I'm considering using this controller along with a pump (and other items) from Granger.

Does anyone know why I shouldn't go this route? The costs between the constant pressure and conventional system are close.

Thanks, Kingfish fmp5fys02 at sneakemail.com

Reply to
Kingfish Stevens
Loading thread data ...

At least in my experience, you'll get a longer life and better reliability with a cycling pump, pressure tank, and downline regulator.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

Are you sure the costs are comparable? It looks like the controller adds about $800 to the installation and reduces the cost of the tank by some amount. Except for providing a constant pressure, I don't see any advantage to the system unless you have some space limitation that prohibits using a larger water tank. You might want to apply the extra cost of the controller to something that will help you get the pump out of that 180 foot well when it needs to be replaced (and it will need replacement).

The website you referenced said they offer free help to do-it-yourselfers. I would contact them and discuss your questions.

Reply to
Johni1

formatting link

The nice thing about those is that it seems as if you are on city water due to very little pressure variations at the faucet. The bad thing, they run more frequently.

Shawn

Reply to
Shawn

Whichever way you go PLEASE add a heavy duty stainlees steel cable from the pump to the pitless adapter!!!

My neighbour has just gone through 'pump hell' cause sand got in and buried the pump about 20' !! Took over 2 hours to gently, real gently pull on the

1" plastic pipe to get the pump up( total head about 50'). At least it was abou 35*F today, not the -10F the other week. The well guys were there about 7 1/2 hours...hate to think what that cost......

just want to help... Jay

Reply to
j.b. miller

-cost reduction on tank helps pay for more expensive setup

- small tank easier to fit indoors, outdoor tanks don't last as long

- future tank replacements increase savings

- lower peak pressure

- lessened start-up torque

-slick pressure adjustment

-onboard diagnostics and built-in run-dry protection, saves cost for separate protection device

formatting link

That would be nice, but two guys can pull a 180 footer of 10' PVC sticks, assuming appropriate swearing and grunting. I did 225' by myself once (won't do that again) ;-)

Wayne

Reply to
wmbjk

The nice thing about a tank with the pressure changes is that when the power goes out there is still some water available. Been there dune that (multiple times).

Bill K7NOM

Reply to
Bill Janssen

formatting link

I simply would put a standard submersible well pump and a large bladder tank in place........

...BUT...

If I *knew* I had the capacity of 10 gpm I would * very * seriously consider using a ground source heat pump for heating cooling needs in the new residence...........

COP generally ranges between 3.0 and some go as high as 4.5 IIRC.....what this means is you get at least 3 units of heat for the electrical input as opposed to straight electric heating....gas and oil heating may vary, depending on region, but.....

For a system that's sourced from well water, certain restrictions will apply according to where you live, the amount of acreage available for waste water disposal as opposed to a dedicated recharge well etc...

But these issues are all addressable by any pro in that field--your easiest choice being 'pump and dump'--so long as there is adequate area to 'accept' the runoff, most jusisdictions arent allowed to dis-approve the permit.

Its an *energy* thing, and is one of the best things we got going these days....and in fact most places will even have rebates available.........

Cheers,

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

Not only that, you also have water whan the lines freeze. I put in a much bigger tink in addition to the smaller tank to reduce the cycle count. In freezing weather I shut it off, full, and let the pump cycle more often with the small tank - holding the big tank in reserve. Has paid off many times in power outages & freezes.

Reply to
Nick Hull

Constant pressure pumping systems ar inherently expensive to run because the pump has to operate most of the time to maintain the pressure. This means more KWH and shorter pump life. When I was working, I retrofitted a number of constant pressure public water sytems back to standard pressure systems, as they were breaking the utility to run. Also when the power goes off, the water goes off. Bugs, P.E. ret.

Reply to
Bugs

Constant pressure pumping systems ar inherently expensive to run because the pump has to operate most of the time to maintain the pressure. This means more KWH and shorter pump life. When I was working, I retrofitted a number of constant pressure public water sytems back to standard pressure systems, as they were breaking the utility to run. Also when the power goes off, the water goes off. Bugs, P.E. ret.

Reply to
Bugs

You can still use a larger pressure tank with a constant pressure system. But an 85 gallon pressure tank only supplies about 25 gallons of reserve, even less if the system was just about to cycle when the power went out. Better for emergency is a larger, elevated, unpressurized reserve, with an RV pump/battery if elevation isn't convenient.

Wayne

Reply to
wmbjk

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.