well pump pressure question

[kate]

here are the facts. spring with pump in it is approx. 250 away from house. with pressure tank down in it. 125 of distance is level, and 125 ft is almost straight downhill. we would like to move pressure tank to house basement. is this workable. have a couple of frost free hydrants in system before you get to house...................what would be the downfalls, of this, if we plan to do this.........the reason for the move, is the pressure tank is suspended down in spring, and is about to fall in due to rotten supports. winter snowfall and temps make it impossible to maintain if anything goes wrong with it, the way it is. all suggestions welcome.

[Jim S.]

Completely workable. My well is out in the side yard, but my pressure tank and control switch is inside the house in the laundry room. Stays nice and warm there.

All you need do is dig a trench to lay some 10-2 or 12-2 (depending on code) UF wire, so the controller in the house can switch on and off the pump in the spring. Locally, because of rocks, we are required to put that UF wire in plastic conduit, so some 3/4" plastic conduit for 10-2 or 1/2" for 12-2 might be something to consider. Even if you are NOT required by code to do it, I will tell you from hard underground wiring experience that using plastic conduit with the correct UF underground wire in it reduces your chances of lightning damage to your underground wiring dramatically. So it's worth the little extra cost and trouble.

The key is to keep the controller as close to the tank as possible, where it senses pressure drop. Locate your controller in the tee that attaches to your pressure tank, and use the biggest diaphragm pressure tank you can afford or that will fit the space. It makes life so much easier on your pump. When we went from a 20 to a 50-gallon, it made a huge difference in pressure consistency and pump cycling time. Much easier on the pump.

I too have 3 hydrants and also run a shop building bathroom off the pump-side supply line before it gets to the pressure tank and switch. Downstream of the tank, on the house feed side of the system, I installed a pressure regulator set at 50 psi to keep feeder flow to the house nice and even. My pump cut-in is 50 psi and cut-out is 70 psi. Been this way for almost 3 years now, since we drilled the new well. No worries so far.

The downfalls:

-- a direct lightning strike in the ground near your underground wire could burn it out. (If you use the conduit, this will be almost completely a non-issue.)

-- a leaky pipe between the pump and tank could result in pressure loss. But it would no matter how you had things set up. If you use a leak preventer-type controller, it will shut the system off if a leak happens. I don't use one, but they are available.

-- you will get more pressue at your hydrants than in the house, and may expereince some pump surge in pressure at the hydrants when it cuts on. Dunno if this is a downfall or not, but it's a fact, cuz in my system I am running 20 psi higher in the supply line than in my house feeder line cuz of the regulator. The regulator, on the other hand, keeps flow nice and steady in the house while someone is using a hydrant outside, and smooths pump surge in the house. It's never been an issue for me, and going to the 50-gallon pressure tank smoothed it out a lot at the hydrants. Barely noticeable now.

Hope this all helps. I highly recommend moving all your stuff into the warm, and covering up everything that has to be outside really well. My well uses a pitless adapter, so nothing but the well liner sticks above ground. My pump is submersible. My MIL's farm has a submersible pump in the spring house pool, so I know they can be used like that, too. Good luck.

[Shagbarkmtcatle]

Get a big pressure tank. It saves wear and tear on the pump. Our tank is in the house basement, V-250 Goulds p-tank. Our pump is a submersible in the well, I believe it's a 1/2 hp since the well is only 75 feet deep. We ran the line downhill from the house to the chicken house where there is a 10ft yrd burial hydrant and on out to the furthest field for water there too. When out in the field filling up the big cow water, there's over 40 head to water, pressure is low to non-existent in the house for 15-20 minutes while the cow waterer is being filled. Otherwise it works fine.

[logbuilder]

Be sure and have a check valve between the well head and the first outside faucet.

[Jim S.]

I forgot to say, my pump is a 10 gpm 1/2 horse. No check valves anywhere in the system. Well is 70 feet, submersible pump sits at 50.

Man, I am loving this system compared to my old 25-foot hand dug well and jet pump. I have a Jacuzzi Sandhandler submersible pump, and locals have told me they have had theirs for 20+ years and never had to pull it. The jet pump was a Jacuzzi, too, good brand as far as I am concerned. But the old system needed more frequent maintenance than this one will. And my old well would be dry now, with the mulit-year drought we are having.

Heh...neighbors think I'm nuts to have drilled a new well, the county water line runs right across the front of my place. No chlorine, thank you! And thank God they don't force people here to sign up just cuz it's there.

[agmantoo]

Yes, what you have described will work. I too suggest that you purchase a large storage tank. Is your current setup having the electricity supplied from your house that is 250 feet away? If so, you can disconnect that wire at the panel and go from your electrical panel at the house using the freed breaker to the pressure switch that you mount near the tank with a new wire. Then from the pressure switch, using a new wire, go to the old wire you disconnected at the house and using a junction box splice to the old pump supply wire . At the pump just install a cheap disconnect switch. This will avoid a lot of wire pulling, ditching and expense.

[CGUARDSMAN]

tank and control to mine are in the 6' crawl space under my house. we have had no issues with it. my well is 425' deep.

[rambler]

As I read the original question, there is a _serious_ elevation change on this pipe. It was stated 125 feet almost straight down?

Moving the tank is _very_ doable.

However, there will have to be adjustments made to the pressure switch to allow for about 1/2 lb of pressure per foot of rise. You will either gain or lose quite a bit of pressure for that much height difference.

--->Paul

[OkieDavid]

The pressure tank doesn't "care" where it's mounted as long as it is between the pump and the house. Head/Lift issues aren't a problem since the pump is already lifting the water that far. CG has a pressure tank located 400 plus feet from his pump and his system works fine. Check valve between the pump and first hydrant is a good idea. Heck, when you break the line to remove the pressure tank, you just created an excellent spot to install one. I would move all my above ground components into the house in a heart beat if the DW would give up some undershelf space in the laundry room.....Beats the heck out of heating/freezing issues in the well house.

David

[kate]

thanks for all of your advice, going to print it out and read and read.........thanks again people. k.

[rambler]

Okie, I am making the assumption the pressure switch is also located at/on the pressure tank. That is generally the case. If you move the pressure switch up or down 125 feet, that _will_ make a difference. Not to the tank, or to the pump, but to the setting of the switch.

Generally it is best to have the switch on the tank, to keep vibration pulses from affecting it.

Of course, there are many other ways to it & this isn't an issue.

--->Paul

[agmantoo]

My opinion is that it will not make any difference. The water is not going to siphon from the well. The pump will run only when the pressure at the tank is not at the cutout pressure. Therefore the tank will have the pressure predetermined by the switch setting. I think the pump will not have the amp draw that it had when the tank was at the top of the hill.