[joan from zone six]

need some advice from someone familiar with deep-well jet-pumps -
my set-up now - pump connected to well with two pipes/large pipe for suction/smaller pipe going down to pressurize "eductor"? -
i'd like to use this same pump, if possible, to be occasionally used to take water from a ground-level cistern and deliver water through existing lines -
my question - can i install a ball-valve on both pipes from the pump, then install a tee between that valve in the suction line and the pump and have it work? or, do i need to do something more elaborate with the "down" line into the well? i guess i could rephrase the question and ask if its ok to close the "down" line and not cause a problem -
thanks for the help -

 

[moopups]

You will find well geeks and nerds at the 'shop talk' forum, this is what they live for...... PS we are not going to listen to any political stuff. Leave it home.

 

[12vman]

I had one that had a cast iron piece on the area where the 2 lines connect to the pump to use for shallow well use. It only had 1 inlet. I believe the larger line is in the center of the pump housing. Possibly if you plug the smaller hole and connect a pipe to the center hole, it will pull water. But I'm not sure what all was in the cast iron piece.

Is there a housing connected to the pump head that is held on with 2 bolts? (this is where the 2 lines connect to it now) If there is, maybe an adaptor can be found to change it to a shallow well pump.

Also, you will need a check valve on the line that goes to the water supply. (foot valve) so it will hold pressure.

 

[joan from zone six]

You will find well geeks and nerds at the 'shop talk' forum, this is what they live for...... PS we are not going to listen to any political stuff. Leave it home.

please enlighten me, moopup - just what political philosophy is involved with water pumps? or, are you just being snotty?

 

[agmantoo]

Joan,
I think what you are suggesting will work. You must isolate with valves (ball preferred) both lines going to the well. Then you would need 2 each tees between the ball valves and the pump itself. On the large line tee, install a third valve plus a swing check valve between the ball valve and the cistern. Plumb the check valve to prevent water flowing into the cistern. I am assuming the inlet to the pump is only a few feet above the water level of the cistern so it should self prime from the cistern. On the small line tee connect the supply to the storage tank going to the house. To pump from the well, the third ball valve would have to be closed and the 2 each ball valves to the well open. To pump from the cistern, the 2 each ball valves to the well would need to be closed and the third valve from the cistern open. You need to have the fittings all plumbed nicely as to where the pump cannot suck any air into the system. I would want to have the storage tank pressurized before I started closing and opening the valves to minimize losing the prime to the pump. You will need power applied to the pressure switch at all times so that when you operate the valves and if there is a pressure drop the well pump can kick in immediately thus keeping the system primed at all times.

 

[John_in_Houston]

So your well really is toxic?

 

[mikell]

Reallt it would be less of a pain to just buy another pump for 100$ and use gate or ball valves to isolate the output of the pump your not using. If is't for irrigation or something thats what I would suggest. If your not using the water in the home you would only need a pump and not the tank so you could probably get down to 60$

Try this link
mikell

http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?UID=2004100504583486&catname=water&keyword=WPCA

 

[joan from zone six]

thanks for the help guys -

agmantoo - glad you concur with my idea - now i don't feel like a complete idiot -

mikell - you would have to come up with a practical approach - now i won't be able to exercise my rube goldberg streak - what i really like about your suggestion, that i hadn't thought of before, is that i'd still have water in the event either pump crapped out on me -

and i don't think of either of you as nerds or geeks - of course, that's just MY opinion -

thanks again -