I have some questions about a community system serving 5 houses. The system was built around 2006-2007. Due to the housing issues the developer never finished the subdivision and the contractor/builders/plumbers are unavailable to answer questions.
The system has a drilled well with a submersible pump on a float switch feeding a 1500 gallon tank. The also has a submersible pump on a pressure switch. The main line from the tank is a 2" or 3" inside diameter poly pipe - looks like same size & type that is used for fiber optic cable except it is blue instead of orange. There is at least 1700 feet of main and possibly as much as 2600 feet. The 5 houses range from 50 to 200 feet off of the main. It is a mountainous area and the lowest point of the system is at least 100 vertical feet below the tank and the highest house is 50-70 vertical feet higher than the tank.
Now the questions:
The system has a drilled well with a submersible pump on a float switch feeding a 1500 gallon tank. The also has a submersible pump on a pressure switch. The main line from the tank is a 2" or 3" inside diameter poly pipe - looks like same size & type that is used for fiber optic cable except it is blue instead of orange. There is at least 1700 feet of main and possibly as much as 2600 feet. The 5 houses range from 50 to 200 feet off of the main. It is a mountainous area and the lowest point of the system is at least 100 vertical feet below the tank and the highest house is 50-70 vertical feet higher than the tank.
Now the questions:
- What pressure switch should be used ? The one in use has no readable label and the gauge next to it has the needle loose under the glass so I cannot tell what the start/stop pressure at the tank is, but the water pressure at the highest house is acceptable.
- Should there be a pressure tank on the system ? I have always lived with a single family well and a pressure tank was required. How about on a system this size ? The in-tank pump does not seem to cycle excessively but I have not actually checked the frequency during a period of expected high usage. When the pump does start, it runs 3 or 4 minutes before it builds enough pressure to shut off.
- Since we have had a wet winter, the well is artesian. Water is seeping out of the hole in the casing that the power line for the submersible pump uses. The water flows down the well casing and under the fiberglass rock that covers itnad then out onto the ground. The property was previously a single family acreage and used a natural spring for water. The reservoir for the spring is about 50 feet uphill from the well and has a 2-3 gallons per minute out flow. The drilled well might have been overflowing for a while but it was not noticed until the pressure switch quit working during an extended freeze. When I was putting a heat tape on the switch I found a ice skating rink in a 20 foot circle around the well casing. Now that the ground has thawed it is not as obvious but it is still flowing. Does this need to have anything done or can it be left as is ?