Question on type of pump to use

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sbasile

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I am trying to find some information on selecting a pump for my situation. Our property has an old well encased in 24” diameter concrete pipe. It is approximately 10’ deep with a water level currently at about 7’. We have been using this for drip hose irrigation in a small garden for the past 3 years. We have never pumped all of the water out. The pump is a Utiltech 1/2HP convertible jet pump. Each spring we have needed to turn the flywheel to get the pump running but this year the pump will not hold pressure. I am wondering if this is an appropriate pump for this use and worth repairing or if we should try a submersible pump or a sump pump. I have read many threads on this forum, though not about this kind of well. Thanks.
 

Valveman

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3’ of water is not really enough to use a submersible. ½ HP jet pump is probably the best you can do. Just get a good brand pump with a cast iron housing instead of plastic and it should last longer and not be as hard to get started.
 

TWS

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thanks for the information valveman.

our problem is the utilitech jet pump which is sold via lowes and apparently they discontinue parts on a frequent basis - we can't find the part we probably need. moreover most of the local pump specialist i talked too said they'd not service a cheap pump. the going rate to get someone on property just to have a look is $80... i'm not about to spend that kind of money to repair a pump that will fail every other gardening season. we're (sally and i ) not opposed to spending for a quality pump we are just not sure which one to get... i opt for the simpler the better. our well water has calcium in it and that may contribute to an ongoing issue with the pressure switch these pressure tank jet pumps use... so how bout a well built irrigation pump instead? can you recommend a pump for us? it would sit on the floor in the cabinet beside the well in our garage. i am hoping they are adjustable and reliable and i suppose water would flow only when it's turned on. we would gladly forgo all the fancy jet pump pressure stuff for a simple reliable method of getting water to our garden. we are nearing retirement and can't afford to be replacing a pump every other year.

thanks again for your input.

ps: haven't got a clue what cyclestop valves are for.
 

Reach4

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How much pressure and how much flow does your system need?
 

Texas Wellman

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In my opinion Gould's makes the best jet pumps. I agree with valveman, a 1/2 HP jet pump like a Gould's j5s will do you a good job. The jet pumps sold by Lowes and other box stores are straight up junk. Their "1-hp" is more like a 1/4 HP compared to a real motor.
 

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thank you everyone for your prompt replies and valuable input. Reach4, sorry i don't know what pressure and flow i need. i do know that before the 1/2 hp utilitech pump crapped out it serviced our garden perfectly... sending water as far as 80' to soaker hoses to water our tomato beds. the pump resides in a wood framed compartment in my garage. the dimensions are 38" long, 27" wide and 26" tall... now here is a self contained gould pump that i found that should fit...

have a look here:

http://goulds.com/jet-pumps/bf03s-shallow-well-jet-pump/

this looks to be around $600 plus what ever it will cost to install.

does this look like a suitable and reliable pump to replace my utilitech and does anyone have a ball park figure on what it should cost to install? i can remove the old utilitech myself.

thanks for all your help, it is much appreciated.

tws
 

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ps: i do not fully understand why and whether or not a jet pump requires a pressure tank? does it? because i can get a straight up 1/2hp gould pump for less than the one i linked to above. can someone explain the need or no need for a pressure tank. i assume the self contained model BFO3S gould pump has a pressure tank attached to it.
 

Reach4

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If you have a pressure switch, a pressure tank is needed to keep the pump from cutting on and off very rapidly. If you just want to turn the pump on and off manually, and you never block the water and if the pump is sized to the irrigation load, you could get by with no pressure switch and no pressure tank.
 

TWS

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i reckon by irrigation load you mean the amount of resistance to over come, or pressure needed to get constant water out to the furthest drip or soaker hose - about 75' away. i dimly understand that a straight irrigation pump only pumps water when it is on... so manually turning the pump on for watering is the routine - will it also provide constant pressure/load?... we have no way of determining irrigation load with our drip/soaker hose setup and of course our pump is pooped. the pump i linked to above must be something like the bladder pressure jet pump we currently have, which worked well for our needs until it broke down dead... when we turned it on it would turn off and on as it needed to keep the pressure constant... 1/2 hp did just fine, our standing water in the well is always about 7' and no matter how much we pumped in the summer it never went below 4'...

what do you reckon would be best? the gould shallow well jet or a gould irrigation type pump?

thanks again for your advice it is valuable to us.

tws
 

Valveman

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when we turned it on it would turn off and on as it needed to keep the pressure constant...

That pump turning on and off while running a soaker hose is probably the main reason it didn’t last very long.

Just use a regular shallow well jet pump without a pressure switch or tank. Just flip the breaker on when you want water and make sure you never close off the water line completely when the pump is running.
 

TWS

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Great! that's what we hoped. We'd much rather keep it simple with a reputable pump that CAN BE SERVICED, so a gould is in order.our greatest length is about 75' we have a mix of drip hoses and soaker hoses. i have no idea what the load might be or how to determine it. can you recommend a particular gould shallow well jet pump and the required hp... probably 1/2 since that served us well before.... what i don't want to do is have a pump that is not strong enough to push water at a reasonable drip rate at 75' nor one that is to strong. can the flow be regulated on a gould shallow water jet pump?

thanks valveman

tws
 

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A Goulds JS5 is all you need. Your drips and soakers need to be putting out at least 1 GPM to keep the pump happy. At that flow the hose will see about 60 PSI unless you regulate the pressure. If the amount being used is always the same you can regulate it with a simple ball valve on the discharge of the pump. If the amount being used varies, you can set a CSV1A to hold as low as 15 PSI up to maybe 50 PSI at all times no matter the flow rate. You just turn the bolt on the CSV to set the regulated pressure the way you want it.
 

TWS

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SUPER! we've got the ball valve for simple regulation... will study that CSV1A thing. the JS5 sounds good... have attached two pictures to illustrate my situtation... THANKS HEAPS!

tws
 

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TWS

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PS: question... can the cycle stop valve be attached to the gould JS5 pump? can you recommend a particular CSV 1 A ?
 

TWS

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looking at your link i see the CSV1A 15-150 PSI Model @ $295 that's spendy... but will it help reduce wear on the pump? i've watch a video on csv and it also seems that they can reduce the amount amp draw on the motor thus reducing the amount of power consumption? our soaker and drip hose pressure varies depending on how near or far we are watering on any given day. so it seems a csv of some type would benefit us.
 

TWS

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one more important point in order to have a CSV installed does it require having a pressure tank also installed? hoping here to eliminate the pressure tank solution.
 

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No you don't need a pressure switch/pressure tank with a CSV if you are turning the pump on and off manually or just with a timer. The CSV will work like and automatic adjusting ball valve. Just attach the CSV directly to the discharge of the pump. The CSV1A can be set as low as 15 PSI, and I assume all you want on the drips and soakers is about 20 PSI, maybe 30 at the most. Where ever you set the CSV will be the steady pressure no matter where or how you are using the water.

The CSV will not reduce the amp draw anymore than a ball valve. It will just adjust itself automatically to maintain a steady pressure. You would have to manually adjust a ball valve every time you change the amount of water being used to be able to maintain a set pressure. No matter how you reduce the amount of water you are using the amp draw of the motor will be reduced as the flow rate is reduced. You actually get more gallons per kilowatt by running the pump at its maximum flow. But when running the pump full out is not an option, it is good that the amps are reduced when you need to use smaller amounts of water.

$295 is the retail price of that valve, and is what you should pay if you have it professionally installed. But the DIY price for that valve is much less, and it is not hard to install. The CSV maybe a little pricy compared to a ball valve, but when using a CSV instead of an 80 gallon size pressure tank or two, it is very economical and even works much better.
 

TWS

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boy this has been a great learning experience... thank you so much valveman! now i can talk to a local pump specialist with some confidence.
 

Nomad28743

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I could not find a forum to ask this so I am placing it here. If anyone knows where this is discussed please direct me there.
My problem is my new community water system barely makes it to my house. The frost free valve first in line from their pipe has OK pressure but inside my house at the sink and shower are pitifully low and my standards are really low too. What is the best and affordable in line booster pump to install. I figure the box store stuff is too cheap and won't last but I'm not wealthy either. So what is a reliable pump at an affordable price.
Thanks for your help.
James
 
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