Chattering Square D pressure switch, and check valve location?

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rstl99

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Hi all,
I have read posts here about pressure switch chattering, and would like to inquire about the setup in the old summer house I acquired last year. As you can see in the pictures, I have an old piston pump setup, with Square D pressure switch attached. When I got things going this Spring (plumbing is drained and shutoff during winter), the switch was chattering a lot on cutoff. Couldn't figure out why, so went out and bought a new one, and it did the same thing. The previous owner told me the tank and plumbing upgrades were done by a pro plumber, and that he recalls hearing the same chattering noises but thought it was normal.

The pressure tank is quite new and is properly pressured, bladder is fine. When the pump comes on, the gauge oscillates quite a bit (+/- 5psi) with the pump strokes, which I think may cause the fast cycling (chattering) when reaching the set point.

I have read elsewhere about making sure the switch is downstream of the check valve. I am not sure I have a check valve or not in my setup, unless it's the piece between the hose and the pressure gauge in the pictures?

Anyway, any help would be appreciated to get rid of this annoying chattering. I tried adjusting the 2 springs somewhat, to no avail. Thanks.
 

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Valveman

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I don't see a check valve but, there has to be one somewhere. A piston type pump can act like a check valve when the valves are closed. If you move that pressure switch to the brass tank cross, the chattering should go away. There is a plug to the right of the pressure gauge. Remove this plug, install the pressure switch in that location, then use the plug in the hole you took the pressure switch out of.
 

Waterwelldude

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With that type of pump, even moving the switch to the "T" is not going to help.
The switch will need to be move to an isolated pipe with a serge chamber on the same line just before the switch.
This will not fix the problem but it will help a little bit.
Those type pumps were used to pump into an open tank with a float switch, then pumped from the open tank to a pressure tank, with the use of a booster pump.


Travis
 

rstl99

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I don't see a check valve but, there has to be one somewhere. A piston type pump can act like a check valve when the valves are closed. If you move that pressure switch to the brass tank cross, the chattering should go away. There is a plug to the right of the pressure gauge. Remove this plug, install the pressure switch in that location, then use the plug in the hole you took the pressure switch out of.

Thanks, might be worth a try. I'll probably have to do some re-wiring as the wires to/from the switch probably aren't long enough to accomodate the move.

And based on the other poster, I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble...

The thing is, after installing the D and having the same chattering, I remember tightening the #2 spring (cutoff setting) and eventually the chattering stopped, and the pump just stopped as it should. Last time I was there, the chattering had started again... Maybe I just need to fiddle with those 2 spring tensions some more, maybe tighten down on #2 again, before trying anything involving more work? I'll be back up there next week and will try it.
 

rstl99

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Thanks Travis. Well, maybe I should consider just replacing the old pump with a new model and be done with it (it's the only old component left in the system, by the looks of it)...
 
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