Started over with my cistern shallow well pump with a new f and w ek05s 1/2 horse pump with a 20 gal ht20b water worker tank. My question is will I have trouble priming the system by the way I have started to plumb it. All pictograms show pump on top of tank. I would rather not do this if I can. Tank is max working pressure of 75 psi. I have a 60 psi blow off valve and pump comes with a 20/40 switch
Cistern Help 2
- Thread starter Lindauer
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It is never good to bring a suction line down to a jet pump. Any high spot in the line will accumulate air, which will get sucked into the pump and cause a lose of prime. Suction to a jet pump should always have a slight uphill grade so that the pump is the high spot in the line.
Also a union like that on the suction side will probably cause a suction leak and loss of prime.
I don't know anyone who is happy with 20/40 pressure, especially if the pump is down in the basement. That pump will only do about 2-4 GPM at 50 PSI, depending on the depth to water in the well. I don't think you will be happy with that pump. I hate when people have a set up like this and complain about the pressure from the pump. Always "wishing" they had good city like pressure. Well it is your pump system, you can have as much pressure as you want. Pressure from a pump system can and should be much better than city water pressure. So don't complain about low pressure from a well or pump system when it is just the pump system you chose that is causing the problem.
With that large a pressure tank and a 20/40 pressure switch, you will only have about 10 PSI upstairs in the house until the pump comes on and increases the pressure to about 30, which is still not good.
With the right pump controlled by a PK1A using a 40/60 switch, you would have a constant 50 PSI at the pump, and good 40 PSI upstairs in the house. I am not sure you will even get wet in the shower with the 20/40 set up you are planning.
Also a union like that on the suction side will probably cause a suction leak and loss of prime.
I don't know anyone who is happy with 20/40 pressure, especially if the pump is down in the basement. That pump will only do about 2-4 GPM at 50 PSI, depending on the depth to water in the well. I don't think you will be happy with that pump. I hate when people have a set up like this and complain about the pressure from the pump. Always "wishing" they had good city like pressure. Well it is your pump system, you can have as much pressure as you want. Pressure from a pump system can and should be much better than city water pressure. So don't complain about low pressure from a well or pump system when it is just the pump system you chose that is causing the problem.
With that large a pressure tank and a 20/40 pressure switch, you will only have about 10 PSI upstairs in the house until the pump comes on and increases the pressure to about 30, which is still not good.
With the right pump controlled by a PK1A using a 40/60 switch, you would have a constant 50 PSI at the pump, and good 40 PSI upstairs in the house. I am not sure you will even get wet in the shower with the 20/40 set up you are planning.
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Thanks for the response. I initially had a glass lined tank. I was just was reinstalling it as it was originally plumped in 1969. At the top of the line before it exits the basement wall is a tee with a 6 inch riser. Due to height of pipe on wall not sure I can get the pump between the joist. I will check into it. The pump is solely for non potable water used for flushing toilets and one outside hose faucet. Thanks again for quick response
Then you might get by with 20/40.
You normally would crank the pressure up on your existing switch. You could tailor it to your pump. So you might have 36/56, for example.
Those switches are adjustable. You don't have to switch out to get 40/60. But you will need a different pump as that one maxes out at 52 PSI. And you don't want to run close to the max out pressure, so about 25/45 is all you can do with that pump.
Set the air precharge to 17 or 16 PSI when the water pressure is zero.
You may have your air pressure set high.
Yeah most tanks come with 38 PSI air charge. You will need to let it out to about 18 PSI to run a 20/40 switch.
If you drop the pressure to 18 and there is a stutter in pressure when as the pump cuts on, drop the air another PSI. Some pump system take longer to deliver the initial water than others. The stutter is not harmful, if you want to keep it that way.
So I dropped it to 17. I was gonna stop at 18 but over let the pressire out. I can flush low flow toilets 4 times prior to pimp turning on. Pump runs a while before reaching 40. I am assuming this is all normal. My question is. Is there a guide for pressure within the 20/40 switch. How didnyou guys know to drop the pressure in the tank
When the water pressure is less than or equal to the air precharge, there is zero water in the tank. Your symptom was compatible with zero water in the tank.
You don't want to go too low, because when you are at peak pressure, the diaphragm can get stretched out. I am pretty sure that some tanks are more resistant to stretching than some others. But where you are should be nice and safe.
How long does that take?
Air pressure in the tank should be 2-5 PSI less than pump start pressure.
35 to 40nseconds
You would like to have 60 seconds or more but 37 is not terrible. If you replace your pressure tank some day, it would be better to move to a bigger tank.
37 seconds is terrible. Anytime a pump is running at maximum amps it needs a minimum of 1 minute of run time, two minutes is better, and running continuously while using water is best. Double the size of tank and you would get 74 seconds of run time. But adding a CSV with the tank you have now would make the pump run continuously while you are using water, and would let you adjust the run time from 1 to 5 minutes, because a 20 gallon tank holds 5 gallons of water.
Short runs build up heat in the motor. Short off times starts the motor while it is still hot. Neither of these things are good.
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