storage issues

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catmoc

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A friend added a 80 gal. fiberglass a storage to his home recently. The flow is; jet pump at the well head>pressure tank>storage tank>booster pump>faucets. A well driller came to the house to look at doing some well work ad said that the way the tank was hooked up made no difference in the time it would take for them to run out of water as the tank was behind the pressure tank. Can anyone verify this?
 

Leejosepho

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... jet pump at the well head > pressure tank > storage tank > booster pump > faucets.

A well driller ... said the way the tank was hooked up made no difference in the time it would take for them to run out of water as the tank was behind the pressure tank. Can anyone verify this?

If the storage tank is pressurized, then I believe the driller is correct. But if the storage tank is atmospheric, then the booster pump should be able to draw from that storage tank until it is empty whether or not the pump at the well is sending any water to the storage tank.
 
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catmoc

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tank

the storage tank in not pressurized and not atmospheric. It is closed with a valve at the top to open if you are draining the system.
 

Gary Slusser

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Since that additional tank and pressure tank and jet pump is in place, and there is a driller stopping by to work on the well... I think there is still a problem with getting enough water, right?

You can not get more water out of a well by adding additional storage tanks of any kind.

That is because all the water used in the house has to be replaced by the well and its pump. And, lets say we add a 300 gal atmospheric storage tank and use 200 of them and then the well pump comes on to refill the tank. The well must be able to deliver 200 gallons all at once. Instead lets add an 80 gal pressure tank instead, it has been added to an existing 20 gal tank. The draw down gallons on the 20 gal are 5.5 and the 80 is 15 gal so when the well pump comes on it has to deliver the total of 20.5 gal all at once and any well tat can't has a serious problem but, usually people add another tank because of "low pressure" or because they don't get enough water at whatever pressure. The fix is set the pressure switch and pressure tank precharge higher or get a larger pump (more gpm, not necessarily hp) or work on the well or get a new well with more production.

So why was this new (it is an atmospheric) tank and pump added?
 

catmoc

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tank

there was not enough pressure to take a shower on the 2nd floor. The booster doubles the house water pressure and now the 2nd floor shower works great. Could the 80 gal tank be there just to be able to supply enough water for the increase demand from the booster pump? After a very long discussion with the plumber (good friend I might add) I am thinking that this might be the thought process.
 

Valveman

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The way you have it hooked up, the "storage tank" is nothing more than a large diameter pipe between the pressure tank and booster pump. You will not receive a drop of water from that storage tank.

A storage tank must be vented to atmosphire. Then the set up should be in this order; jet pump, storage tank, booster pump, pressure tank, house.

If your jet pump will produce enough water, just too low of pressure, then you may not need a storage tank at all. You can run the jet pump and booster pump together as one pump, from the same pressure switch. Then directly into the pressure tank and on to the house.
 

catmoc

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well

So here is the delema. This started due to bad water pressure in the house. Then a water test came back with elevated arsenic. My buddy installed the booster pump and storage tank to give them more pressure. The tank has since collapsed due to not being vented when the owner drained the pipes. I have been asked to recommend a solution for the arsenic problem. After a good amount of looking into the issues this was my considered opinion:

1. test the current well (in a pit, not sealed with a jet pump) to see how deep it is and if deep enough run a pump test to determine the flow rate as well as regeneration time.
2. if that all works out well fix the well head to bring it to code above ground and install a submersible pump. This I think would fix the problem of running out of water as the jet pump can only draw from 110' and the well is most likely between 250 to 300 feet given the area it is located in. This should also take care of the pressure issues (i think).
3. After a good amount of run time and regeneration test water again to see if sealing the well from ground water contamination has taken care of arsenic issues.
4. If arsenic is still present then move to POE removal with either lead-lag or a backwashing system.

so there is my issues in a nut shell. I have only taken this on as my friend has no time to take care of these kinds of problems. My goal is to come up with a solution that is in their best long term interest.
 

Valveman

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I think you are on the right track. When you switch to a submersible pump, be sure to set it deep enough to give you the stored water you need. Also get a sub that produces enough pressure, then you will no longer need the booster pump or the storage tank.

Arsenic is a natural element in many water wells. If the levels are high enough, you may need to treat the water. I do not think sealing the well will help with this but, drawing water from a deeper strata just might.
 
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