Another water hammer problem

[Tedr]

My water system has been working properly for a few weeks (after solving some problems with the help of the veterans on this forum) and now I have a new problem. The pump cycles on and off rapidly about 6 or 7 times at start up but I have only noticed it when the shower is in use.

The pump is a Mastercraft 3/4 hp. It draws water from a lake. The vertical lift from the lake to the pump is about 12 feet. The pressure tank is at the cottage about 100 ft up a 45 degree hill. The water level in the lake is very low this year, so I recently added another 25 feet of poly pipe to extend the foot valve into deeper water. The water hammer problem started after that, but I'm not sure it was at the same time. Other than that nothing else has changed. There is no additional check valve in the system.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

[Valveman]

The pressure switch is probably too far away from the pressure tank.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LLigetfa]

The pressure switch is probably too far away from the pressure tank.

+1

You could add a small tank at the pump.

 

[Tedr]

So have two tanks on the system? That sounds like an easy fix.

I wonder why the problem has just started in the last few weeks...

 

[LLigetfa]

Most likely and that is the root of the problem.

 

[Tedr]

Here's an update...

I added a 2-gallon tank immediately after the pump and that solved the water hammer problem. However, the rate of flow up at the cottege was very low. When I checked the pressure in the 20-gallon tank at the cottage it showed 30 psi but there was very little water coming from the taps. Then I remembered the sediment filter in the line just after the pressure tank. It was very dirty. I had removed the cartridge and by-passed the filter last fall before winter and had left it that way. But a helpful neighbour re-installed the cartridge while helping my son prime the system in the spring. When I realized the filter was plugged I replaced the filter and the result was normal water pressure.

Now I'm wondering if the plugged filter was causing the water hammer problem. It would explain why the problem started recently as the filter gradually became harder to push water through. Regardless I'm glad I added the small tank at the pump - I think it has improved cycle time.

Thanks very much for the advice. Every time I ask a question I get very good help and I do appreciate the education I'm getting.

 

[Valveman]

If the filter is after the tank, it was not the problem. The question is not why did this just start happening, but why it worked in the first place. Usually they are not working right, just nobody was there to watch when it bounced the pressure switch.