Pulsating and pump cycling

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My goal is to have a designated pump for watering my plants from my well. I want to start with a garden hose, then eventually add drip lines and possibly sprinklers.

I have a 4” free flowing artesian well. I have the 4” well teed off to 1-1/4” lines to house water system, to pond fountain (no pump) and to my future sprinkler system which is what I need advise on. All three of those lines have ball valves when they tee off the main 4”.

The irrigation pump- From the well I have about 30’ of 1-1/4” pipe to a 1 HP shallow well pump. 1-1/4” inlet, 1” outlet. I have a reducer to 3/4” pipe. Then teed off, one has a ball valve for future add on, the other to a hose bib.

The issue I am having- When I run the hose bib and the other ball valve (future add on) both open, the pump is humming perfect. When it is only the hose bib on, the pump is cycling on and off every 60 seconds or so and the water is pulsating from high to low pressure. When everything is closed (no water flow) the pump is still cycling.

The pump is a harbor freight special, 1 hp cast iron Drummond. Pressure switched at 30 and 50psi. I am assuming I need to adjust the pressure switch settings, but my user name should sum up the extent of my plumbing knowledge. I was under the impression I did not need a pressure tank or a check valve. Not even sure I have the correct pump for the application I am going for. Wondering if I should have gotten a booster pump? Any advise would be great.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
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Lol! You just described the typical problem with booster and well pumps. If you use any amount of water other than all the hoses at the same time, the pump will cycle on/off and have all the problems that are caused by cycling like pulsing pressure. Simply adding a Cycle Stop Valve in the right location will easily solve those problems.

I see lots of people using that Drummond pump. At that price I can't blame anyone for trying it. However, it is the only pump I have ever seen where the specs say it is "NOT for continuous use". Just means the motor is built so cheaply it will get hot if it runs very long. But I don't know if it worse for it to get hot from running too long or be destroyed from cycling on/off. I am guessing that even though it is a cheaply built motor that it is still harder on it to cycle on/off than to run continuously for a while. How long that "while" is I do not know. There is no information on that pump that says the duty cycle is for running 10 minutes and hour or 50 minutes and hour, just that it is not make to run 60 minutes an hour.

Either way, a lot of people have used a Cycle Stop Valve on those pumps and I have heard of no failures to date.
 
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Lol! You just described the typical problem with booster and well pumps. If you use any amount of water other than all the hoses at the same time, the pump will cycle on/off and have all the problems that are caused by cycling like pulsing pressure. Simply adding a Cycle Stop Valve in the right location will easily solve those problems.

I see lots of people using that Drummond pump. At that price I can't blame anyone for trying it. However, it is the only pump I have ever seen where the specs say it is "NOT for continuous use". Just means the motor is built so cheaply it will get hot if it runs very long. But I don't know if it worse for it to get hot from running too long or be destroyed from cycling on/off. I am guessing that even though it is a cheaply built motor that it is still harder on it to cycle on/off than to run continuously for a while. How long that "while" is I do not know. There is no information on that pump that says the duty cycle is for running 10 minutes and hour or 50 minutes and hour, just that it is not make to run 60 minutes an hour.

Either way, a lot of people have used a Cycle Stop Valve on those pumps and I have heard of no failures to date.
Thanks Valveman. I will look into the cycle stop valve. Where would the best location for that be? Will this fix the issue of the pump cycling while all water is off too, or is this a pressure switch issue?
 
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Lol! You just described the typical problem with booster and well pumps. If you use any amount of water other than all the hoses at the same time, the pump will cycle on/off and have all the problems that are caused by cycling like pulsing pressure. Simply adding a Cycle Stop Valve in the right location will easily solve those problems.

I see lots of people using that Drummond pump. At that price I can't blame anyone for trying it. However, it is the only pump I have ever seen where the specs say it is "NOT for continuous use". Just means the motor is built so cheaply it will get hot if it runs very long. But I don't know if it worse for it to get hot from running too long or be destroyed from cycling on/off. I am guessing that even though it is a cheaply built motor that it is still harder on it to cycle on/off than to run continuously for a while. How long that "while" is I do not know. There is no information on that pump that says the duty cycle is for running 10 minutes and hour or 50 minutes and hour, just that it is not make to run 60 minutes an hour.

Either way, a lot of people have used a Cycle Stop Valve on those pumps and I have heard of no failures to date.
Also, would a different type of pump be better? I really just want a hose with pressure, separate from my house water that is quick and easy so watering my plants a couple times a week is not such a chore. If I could add onto that set up later with drip lines and sprinklers, that would be a bonus but I really just want/ need this one hose bib. Would a different pump be better that trying to make what I have work? Thanks for the tips!
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
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If the pump is cycling on and off it is actually larger than you need and working fine. Simply adding a CSV1A Cycle Stop Valve before the tank and pressure switch will let you run a hose, drip system, sprinklers, or anything you want without cycling the pump to death.
 
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