Gary Slusser
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The 10 gpm is the recovery rate gpm. You can take that 10 gpm out of the well and the 5-8' static water level in the well stays right there. You never get to use the rest of the water stored in the well which is all that is above the inlet of the pump. That is between the motor on the bottom and the wet end on top of the motor.- the well is 47 feet deep
- "10GPM" is marked under the well cap with a 6" casing
- the water level in the casing is 5 to 8 feet from the surface of the ground
- the pressure tank is @ 4 feet below ground level
An excellent choice for a pump for your well.The plumber ordered an 8GPM 1/2hp submersible with a 20gal pressure tank. 8GPM was out of stock, so the plumber got the 12GPM 1/2hp - I questioned it at the time, though my knowledge is nil about these things.
The 20 gal tank is not but... it is the norm for guys that don't know what they are doing or... like to have service calls for burnt out pumps and broken bladders over the years.
There is 1.47 gals/ft of water in a 6" casing/well.The new submersible hangs @ 10 feet from the bottom of the well - 25 to 30 feet below the surface of the water.
You are not wanting to use any of that storage, which you should, otherwise the water gets stagnant. You could draw the well down to say 5' or less above the pump inlet every day and cause few to no problems. That's how all wells are operated, the water level is dynamic and goes up and down; not usually to only 5' above the pump though.
You just need a larger pressure tank that allows enough gallons of water to be used (draw down gals) from the pump shutting off until it turns on again; minimum of 60 secs off. That would be roughly 12-15 gals draw down but any pump supply or plumbing supply house that sells pumps and tanks can tell you what tank for a 12 gpm 1/2 hp submersible pump. Well unless the recovery rate is higher than the max draw down gals used. Fifty feet and more is quite normal.
Pay the man for the pump 'cuz he was/is right. See about the tank below.We now have a brand-new 12 GPM pump (the cost of which I've deducted from my final payment to the plumber), and a new 20gal bladder pressure tank.
Nope, see above and stay with the pump you have and pay for it but...If we were starting where the plumber should have, trying to figure out what pump to put in: the well recovery rate was rated at 10GPM by the driller, doesn't it make sense to put in a pump that pumps no more than 10GPM (or even 8GPM because of the well's age), and then size the pressure tank to match the pump's capacity?
I suggest you go after him for the right size tank at his cost for the time it will take him to swap out the smaller tank for the correct size. And pay him the difference for the larger tank's cost.
He shouldn't need any different fittings than he has used but... if your tank is buried in a pit without space for a larger tank, yer stuck with the smaller one than required/strongly suggested by the pump manufacturer.
The pump would have to pump the 10 gpm recovery rate plus a few more gallons for a fairly long time before the well will go dry with 10 gals running back in the well each minute you are using water.A couple of reasons I'd prefer starting by replacing the pump, rather than the tank:
- The existing 12GPM pump will pump the well dry if it runs any amount of time, judging by the driller's capacity rating.
- Isn't it easier to pull the pump and reinstall a new one, than it is to disconnect/reconnect all the plumbing that's necessary to remove and replace the tank?
- doesn't the draw-down measurement depend on the pump being sized right?
One other question. You're now mentioning a 60 second OFF time with the pump cycle. This conversation started with the question being about a minimum 60 second ON cycle. What amount of time should the OFF time be?
The pump does not cool off when it is running, only when it is off. Unless it is off'n on every 15-20 secs and it warms up the water around it.
You're welcome.Thanks for your patience here.
About your chlorine dose, most chlorine systems are setup to provide a residual of .2 or .5-1.5 ppm of free chlorine after the retention tank. Free chlorine is what's left of the total chlorine after the chlorine demand has been met. If you don't maintain that residual and the demand for chlorine rises, you don't oxidize all the iron etc. or kill all the bacteria in the water.
IMO 20 something ppm of chlorine for a couple weeks would seriously damage most if not all resins. I would insist on having the dealer/installer/plumber replace it at their cost since he didn't order the mineral for the filter he ordered.