jbarilwalker
New Member
Hi all, new member with some questions.
I'm designing a water system where I will be filling a 1500 gallon underground cistern gravity fed from a spring for part of the year and from a low production shallow well for the rest of the year then pumping from the cistern to my house. Getting water from the spring to the cistern is no problem, and getting water from the shallow well to the cistern for the rest of the year is no problem, either; that can be done with a small sump pump that slowly fills the cistern and a float switch.
I like to think that I'm fairly smart, but it's good to ask questions when you aren't sure of something. With that being said, I'm trying to decide on the best pump and pressure tank set up before I move forward.
My cistern is buried around 10' from an insulated utility shed with an electrical service panel. On the advice of a professional plumber (not so sure about that now) I buried 1" municipal waterline from the shed to the house. My original plan was to use a large jet pump and pressure tank in the shed to send water up to the house. Many people use this kind of setup in our area, I know it's probably not the "best" way to do things, but that's what I modelled my plans after. Based on my calculations, I would need a 2hp jet pump and something like an Amtrol Well-X-Trol pressure tank which can hold high psi to make this work.
I'm wondering if there is a better way. I realize now that it would have been much, much better if I had buried 1.25" or even 1.5" municipal waterline up to the house (less friction loss). Perhaps using a submersible pump will be better for me (more efficient pump, longer life etc). Having the pressure tank in the house, not in the utility shed might also have been a better choice (trying to avoid this situation because then I will need to run extra wire between the pump shed and the house for the pressure switch).
Heres the numbers I'm working with, any advice on what YOU would do for an efficient, long lasting setup? This is new construction, DIY everything, so whatever I do now I will be living with for many years.
Desired flow rate: 10gpm
Total Pipe Length: 220'
Pipe Diameter: 1" municipal (0.863" ID, C factor of 150)
total vertical height from cistern to house: 40'
pumping depth from cistern to utility shed: 5' (only really applicable if I use a jet pump)
I've calculated that the total pump head required will be around 220' - friction loss from the marginal 1" municipal waterline is very significant. Burying a second, larger pipe is an option if it will really make my situation better. I would still prefer to keep the pressure tank in the utility shed if at all possible since I've already started doing things this way.
I'm designing a water system where I will be filling a 1500 gallon underground cistern gravity fed from a spring for part of the year and from a low production shallow well for the rest of the year then pumping from the cistern to my house. Getting water from the spring to the cistern is no problem, and getting water from the shallow well to the cistern for the rest of the year is no problem, either; that can be done with a small sump pump that slowly fills the cistern and a float switch.
I like to think that I'm fairly smart, but it's good to ask questions when you aren't sure of something. With that being said, I'm trying to decide on the best pump and pressure tank set up before I move forward.
My cistern is buried around 10' from an insulated utility shed with an electrical service panel. On the advice of a professional plumber (not so sure about that now) I buried 1" municipal waterline from the shed to the house. My original plan was to use a large jet pump and pressure tank in the shed to send water up to the house. Many people use this kind of setup in our area, I know it's probably not the "best" way to do things, but that's what I modelled my plans after. Based on my calculations, I would need a 2hp jet pump and something like an Amtrol Well-X-Trol pressure tank which can hold high psi to make this work.
I'm wondering if there is a better way. I realize now that it would have been much, much better if I had buried 1.25" or even 1.5" municipal waterline up to the house (less friction loss). Perhaps using a submersible pump will be better for me (more efficient pump, longer life etc). Having the pressure tank in the house, not in the utility shed might also have been a better choice (trying to avoid this situation because then I will need to run extra wire between the pump shed and the house for the pressure switch).
Heres the numbers I'm working with, any advice on what YOU would do for an efficient, long lasting setup? This is new construction, DIY everything, so whatever I do now I will be living with for many years.
Desired flow rate: 10gpm
Total Pipe Length: 220'
Pipe Diameter: 1" municipal (0.863" ID, C factor of 150)
total vertical height from cistern to house: 40'
pumping depth from cistern to utility shed: 5' (only really applicable if I use a jet pump)
I've calculated that the total pump head required will be around 220' - friction loss from the marginal 1" municipal waterline is very significant. Burying a second, larger pipe is an option if it will really make my situation better. I would still prefer to keep the pressure tank in the utility shed if at all possible since I've already started doing things this way.