Different pipe sizes coming from tank to rest of house

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LakeDwellerMN

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All,

We had a new well pump and tank installed (1/2hp and 14gal horizontal tank) last year.
At the time, the plumber was unable to source a 20gal tank in a reasonable amount of time.
Plumber has since retired. (no longer likes to take calls regarding his work).

The check valve he installed failed and I had to replace that already - switched to all brass coming from the well pipe into the jetpump while I was at it.

I finally found a local source for Water Worker HT-20HB (which is what we were waiting on in the first place) and I am about to swap out the 14gal.

I noticed that he installed 1" fitting coming out of the tank, but, then reduced down to 3/4" going into the Ifilter dual-stage water filter. That came with a 1" fitting (20micron sediment/5micron carbon filters). The filter has reducers on both input/output.

Although he used good 3/4" PEX pipe and fittings, I don't like how he used 90 degree bends.
They are not pinched/kinked, but, its so tight there is no way to reuse those lines if I change tanks.

So, 2 questions:
My plan is to switch to polypipe (heat/soften, then double hose clamps around the barb fittings)
Q1) I am wondering if going to all 1" polypipe and using 90degree elbows would be "safer" and less frustrating... thoughts?
Q2) I want to keep it 1" all the way going into the filter and not step down in pipe size until 3/4" pipes for the cabin... thoughts?

I recall talking to other DIY'ers - avoid changing sizes to reduce noise and flow rates.
 

wwhitney

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How about a picture of the piping in question?

The downside to the smaller pipe is directly related to length and number of fittings. I.e. replacing a single straight 2' section of 3/4" pipe with 1" pipe isn't generally going to make any difference. But you mentioned a number of fittings, so it may start to add up.

Cheers, Wayne
 

Valveman

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As was said, a short piece of 3/4 isn't going to hurt. Put 3/4 PEX with the insert fittings is more like 1/2", which will hurt. Sorry you had to wait for a tank. But the 14 gallon tank was 3 times larger than really needed if you had a Cycle Stop Valve. A 20 gallon tank only holds 5 gallons of water. 14 gallon tank hold maybe 3.5 gallons. Your water doesn't come from the tank, it comes from the well and pump. A Cycle Stop Valve stops the pump from cycling even with a small tank, while a larger tank only slows the cycling down a bit. Even the 20 gallon tank would benefit from adding a CSV. But if you had added the CSV first, a 4.5 gallon size tank would have been more than enough.
 

LakeDwellerMN

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new_well_pump_brass_fittings.jpg


This shows the existing 14gal tank in place. We have a 1" line coming from the well at this time.

I am really tempted to swap out all the gal steel parts with brass fittings when I install the new tank. The bend on the PEX line has me worried.

I am going to put a "sound box" over it that has cutouts for the pressure line and electrical feed. The wood pad is pressure treated and will get a good coat of Drylok when I pull it in place.

[FYI: The power line is already switched over to a shielded line with a wall mount to get it off the ground bringing it up to code]
 
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Reach4

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Changing galvanized to brass is good.

Increasing or decreasing pressure pipe diameters is not a problem.

Pump generates heat. Your sound box will probably retain heat.

Many codes don't want SIDR polyethylene for indoor plumbing, but I think that probably is interpreted as OK. Using 1 inch PEX should satisfy.
 

LakeDwellerMN

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Changing galvanized to brass is good.

Increasing or decreasing pressure pipe diameters is not a problem.

Pump generates heat. Your sound box will probably retain heat.

Many codes don't want SIDR polyethylene for indoor plumbing, but I think that probably is interpreted as OK. Using 1 inch PEX should satisfy.
My other thought was just to go with PVC (schedule 40) for everything coming from the tank into the dual-stage filter (with a shutoff valve just before the filters). Putting a union right after the T for the drain valve. Thoughts?

Heat on the pump is not an issue in the past. We had a box around the 3/4hp unit that the bearings went out on. I had a temp sensor inside the box and it never went above 85F after measuring it a whole summer. I have both a rebuild kit and a spare pump squirreled away in the back shed for the day something fails. (along with another complete set of fittings)

The pump/tank is in our basement, which hovers right around 65F year round in the corner.
This is for the cabin, so, it doesn't get heavy/daily use like some other setups. Kids and guests sleep downstairs (on occasion) and reducing the noise is one of our goals. This is one of the reasons why we wanted a larger tank, so as to reduce the cycling of the pump at night when folks are sleeping (toilet flush).

Having a larger draw-down will allow for 2-3 toilet flushes and hand washing in the sink if someone gets up in the middle of the night. And even if it did, the noise abatement of the soundbox should help quite a bit.

We are refinishing the (walk out) basement there and are putting up a REAL wall (instead of 1/4" panelling) to isolate the pump area from the rest of the living area.
 
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LakeDwellerMN

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Quick update. Piping is finally cleaned up... All galvanized and steel fittings are GONE!!!

All done and things are working much better. I was a bit nervous about reusing some of the other fittings, but a good bit of prepping the threads and everything is fine. I had to hunt down a pair of 90 degree elbows for 1" PEX that were a sweep and not sharp. I only had to pay $1 more per elbow. I put a 1" PEX-swivel/coupling at both ends of the pipe that went from the nipple at pump outlet to the nipple before the shutoff valve. I took care to avoid over tightening them and I very lightly coated them with plumbers grease on the gaskets. I used blue monster tape and goop on threaded fittings.

We are seeing about 1-2psi improvement on the other side of the same filters... so there must have been something "not quite right" with one of the fittings the plumber had used. I would not expect 3/4" to 1" to change that much.

The original setup had that black tubing from the pump outlet into the tank, but, we went with clear reinforced vinyl tube instead. Makes it easier to see if air is getting into the line and its being primed correctly.

Based on some other feedback, I yanked out the $20 check valve (Menards/China) and installed a Flomatic 80E (RCWorst/USA) instead. No hammering!

new_piping.png
 
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Valveman

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Looks good, but you would have been better off with a Cycle Stop Valve and the 14 gallon tank than a 20 gallon tank without a CSV. 20 gallon tank only holds 5 gallons of water. That causes lots of cycling, which pressure tanks, especially horizontal tanks are not known for lasting very long doing that. It is good that you got a quality check valve as they are also destroyed from the pump cycling on and off.
 

LakeDwellerMN

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Valveman, thanks for the comments.

I didn't want to complicate my job any more than I already had.
Don't take this as a negative for your product or services.

Best wishes.
 

Valveman

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I understand. But the CSV is really and easy adder and eliminates a lot of problems. I could still attach one at that tee to the tank in a New York minute. Lol!
 
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