Installing Second Tank Questions.

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Jonathon T Leonard

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Hey guys, I've learned quite a few things from this forum already, but there is one thing that I can't quite get through my head.

My well is a submersible pump that was installed before I bought the house almost 5 years ago now. I was told it's about 15-20 foot deep. My main problem is that I seem to be getting low water pressure and you can definitely tell when the pump kicks on. When you flush the toilet, there is barely enough pressure to wash your hands while the toilet is filling back up. The pump and tank are both in a well house about 50ft away from the house.

I guess my first question is, would installing a second pressure tank or even just a holding tank help?
If so, could I keep one in the well house and put the other in my basement with another T? Would I need a second pressure switch?
Would I need to move both of them to the basement? If so, do I need to figure out how to move the pressure switch into the basement and run the wires to the pump?

I have also been going through and installing a new pex manifold and pipes to everything to help get more even pressure for each fixture, but it doesn't seem to have really helped at all.

Thank you for reading, Jon.
 

Reach4

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I think you want to monitor the pressure gauge at the well house while you do things like flush a toilet and run a bath. You can take a movie of your pressure gauge as you go run water, or you can use two people -- one to monitor and communiticate the pressure, and the other to run water and communicate.

So the question is is the pressure bad at the well house, or do you lose pressure on the way to the house. A garden hose thread pressure gauge would be good to check water pressure in the house, and also as a confirmation of the pressure gauge at the well house.

My well is a submersible pump that was installed before I bought the house almost 5 years ago now. I was told it's about 15-20 foot deep. My main problem is that I seem to be getting low water pressure and you can definitely tell when the pump kicks on.
That is pretty shallow.
 
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Jonathon T Leonard

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I think you want to monitor the pressure gauge at the well house while you do things like flush a toilet and run a bath. You can take a movie of your pressure gauge as you go run water, or you can use two people -- one to monitor and communiticate the pressure, and the other to run water and communicate.

So the question is is the pressure bad at the well house, or do you lose pressure on the way to the house. A garden hose pressure gauge would be good to check water pressure in the house, and also as a confirmation of the pressure gauge at the well house.


That is pretty shallow.

That's what I was thinking. I live up on a hill and the well is on almost the peak of it and the ground holds water. But my neighbor on the bottom of the hill is like 125' deep iirc
 

LLigetfa

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You're barking up the wrong tree WRT pressure tanks. Adding another tank is not the solution to your problem. Solving the pressure/flow problem is.
 

Jonathon T Leonard

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You're barking up the wrong tree WRT pressure tanks. Adding another tank is not the solution to your problem. Solving the pressure/flow problem is.

It's 1" from the pump to the tank with a T and I believe it's a 1" going under the driveway to my first filter in the basement then 3/4 to the next and into the pex manifold. The pump is set 40/60 and the tank was filled at 38 psi when I installed it a couple of years ago. I believe it is a 32 gallon tank.

Where would you guys recommend starting? It looks like everything in this house was done... just awfully. It's on a limestone basement under the dining room and everything else is in crawlspaces that they only dug out enough to run pipes through when the floor was up. So I'm slowly trying to go through and upgrade with what little money I have. I really appreciate the replies. I don't know alot, but always enjoy learning.
 

Reach4

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Where would you guys recommend starting?
Well house. Was I unclear?

If that shows OK, move to the house with a GHT pressure gauge. Under $20.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/plumbing/pumps-and-pump-parts/pressure-gauges/4509477
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-3-4-in-Plastic-Water-Pressure-Test-Gauge-DP-IWTG/100175467


0 to 100 is better than 0 to 200, but the courser scale is good enough for this purpose. The peak-holding (tattletale) needle can be useful, but may give a false high in the face of vibration or sudden pressure spikes that sling the needle.
 

Jonathon T Leonard

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Well house. Was I unclear?

If that shows OK, move to the house with a GHT pressure gauge. Under $20.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/plumbing/pumps-and-pump-parts/pressure-gauges/4509477
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-3-4-in-Plastic-Water-Pressure-Test-Gauge-DP-IWTG/100175467


0 to 100 is better than 0 to 200, but the courser scale is good enough for this purpose.
Oh, I apologize. For some reason I only saw the "that's really shallow at the end, I didn't see the rest of that reply.
 

Reach4

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Oh, I also get alot of rust. Don't know if it means anything but figured I'd mention it.
Precharged Pressure tank flush:
1. Connect a hose to the sediment drain valve, and run that to where you plan to drain the water. I suggest filtering the output through a cloth if you suspect the sediment may include sand.
2. Turn off the pump.
3. Open the drain valve, and let it drain until the water stops. It would be possibly interesting to watch the first water that comes out.
4. Close the valve, and turn the pump back on, and let pressure build.
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 a time or two.

Also, do you have a filter anywhere? A clogged filter element could cause symptoms similar to what you describe.
 

LLigetfa

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Introducing air into the water stream can help to purge sediment out the lines. Air has a lower coefficient of friction while the water has more scrubbing action so the combination will accelerate the water to motivate the sediment. Temporarily raising the water pressure to the max the system can handle would help to purge the lines.
 

Valveman

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You may have a clogged filter or lines restricted, but just the difference between 40 and 60 while the pump cycles on and off can make the pressure seem low. Get a PK1A with a 4.5 or 10 gallon size tank. Have it set for 50/70 and the CSV will hold a strong constant 60 PSI anytime you use water. Even with a little restriction in the lines with 60 PSI constant you should no longer need soap in the shower. Lol!
 

Jonathon T Leonard

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So, I turned off my pump and drained out the water. Got a bunch of rust out of it, definitely need to order filters now lol. But I went back through the basics and realized I'm an idiot. I swear when I went out and checked it before my tank said it was 38 psi... but now I'm questioning if I even turned off the pump when I checked it. But I filled it back up and everything is amazing now. Sorry for all of the trouble and thank you for all of the help. I really appreciate it.
 

LLigetfa

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If your precharge was zero, chances are the tank is bad. With a busted diaphragm, water will cross over to the air side which has no corrosion protection. That is probably why you see all that rust.
 

Valveman

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The rust is probably coming from the back side of the tank, which should never have water in it. The tank is bad because the pump has been cycling on and off way to much. The diaphragm in the tank goes up and down with each pump until it breaks like bending a wire back and forth. This much cycling has already damaged the pump as well. The CSV will solve all of these problems while delivering strong constant pressure to the showers.
 

Reach4

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Check the air precharge in a month or so. You are usually told to check annually. I go longer.
 
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