moltman said:
I would like to try to improve my electric costs in the process as well which presently run $240-275/mos (includes a hot tub). BTW...what is a CSV and what does it do for me and the system?
A Cycle Stop Valve (CSV) is a regulator device that has an internal bypass.
A pump "cycles" when the demand (flow) of the system at the pressure switch shutoff pressure is less than the capacity of the pump at that pressure. For example, if you are running an irrigation zone that uses 10 GPM at a 60 psi shutoff pressure of your pump, but the pump has a capacity of 13 GPM at 60 psi, then the pressure will build up to cause the pump to shut off. The system will draw water from the tank until the pressure drops to the "start" pressure, at which point the pump will start and run until the pressure again reaches 60 psi.
The frequent cycling is undesirable because it causes variable pressure on the sprinkler heads and it requires the pump to make more starts.
There are at least 3 ways to eliminate the cycling and get constant pressure on the sprinklers. They all depend on a charasteristic of pumps that increasing the pressure decreases the flow that the pump can deliver.
1. Increase the shutoff pressure setting of the pressure switch so that the reduced flow capacity at the new shutoff pressure is less than the irrigation zone demand would be at that pressure.
2. Increase the flow capacity of the irrigation zone by using higher flow heads or more heads, so that the flow demand of the zone at the shutoff pressure is more than the pump capacity at the shutoff pressure.
3. Throttle the output of the pump so that the pressure at the discharge of the pump is increased, thereby reducing the pump capacity to match the irrigation zone demand, and preventing the irrigation zone from reaching the shutoff setting of the pressure switch. A CSV can be used to throttle the pump.
A CSV is a regulator that throttles the flow so that the pump capacity at the higher inlet pressure of the CSV matches the capacity of the irrigation zone at the outlet pressure of the regulator. A CSV has an internal bypass so that it will reach shutoff pressure of the switch when demand is shut off.
Because the CSV throttles the flow there is energy loss and it requires more kWHr per 1000 gallons of water pumped. That may be inconsistent with your desire to reduce electricity costs.
If you are using a jet pump you would save electricity by converting to a submersible pump. They are much more efficient.
The most efficient operation will be operate the irrigation zones near the nominal and most efficient operating point of a submersible pump. That is the system described in 2 above. You can adjust the timer to deliver the same inches of water to the turf.