I am a first-time poster looking for some advice to solve problems with my cottage water system. Since we took over and began rebuilding an old cottage we have replaced the old jet pump with a new one. This year we were having problems drawing water and burned out the newer pump. It hadn't seen more than 2-3 years intermittent use, but I ran out and got another... the same size (3/4 hp) and type of pump, tho' different brand.
Still having problems..! =(
Setup:
-Foot valve is maybe 4' deep and connects to a 1" line that runs 50' (increased from 25') to shoreline.
-We are maybe another 50' from the lake, but only a rise of about 10'-15'.
-There is a sediment filter (50 micron) before the pump to also remove zebra mussel (ZM) larvae.
-3/4 hp jet pump feeds 20 gal pressure tank.
-all new flexible water lines feed kitchen and bath, hot water tank after 3 Big Blue filters + UV.
Our lake has serious zebra mussel issues. This is why we have installed a 'pre-pump' filter before the pump, in order to protect the rest of the system.
The water was working pretty well unless the 'pre-pump' filter got clogged, tho not so much from any ZM's as normal lake debris. I was finding the pump was running dry (!!) so we were running without a filter cartridge at all, no problem.
I just recently found a pleated, re-useable 'surface' filter to replace the string-wound 'depth' type filter that always clogged so quickly. We mistakenly used 25, 10, 5 and even 1 micron filters (Ooops! ...they all looked the same!?)
Then I also discovered a pin-hole leak by the shoreline where wave action on the rocks had worn the water line. @#$%!!
Now I knew I had to replace the line to lake and extend into deeper (perhaps less murky?) water and 'sanitize' the system (with bleach water) since we'd been running without any filter protection from the ZM's all summer.
The sanitizing process went well, but after running the longer line out into the lake we could not get any water going. I use a 'guzzler' off a T near the shore to prime the line, but I don't think that's the problem.
Could it be we now have to long a run, having extended the line about 50' from shore? That would make the entire run about 100' from the pump underneath the cottage. The rise in elevation from the foot valve might be about 20' as the lake is very shallow and the cottage is not far up from the lake at all.
Questions:
-Should I just get a submersible pump or a stronger jet pump?
-Could the 'pre-pump' filter be causing difficulty for the pump to 'suck' and draw up the water? Is this a mistake (original cottage had no filters), or is there an alternative?
-Would it help to use a larger diameter pipe? Could this alone be the problem? Or is it just a bit too long now?
Any offers of advice, suggestions, or wise words of experience are greatly appreciated!
//signed,
Pissed off in Paradise by Pump!!
Still having problems..! =(
Setup:
-Foot valve is maybe 4' deep and connects to a 1" line that runs 50' (increased from 25') to shoreline.
-We are maybe another 50' from the lake, but only a rise of about 10'-15'.
-There is a sediment filter (50 micron) before the pump to also remove zebra mussel (ZM) larvae.
-3/4 hp jet pump feeds 20 gal pressure tank.
-all new flexible water lines feed kitchen and bath, hot water tank after 3 Big Blue filters + UV.
Our lake has serious zebra mussel issues. This is why we have installed a 'pre-pump' filter before the pump, in order to protect the rest of the system.
The water was working pretty well unless the 'pre-pump' filter got clogged, tho not so much from any ZM's as normal lake debris. I was finding the pump was running dry (!!) so we were running without a filter cartridge at all, no problem.
I just recently found a pleated, re-useable 'surface' filter to replace the string-wound 'depth' type filter that always clogged so quickly. We mistakenly used 25, 10, 5 and even 1 micron filters (Ooops! ...they all looked the same!?)
Then I also discovered a pin-hole leak by the shoreline where wave action on the rocks had worn the water line. @#$%!!
Now I knew I had to replace the line to lake and extend into deeper (perhaps less murky?) water and 'sanitize' the system (with bleach water) since we'd been running without any filter protection from the ZM's all summer.
The sanitizing process went well, but after running the longer line out into the lake we could not get any water going. I use a 'guzzler' off a T near the shore to prime the line, but I don't think that's the problem.
Could it be we now have to long a run, having extended the line about 50' from shore? That would make the entire run about 100' from the pump underneath the cottage. The rise in elevation from the foot valve might be about 20' as the lake is very shallow and the cottage is not far up from the lake at all.
Questions:
-Should I just get a submersible pump or a stronger jet pump?
-Could the 'pre-pump' filter be causing difficulty for the pump to 'suck' and draw up the water? Is this a mistake (original cottage had no filters), or is there an alternative?
-Would it help to use a larger diameter pipe? Could this alone be the problem? Or is it just a bit too long now?
Any offers of advice, suggestions, or wise words of experience are greatly appreciated!
//signed,
Pissed off in Paradise by Pump!!
