PSI pushing power for 1.5HP Booster.

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Russell Walsh

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Hello,

I tried to google this question in as many ways as I could think, but didn't get any satisfaction.

Problem: My rental house has a bladder tank/booster pump set-up with a simple Square-D controller for the motor. I actually installed all the water works in about 2010. At that time I put in a 30-50 psi controller and things worked fine. Evidently the 1.5 Hp Dayton centrifugal motor can't push more than 48 PSI against the closed system so the controller wasn't cutting out the motor. I suspected the controller at first and didn't even bother trying to adjust it. I know I can clean the tube , but hey they are cheap. Just replaced it with a 40-60PSI control and thought it would work fine. It didn't cut out so I checked pressure and it's only going to 48 PSI! For now , I adjusted the controller to operate from 30 to the 48. That sounds to be too close the edge of failure? Should I get a 20-40PSI control,or has my pump lost too much strength and replacing it is a good idea? The rental house is on the level pad with the pump house and is only a 2 bedroom 1 bath home.

Is my pump damaged, or is 48 PSI all that it should be able to do? There is not much head coming in to the system at all , since the storage tank out put is only about 5' higher than the pump, but there is plenty of water.
 
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Russell Walsh

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O.K. From reading another thread, I can see that the bladder tank pressure may come into play as well? I am going to pump that up to 38 PSI for the new controller and fiddle with it again.
 

Reach4

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Is my pump damaged, or is 48 PSI all that it should be able to do?
It could be either.

What pump do you have? That may set the expectations of what that pump should do. It may be that you should clean the dirt out of the orifice, or that may be all the pump will do.

Anyway, for now, turn down the pressure on your pressure switch.

To raise or lower the cut-in and cut-out settings while keeping the
differential between those two settings constant, adjust the range
nut. The range nut is the 3/8-inch nut that adjusts the larger of
the two springs in Models FSG, FYG, FRG, and Type G Pumptrol
switches.
Turn the range nut clockwise to increase the cut-in pressure and
counter-clockwise to lower the cut-in pressure. Three and a half
revolutions of the range nut will change both the cut-in and
cut-out settings by approximately 10 psi.

Adjust the differential nut if you want to raise or lower the
cut-out setting while keeping the cut-in pressure constant. The
differential nut is the 3/8-inch nut that adjusts the smaller of
the two springs in Models FSG, FYG, FRG, and Type G switches. Turn
the differential nut clockwise to increase the cut-out pressure and
counter-clockwise to lower the cut-out pressure. Adjusting the
differential nut will change only the cut-out setting while the
cut-in setting remains unchanged.
You probably don't want to adjust the differential nut. With a jet pump, you usually set the air precharge for the pressure tank to about 3 PSI below the cut-on. Having it a bit high won't hurt anything, but it will cause a little stutter in the pressure when the pump turns on.
 

Russell Walsh

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Wondering, yes thank you, I only temporarily put the air charge up to 38 to see if that would allow me to use the switch as rated (40-60) it did not, still got 48-50 PSI max. So, I put the bladder back to 28.

Rach 4, The pump is a Dayton centrifugal pump 1,5 hp. It should push better , I know that. It's what we call a booster pump around here. The well pumps to 10,000 gallon storage controlled only by a mercury float switch and a motor controller. and the pressure system is separate.

I know how to adjust the pressure switch, was just surprised to only get 48 pounds out. The bladder tank being fine, switch fine, water good, just leaves the pump,I know the other pipes are all clear and not leaking. So, not sure what the impellers are made of on the Dayton pump, but if they are some sort or plastic, it's likely that they deformed from the pump running hot because the old pressure switch cut out only when it felt like it. There are some PVC pipes in the system and those deformed over time, So there was often heat.

Right now it's working, but the tolerances for the switch and pump are pretty tight. If the pump pushing power drops again, I'll be right in the same place with the switch set too high. It's not something anyone checks everyday, so that is risky.

Three Choices, well, according to what I understand anyway.
1. Get a 20-40 pressure switch so the tolerances are not so tight .
2. Get a new motor ,or look into putting a replacement impeller on this one, since it seems to have suffered no other harm from long run times.
3. Just leave it until the smoke comes out. Might last a good long time for all I know. It's not a critical system.

Leaning towards 3.

Thanks for the responses.
 

Russell Walsh

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O.K. the look has changed a bit , but it's basically the 115/230 single phase single stage 1.5 HP pump from your link. Mine appears to be lower quality though , from about 10 years ago. The one in your link has 65 PSI max.

The impeller from the Booster in your link is brass, I think the impeller in mine made of Noryl , fancy name for plastic of some kind. It looks like it would be hard to find a replacement impeller it were needed.

I'll try to pull the serial and model number off the pump and see what google coughs up.
The manual I have for it , from purchase, is not even the right one.
 
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