Questions about pump type / usage

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SLED4FUN

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Hello forum members. Please help me with a pump issue I have.

First home site information.

I live in a rural area and have a good well 28GPM.
Well depth 225ft. 1.5hp submersible pump
From top of well head it pumps up a hill (approx. 90ft rise) and then pumps across the property 300ft all through 2" water line to my new home.

The original plan was to have this well pump pump up the hill and into a 2500 water storage tank and then gravity feed into a good pressure pump to feed not only my home, but my good friend's home that will be building next to me.

The time table for him building has changed and we have no water storage tank in place. I have been using the well with a pressure tank for two years now. The pressure is marginal at best and I don't want to adjust the pressure any more in fear of wearing out my primary submersible pump.

Now for the questions: As a short term solution I bought a 1/2hp Wayne convertible well pump (without the jet kit) to install at the home with a large pressure tank to boost the water pressure. Without enough researching before purchasing I should have gotten a shallow well pump as it has the jet assembly as part of the pump. Being that this pump will be pressure fed from my submersible pump at a min. 20psi. with good volume.
Do I really need to buy the jet kit to install on this pump?
Can I just plumb my inlet to the center 1 1/4" inlet and plug the 1" lower one?
Can I tee both inlets together and run it?
Will there be a substantial pressure difference noticed with or without the jet kit?
I understand the theory of the jet usage to allow more water to the inlet, but my inlet will be pressure fed.

Lastly: Once my friend builds and we install the storage tank. What pump size and H.P. rating would you recommend we use to feed the two homes to provide adequate pressure? We both will have lawns, garden etc.
 

LLigetfa

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Can I tee both inlets together and run it?
...
I understand the theory of the jet usage...
You only presume to understand. There are not two inlets that can be Teed. There is but one inlet. The other is an outlet to the jet.

What you should use in the storage tank are separate submersibles, one for each home. Depending on brand and model, you may need to put sleeves on them.

Size will be determined by GPM requirement.
 

SLED4FUN

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I stand corrected LLigetfa. You are right as both cannot be an inlet and provide a jet action. Thank you for your suggestion on the storage tank pumps.

Do I really need to buy the jet kit to install on this pump?
Can I just plumb my inlet to the center 1 1/4" inlet and plug the 1" lower one?
Will there be a substantial pressure difference noticed with or without the jet kit?
 

Valveman

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Increasing the pressure setting on the well pump will actually make it work easier. I would not store any water in a tank, and live with all the problems that causes, if I had a 28 GPM well. Just turn up the pressure to what you want and hook both houses to the well pump. Forget the storage and extra pumps unless there is something your not telling us.
 

SLED4FUN

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Increasing the pressure setting on the well pump will actually make it work easier. I would not store any water in a tank, and live with all the problems that causes, if I had a 28 GPM well. Just turn up the pressure to what you want and hook both houses to the well pump. Forget the storage and extra pumps unless there is something your not telling us.
Valveman I have cranked up the pressure to 60-80psi at the pump, but by the time it goes up the 90ft of hill and to the house it has low pressure if someone opens up one of the 1'" gate valves to hose something down or if the sprinklers kick on and someone is in the shower etc. I feel that I am really over taxing the poor 1.5 submersible by cranking it up. Adding another home would be even worse. we should have dropped a much bigger pump to begin. Once we get a tank in (for fire storage too) it will be ok, but I really want to just use this convertible well pump for now until we get the storage tank.
How high of pressure can I run this 1.5 submersible?
 

Valveman

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You are out of pump. I am guessing that is a 25 GPM series pump on the 1.5 HP motor, since you say it will do 28 GPM. If so, and it will build to 80 and shut off, then the water level in the well can’t be any deeper than about 100’. With a 225’ well, the water level could drop much lower than 100’.

A 10 GPM liquid end on that 1.5 HP motor would be giving you 10 GPM at 50/70 (at the house), even if the water level dropped to 200’, which it might.

90’ of lift takes 40 PSI up the hill, so you need to run the pressure switch at a minimum of 40/60, just to get water up the hill. Even shutting off at 60, the water in the well can’t get any lower than about 137’ deep, or the pump will dead head and burn up.

With what you have, your best bet is to run the well pump at 45/65, and hook up the ½ jet pump at the top of the hill. Drawing from the well pump line you will probably do good to run the jet pump at 30/50, maybe 40/60 into the house.

10 GPM will run two houses. And the well pump you have will give you 10 GPM up the hill from a well depth of about 150’. Both houses will need a jet pump drawing from that line to boost the pressure.

If the well is very strong and doesn’t pull down when running hard, you can up the pressure settings 20 PSI on both pumps. But you need to know that the water level in the well will not drop any lower than 95’ to do this. If the well was tested at 28 GPM with that pump, it could have been drawing from 160’ deep. But it may not drop that low while producing only10 or 15 GPM.

A good well test at various flow rates would allow you to size the pump(s) more closely. How high up on the hill is the plan for the storage tank?

A booster pump on the well line works great. But you have one pump cycling on demand, and the well pump cycling into the booster pump. Lots of cycling going on which I like, cause I know how to fix that as well.
 

SLED4FUN

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The well was tested at 28gpm from the well driller. Before we had a pressure tank on it we would run it for days deadheaded and it would not run out of water. It currently has a 75psi relief valve and a large bladder type pressure tank on it. The relief valve has not tripped yet so I think the pressure gauge may be off a little as I have set it to 60-80psi to get what i got at the house now.
Will I need to buy the jet kit for my pump to use it?
 
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