Replacing single stage pump with multistage for irrigation system

[elinewman27]

I bought a house this year that has a 30ft well and 1hp Gould J10s pump with a 20ga pressure tank for the house. I need to add an irrigation system, and wanted to use the same well. I got a quote from a local company who said my well tested at 100 gpm, and recommended that I replace the pump with a 2hp multistage pump to increase the pressure, and replace the pressure tank with a 50 gallon tank. The quote was $3400, which is way more than what I was thinking. Is originally thought that I could tee off just before the existing pump, add a check valve, and then install another jet pump like the goulds irrigator. But the company giving the quote said it wouldn't work because if both pumps turn on at the same time, the well couldn't support two vaccums being pulled? I'm looking for recommendations on what the best path forward is. If installing a multi stage pump really is the best way to go, I was thinking about doing it myself to save money.

In an ideal world, I would do another well, but that will be even more expensive.

Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

2-inch well?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

I bought a house this year that has a 30ft well and 1hp Gould J10s pump with a 20ga pressure tank for the house. I need to add an irrigation system, and wanted to use the same well. I got a quote from a local company who said my well tested at 100 gpm, and recommended that I replace the pump with a 2hp multistage pump to increase the pressure, and replace the pressure tank with a 50 gallon tank. The quote was $3400, which is way more than what I was thinking. Is originally thought that I could tee off just before the existing pump, add a check valve, and then install another jet pump like the goulds irrigator. But the company giving the quote said it wouldn't work because if both pumps turn on at the same time, the well couldn't support two vaccums being pulled? I'm looking for recommendations on what the best path forward is. If installing a multi stage pump really is the best way to go, I was thinking about doing it myself to save money.

In an ideal world, I would do another well, but that will be even more expensive.

Thanks!

It depends on how you want to irrigate. The pump you have will do 15 GPM at 50 PSI. That would run five, 3 GPM sprinklers at the same time. Going up to a J15S would give 25 GPM, which would run eight sprinklers at the same time. If you don't run at least five sprinklers with the pump you have, it will cycle on and off until it destroys itself. Bigger pumps require more sprinklers running at the same time to keep from cycling to death.

The problem is usually that the irrigation doesn't use enough water to keep the pump from cycling itself to death. Adding a Cycle Stop Valve keeps the pump from cycling even when only one sprinkler is running. Controlling the pump you have with a PK1A kit would allow the irrigation zones to be set from 2 GPM to 15 GPM with the pump you have. The j15S would let you run from 2 GPM to 25 GPM as needed.

Start with the irrigation system. If you can make all the zones less than 15 GPM, even if you need to run longer times, the pump you have will do the job.

 

[elinewman27]

2-inch well?

Yes, it’s a 2in well