Type of well - submersible or jet?

[Bobabuoy]

I just purchased a house run off a well. I don't know the condition of the well tank, but it doesn't look good. It is in a 6' deep pit under the house. How do I determine whether my well is a submersible or a jet pump? I would like to disconnect the existing tank in the pit and put a new one closer to my utility room so I have easier access.

 

[Speedbump]

If you can see a pump above ground, it's not a submersible. The submersible would be in the well and there would be wires going into the well with the droppipe.

bob...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bobabuoy]

I have the actual well in the backyard with an electrical box on the top/side, but in my water tank pit in the crawl space, there is also what looks like some sort of pump that stands vertically, adjacent to the tank. I don't know if this is still used, or if it is no longer working, etc. The area that contains the tank pit was actually exposed at one point (there was no room above - this was added later on), so I wonder if it is possible that this was the original well here and they added the one in the backyard later. I have checked with the city and there are no records of a well install.

 

[Speedbump]

You have me totally confused now.


bob...

 

[Bob NH]

I suspect that the pump in the hole may be an unused deep well jet that has been replaced with a submersible. Have you found out if the pump you can see is actually operating? They may have left it connected as a backup.

 

[Bobabuoy]

I am guessing that if that jet pump was still operating, when the pressure switch turned it on, I would be able to hear it operate. If in fact it is no longer used, would I be able to divert the incoming water line from the well and run it to a new tank in my utility room?

 

[Bob NH]

Yes. You can put the tank in the utility room and run only one pipe to it, leaving all the rest of your plumbing intact in the pit. Or you could put the tank in the pit after you junk the old jet pump which is probably useless by now.

The old jet pump may in fact be sitting next to an old well in the pit.

 

[Bobabuoy]

If I divert the incoming water line from well and run it to a new tank in the utility room, is there a certain size tank that I should get depending on the submersible pump I have? If so, how can determine what I need.

Also - If I put in the new tank, pressure switch, etc - do I need to chlorinate the tank/system as they do when putting in new wells? Thanks

 

[Bob NH]

I would put in a tank that has an actual volume of about 5 times the GPM rating of the submersible pump. That will give you a pump cycle of a little less than 2 minutes with 30/50 psi switching, if your air pressure is set correctly.

Be sure to use the real volume of the tank; not the funny numbers that manufacturers and sellers use, such as calling a 120 gallon tank a WX-350.

You can move the switch or not as is convenient for you. It is not necessary to re-route your piping. You need only run a single pipe between the new tank location and the place where it was originally connected.

 

[Speedbump]

If you have only the one tank, you will need to put the pressure switch with it.

bob...

 

[Bobabuoy]

Any recommendations on tank manufacturers, brands, etc? I don't know what the GPM on my submersible is, so would I just be better getting a larger tank? Do I have to chlorinate once I have changed the tank?

 

[Speedbump]

I wouldn't worry about chlorinating the well/pipes from just adding a tank.

If you use the Smart Tee you use a much smaller tank, have constant pressure and save money.

bob...

 

[Bobabuoy]

What size tank do you use with the Smart Tee?

 

[Bob NH]

Smart Tee Questions

I am trying to figure out what the Smart Tee does and how it permits use of a smaller pressure tank.

The Smart Tee seems to include the following design and operating features:
1. There is a regulator in the inlet of the line from the pump, between the pump and the pressure switch, relief valve, and system.

2. The regulator appears to connect the pump directly to the pressure tank, and allows the tank to be pressurized to a pressure higher than the setting of the pressure switch as long as the system demand is great enough to pull the pressure on the system side of the regulator to below the switch cutoff setting.

3. If the system demand is shut off quickly, it appears to be possible that the tank pressure will be greater than the switch cutoff setting. Is there an internal control that prevents that higher tank pressure from being transmitted to the system downstream of the regulator through the passage that allows the pressure at the pressure switch to be higher than the regulator setting?

4. How does the relief valve on the downstream side of the regulator protect the pressure tank under flow conditions where the tank pressure is higher than the pressure switch setting? Is there some kind of bypass that bypasses the regulator so that the higher tank pressure will actuate the relief valve, and also expose the system to pressure higher than the pressure switch setting under possible operating conditions?

How would the result with the Smart Tee be different than putting a regulator on the down stream side and setting the shutoff of the pressure switch 10 psi higher than you would set it without the regulator? And what percentage smaller pressure tank is permitted with the Smart Tee?

What is the maximum pressure, above the pressure switch setting, that the tank could be pressurized to under worst case operating conditions?