Well pump overhaul, Garden and Tiny House on Wheels...

[Harney]

Hey guys and thanks in advance for the help.

Looking for some guidance on replacing a Flotec u27-470 well pump that has gone bad. (PHOTO ATTACHED shows old existing Flotec with electrical set up). The property owner says it died a few years ago. I'm not sure how deep the well is here in SE Portland, Oregon, but the owner says it 'used to work great', mostly for garden and lawncare. I've recently built a tiny house on wheels on the property and I'm planning to use this well for my water needs with a spigot approx. 100' away. By the way, no water storage tanks in the tiny house like a RV might have, just wanting to run directly off the hose bib into the tiny house plumbing for 1 shower and 1 sink.

The well will see constant year-round demand for the tiny house but only seasonal garden hose use for lawncare/gardening.

There are only 4 spigots for watering plants and my tiny house currently downstream of this well pump.

My questions are:

1. Will the Harbor Frieght 1HP Drummond Well Pump w/ Pressure Control Switch work appropriately as a replacement? (Link: https://www.harborfreight.com/plumb...-pump-with-pressure-control-switch-63752.html)

2. Do I need to install a pressure tank or any other tank as part of the system to work optimally or can I get away with just a pump replacement?

3. What kind of filter should I consider building into the system at the pump area and should it be before/after the pump?

4. Is there a DIY home water testing kit to get an idea of water quality/chemicals?

I appreciate any feedback and help in getting this project sorted out.

Cheers.
-EK

 

[Valveman]

For irrigating you can just hook up a hose and manually turn the pump on or off as needed. But to use automatically when a faucet is open like for the house, you will need a pressure tank and pressure switch. Large pressure tanks and letting the pump cycle on and off when irrigating is the way it use to be. Now you can use a small 4.5 gallon size pressure tank when the pump is controlled by a Cycle Stop Valve, then you can also irrigate anyway you want without cycling the pump to death.

Looks like a two pipe or deep well jet pump. If the well is 4" diameter or large dropping in a submersible would be easier and better. If you replace the deep well jet pump the ejector down the well will need to be sized to fit the new pump.

Whatever kind of pump you decide the PK1A kit is all you need to control it. https://cyclestopvalves.com/pages/pk1a-pside-kick

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Harney]

Valveman, thank you very much for the helpful info and link to the PL1A kit, seems like that's the way to go.

Cheers,
EK

 

[MaryBrooks]

I'm not a specialist regarding this particular pump (Harbor Freight 1HP Drummond Well Pump) but to me, it seems like it will work properly as a replacement. I also think you will need to install a pressure tank for the system to work properly. In the end, I think valveman's advice will suit you best, so please let us know how did you work it out in the end. I'm cultivating cannabis, so before I started it, I went online to look for more information, and I've decided to attend an online course after I read some great CTU reviews that convinced me that the best way to do something is to get the right knowledge first.