My mother in law has an 8ft deep well and the pump has to push the water up hill about 400 feet to the house and a few outside faucets. We have a pressure tank at the pump above the well. Her flow is good but what I consider slow in the house. My question is couldn't I install another pressure tank in the house where the main line comes in or some where else in the house on the system? It's basically a hydraulic system and the pressure tank is an accumulator so it should work. My brother in law says a pressure switch would have to be put where the pressure tank is. I don't agree. A second tank would just cause the pump to run twice as long to build up pressure to fill both tanks. But the tank in the house would not have to push the water as far to the points of usage is my argument.
- Thread starter John B.
- Start date
I agree that an additional pressure switch would not be necessary, and that the 2nd pressure tank at the house would help the low flow problem. The problem is the resistance to flow in the 400 feet of pipe, and bigger pipe would also solve the problem- but a second pressure tank would sure be easier than digging up and replacing 400 feet of line!
Mr. Obvious
New User
I'm hoping you mean it is 80' and 8' deep. I can't imagine any health department giving an OK for a well that shallow and if it is that shallow I hope they are not drinking the water.
Adding another tank shouldn't hurt anything but as soon as the supply is exhausted you will be right back where you are. The proper solution would be to get a pump sized for the amount of "lift" you are dealing with.
Adding another tank shouldn't hurt anything but as soon as the supply is exhausted you will be right back where you are. The proper solution would be to get a pump sized for the amount of "lift" you are dealing with.
TomA in CA
Member
Yes it will work just fine. I have a system here that works that way.
Mr. Obivious I did mean an 8' not an 80'. It's been there for a long time and was there when my inlaws bought the farm back in the early 1950's. I know the health department won't even test water if they know it comes from 10 feet or less from the surface. Actually the well water from this well runs out of the top & side of this well and flows down the field to a creek. To top it off it's in one of her pastures. It use to be used to water the cattle and has an old 10' round concrete water trough close to it which is now almost totally submerged in the earth. You can only see the top brim of the trough. I'm not sure how deep it is. I do know there is another trough like it at an abandon neighboring farmstead and it is approximately 4' deep.
Our hand dug (around 80 yrs ago) with walls lined with hand placed (no mortar) fieldstones is only 18 feet deep and we drank it over 30 years, raised three healthy kids, and the old man who lived here before farmed and worked hard and drank it much of his life and lived to over 90,,,,,,,,SO 18 FEET MUST BE DEEP ENOUGH??? Not sure about 8 feet???
John T
John T
My mothers well is 11' and has been tested.
Water has a few nitrates but is still below unsafe amounts.
Great tasting water that I would rather drink than the water that comes out of rivers for cities. Some city water has had so many different chemicials added to it to make it safe it is unreal.
The down stream cities are purifying the sewage water from the cities upstream.
Gary
Water has a few nitrates but is still below unsafe amounts.
Great tasting water that I would rather drink than the water that comes out of rivers for cities. Some city water has had so many different chemicials added to it to make it safe it is unreal.
The down stream cities are purifying the sewage water from the cities upstream.
Gary
NoNewParts
Member
pretty common in the area of my hunting camp too.
drilling deep wells is pretty much out of the question.
even permanent houses use spring fed wells.
most camps just have a cement tank buried to collect spring water, excess just drains out the exit down the hill
My tank is 4x4x8' or so, I use a pump with a foot valve and the small tank is at the trailer.works ok, about the same distance as yours
2 tanks would probably work for you.
I bleach shock mine once a year or if a critter gets in it, and in heavy weather if it gets cloudy, I dump in some alum
very rural, almost inaccessible area, when I bought it, health dept
couldn't care less about the well......or the outhouse
drilling deep wells is pretty much out of the question.
even permanent houses use spring fed wells.
most camps just have a cement tank buried to collect spring water, excess just drains out the exit down the hill
My tank is 4x4x8' or so, I use a pump with a foot valve and the small tank is at the trailer.works ok, about the same distance as yours
2 tanks would probably work for you.
I bleach shock mine once a year or if a critter gets in it, and in heavy weather if it gets cloudy, I dump in some alum
very rural, almost inaccessible area, when I bought it, health dept
couldn't care less about the well......or the outhouse
Bud Sather in MT
Member
- Location
- Glasgow, Mt
You need to keep a pressure tank close to the pressure switch or else when the pump cycles the pump will turn off and on due to an effect called water hammer. I lived where there were 4 of us on one well. We each had our own pressure tank and also HAD to have one at the well head. System worked great but we also had a 2 inch line that fed our houses.
Bud
Bud
NoNewParts
Member
had one just like that growing up, a little deeper.
cement cap with handpump on top after the wood top decayed.
a critter or frogs getting in, it was my job to go down in there when I was a kid and get it out. (my dad couldn't fit thru the access hole)
My safety talk was 'don't touch the stones'
lol I thought it was fun, probably abuse today lol
My siblings and I grew up with a 7' deep well, seem to be fine. My Folks had a submersible pump in the well and pumped uphill for I'm sure at least 400' to a pressure tank in the basement. We always had good water pressure unless somebody left a hydrant on outside, then we had to wait awhile for the well to fill.
Janicholson
Well-known Member
Were it me, I would put a plastic storage tank in the house under no pressure. Use a float to control the level in that tank, turning on and off the well pump (which would have no pressure regulator or tank at the well). I would then run a pressure pump in the house, with (possibly) the pressure tank from the well house as its reservoir. This prevents the well pump from being unable to supply the house pressure pump volume, and simplifies the system. Jim
Bus Driver
Well-known Member
Did not read all of the replies. Pressure drops as the water must be moved up hill. I assume that the house is not 400 feet higher than the pump, but that the distance from the pump to the house is 400 feet
The link speaks for pressure washers, but the math is exactly the same for residential supply systems. Height causes static pressure losses-- length causes frictional pressure losses.
How much higher is the house above the pump?
If the pressure at the house is satisfactory when the faucet is first opened, I would consider adding a check valve in the line between the house and the pump and adding a pressure tank at the house-- perhaps an 80 gallon size with bladder. The pump will fill and pressurize the house tank while no water is being used and that will be available when later needed. Probably will supply 15 to 20 gallons per use before the pressure drop becomes evident.
Pressure loss
The link speaks for pressure washers, but the math is exactly the same for residential supply systems. Height causes static pressure losses-- length causes frictional pressure losses.
How much higher is the house above the pump?
If the pressure at the house is satisfactory when the faucet is first opened, I would consider adding a check valve in the line between the house and the pump and adding a pressure tank at the house-- perhaps an 80 gallon size with bladder. The pump will fill and pressurize the house tank while no water is being used and that will be available when later needed. Probably will supply 15 to 20 gallons per use before the pressure drop becomes evident.
Pressure loss
you need to replace the pump with a submersible with the proper pumping curve to over come head pressure which is a combination of lift and friction from the pipe and fittings. The pressure tank and switch should be located in the house and set at 30/50 cut in cut-out pressure.
Any pump dealer (not big box retailer) can look in his book for the pumping curve. I have over 20 years as a well driller and pump installer.
Any pump dealer (not big box retailer) can look in his book for the pumping curve. I have over 20 years as a well driller and pump installer.
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