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I”m currently working on a house that has a well and tank system (no softening system or anything extra installed). The tank supposedly can be pressurized up to 100psi. It’s a standard blue tank, about 18 inches diameter, about 2 1/2 to 3 feet high.
This is an old log house, so everything is cozy, low ceilings, stuff like that. So the plumbing line runs are fairly short. We just installed a top of the line stand up shower unit with body sprays, and a whirlpool tub in the bathroom.
The bathroom is fed with 3/4 copper to service the toilet and sink. At the end of the sink run we switch to 1/2 CPVC to supply both the shower and whirlpool. Since it is unlikely the two will ever be on at the same time, we felt 1/2 CPVC is fine to supply both units.
Problem is low pressure. The body sprays work, but not with that forceful push behind the water to cause that relaxing feeling. The tub fills slowly, but the pressure seems adequate at first. But then once the well kicks on (and it’s not long) the pressure takes a significant drop; the shower pressure is low, the tub pressure is low and takes forever to fill up. while using both units, the well pump is on constantly once the pressure gets low in the tank.
How does one fix this? A larger pressure tank? Or increase the pressure in the tank? Currently the tank will take up to 100psi, but it’s set at 35psi. It was increased to about 50psi, but not a lot of difference. These are all new plumbing runs, so no buildup is in the pipes. WE can’t keep increasing the pressure because it’ll stress the copper joints, right? What to do?
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f......residentially sized well pumps save you money to install them and run them...They are not sized to give municipal water pressure and volume. This includes the wells GPM. To do what you want...would require possibly holding tanks and a pump that is large enough to do what you want...
So if you want a labor only cheap fix...no...not available...I could set you up for about $2000 if you would like a contractor solution.
As to raising your tank pressure...you can..it will be limited by the pressure the pump is designed to pump...And you can rework your supplies to be 3/4 inch...And you can buy a huge pressure tank so as to make up for a well pump that has insufficient flow rate...
Basically...You will not find an easy solution...just a little improvement for a little buck...and a big improvement for a big buck.
near the 60psi 14 gpm(static) municipal stream,
aj
Actual...psi drops to 40 at 9gpm tested with my Toro psi/gpm gauge.
*f...Your statement that the pump keeps running continuously after the pressure drops says a lot! You didn't say what kind of well/pump setup you have, but going by the numbers you mentioned , it sounds like a jet pump with a point. As Jack said, you just aren't pumping enough water to keep up with demand. If you have the water source available, you may benefit from a better pump. If not, you may need a new well and pump to provide what you want.
*I tend to agree that it is a volume, and not a pressure problem per se. I would also worry alot more about cpvc breaking that copper. Run the pressure up to about 60, and change to 3/4" nominal copper water tube from 1/2" IPS cpvc, and you may still have a problem. You need a bigger well, or holding tank.
*If the pressure drop when the tank runs dry, it seems that the pump can't keep up with demand. Need a better pump or a better well.Sounds like we all agree so far. Who's next?
*Check the flow rate at the pump, make sure the cut in is set right, and check to make sure the tank is not waterlogged. I am glad I finally got city water!KK
*I just went through installing my well and have learned a bit about the different parameters.Depending on how old this setup is, there may be a well record lying around. This would be the first place I would look because it will indicate how many gallons per minute the well is rated for. Mine is rated at 8 GPM, a fairly modest amount, but certainly adequate to run a couple of fixtures continually. I have my pressure switch set to 20/40 psi and am still happy with the output. Imagine filling eight milk jugs in a minute; a substantial amount of water.Then I would check to see if the pump rating was matched to the well rating. Hopefully there is a piece of paper showing this too.If you can't determine either of these pieces of info, ask yourself if you can reproduce the same symptoms in another area of the house. What happens if you run the kitchen sink at the same time as the garden hose. Same symptoms? If not then maybe the problem is in your new plumbing.You say that the pressure drops when the pump turns on, and that not much water is drawn from the pressure tank before the pump runs. As kkearney mentions, this would almost certainly indicate waterlogged tank or a very undersized tank. My tank will push out 14 gallons of water before the pump has to run.I would also suspect a weak pump and/or clogged lines to the house from the well.Good luck,Scott.
*Could be a limed up sand point or the well runing out of water. He has plenty of pressure until the pump starts, therefore the tank is doing it's job.
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I"m currently working on a house that has a well and tank system (no softening system or anything extra installed). The tank supposedly can be pressurized up to 100psi. It's a standard blue tank, about 18 inches diameter, about 2 1/2 to 3 feet high.
This is an old log house, so everything is cozy, low ceilings, stuff like that. So the plumbing line runs are fairly short. We just installed a top of the line stand up shower unit with body sprays, and a whirlpool tub in the bathroom.
The bathroom is fed with 3/4 copper to service the toilet and sink. At the end of the sink run we switch to 1/2 CPVC to supply both the shower and whirlpool. Since it is unlikely the two will ever be on at the same time, we felt 1/2 CPVC is fine to supply both units.
Problem is low pressure. The body sprays work, but not with that forceful push behind the water to cause that relaxing feeling. The tub fills slowly, but the pressure seems adequate at first. But then once the well kicks on (and it's not long) the pressure takes a significant drop; the shower pressure is low, the tub pressure is low and takes forever to fill up. while using both units, the well pump is on constantly once the pressure gets low in the tank.
How does one fix this? A larger pressure tank? Or increase the pressure in the tank? Currently the tank will take up to 100psi, but it's set at 35psi. It was increased to about 50psi, but not a lot of difference. These are all new plumbing runs, so no buildup is in the pipes. WE can't keep increasing the pressure because it'll stress the copper joints, right? What to do?