Hello All!
We just had a well drilled on our property, 30 feet deep with 16 feet of water. We live on an island, so if you go much deeper you end up with a salt-water well. The well guy said that we should get a ¾HP submersible pump to go along with the 120 gallon Galv. tank that I “salvaged” from a job a few years ago. The tank will sit near the house, the well is 150 feet away and about 15 feet lower. I have already run the 1¼” PVC pipe and conduit down the hill.
The problem I have is setting up the correct sequence of ‘do-dads’ needed to make this installation work. I have hooked up a number of Jet Pumps over the years, but this is my first submersible. The plumbing store guys are not much help, I was hoping for some help from you guys.
I’ve got:
The pump, 120 gallon Galv. tank, torque arrestor, check valve, air-volume control, snifter valve, pressure gauge and lots of assorted pipe fittings.
? how do I hookup the Air Volume Control
? what about the snifter valve
Thanks in advance,
Dennis
Replies
"well guy said that we should get a ¾HP submersible pump ' OMG!
by golly, bet his profit margin on that was good!
Cheap jet at that depth is good & cheap.
For your situation, as described, a captive air tank is easy solution. Air volume control on your setup is fabrication to get bucks out of you.. DITCH your "well guy"----IMHO, he is a ripoff artist.
Good Morning Art,
This well guy only drills, he doesn't sell pumps. The problem is I've got the pump wired up and sitting on the end of a piece of pipe - it a bit to late to return it!
The other half of the equation is the tank. It's an almost new 120 gal galvanized tank that a customer replaced as part of a renovation I was involved with a couple of years ago. His plumber sold him a totally new setup for his rainwater system, complete with a newfangled diaphragm tank, and told the customer he would dispose of the "old" tank. I happened to overhear the conversation and asked for the tank - the plumber sure was pissed off when the customer gave it to me!
Back to the set-up of this combination - do you think it can be made to work?
Thanks,
Dennis
Dennis,
You're bargaining for a more complicated system here than is necessary. You're describing a collection of parts, some of which would normally only be used for a deep well system or a system in which it's necessary to allow the well supply pipe to drain back into the well to avoid freezing. Is that the case? Supply pipe from well not below freezing? If notthe case, then all you really need to do is acquire the proper type of air control valve for your system (shallow submersible) and screw it in the tank. Hopefully and probably, there's already a threaded hole provided for the device in the tank. Likely has a plug screwed in there at the moment unless the previous owner had one installed at some point, but doesn't sound like it.
This should help explain all that. http://www.drilleronline.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0,3643,22239,00.html
Here's a place to find much info about your project and well systems in general.
http://www.peekspump.com/dwspt.htm
Lemme edit this thing again. I don't see where you've mentioned a control box for the pump. Sure hope you didn't buy a submersible with the capacitors in the pump. If so, you're doomed to pulling the thing if they go bad. Not so bad I guess at that shallow of a depth.
And I hope you haven't hung that pump too deep in the well. Around here we ideally never hang a pump closer than ten feet to the bottom of the well to allow for silt build-up and such. But since you don't have that much depth to start with, you may have to hang closer to supply your needs............ depending on the well production.
I like to think and suspect that the well guys and plumbing folks there know far more than they're letting on. I think they're just playing dumb because you obviously intend to DIY this. I'm sure they feel it isn't their job to educate you or help you get it done cause that doesn't put any bread on the table.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 6/4/2004 10:48 am ET by GOLDHILLER
Edited 6/4/2004 11:49 am ET by GOLDHILLER
Thanks for the links - they were very helpful. And no, freezing is not a problem down here! It looks like I need a "Deep Well Air Release" - I'll order one.
Thanks,
Dennis
If you're going with that system of parts instead of a simple shallow well submersible air volume control screwed in the tank.......don't forget that you'll also need to acquire the bleeder orifice. (you didn't mention one in your list of already acquired parts)
Without the bleeder orifice in the supply line, the snifter valve won't serve any purpose, neither will the deep well air release.....and the whole system won't work as intended.
Just looked. Now I understand why you don't have a freeze problem. <G>
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 6/4/2004 10:27 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
You have one other easy option, as I did for 10 years until I could not patch the old tank anymore - simply keep one of your older air compressors in the pump house, whenever you notice short cycles on the pump (easy to do in the house at the faucet by eye) go out and pump up the tank, once every few weeks.