Water Well Pressure

[Beltzington]

What are my options to increase pressure and maintain flow from my well?

My pump will move 10gal/minute for at least two hours (longest I tested for) at pump pressure. I have a 20-30 gallon pressure tank and switch that starts pump at 25psi and shuts it off at 50psi.

With this setup garden hose pressure is pathetic, trying to wash dirt off my tractor and attachments is useless. What I would like is at least the same pressure and flow as in my suburban home which is 75psi and unlimited.

I have read some similar posts but still unclear on the best solution. My best guess would be using a cistern with a higher pressure pump but would appreciate your ideas. No house is connected to this well. TIA

 

[Gods Country]

I doubt you will be able to go beyond 60psi. You could try to change to a 40/60 switch if you feel you won't damage your plumbing, should be OK.
Be sure your high pressure relief valve on your tank or water heater won't blow.

You could always investigate your options to increase your water volume with a larger supply line either from your well or to your spigot. I知 just guessing at this point though.

 

[tnmike]

I personaly wouldn't mess with what you have. If you want more pressure for farm implements, buy a pressure washer.

 

[Egon]

buy a pressure washer./QUOTE]

Yes!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[LarryD]

Well you could spend a lot of money and install a constant pressure pump. They are variable speed and maintain pressure based on demand.
Or just adjust your pressure switch like I did. Mine is set for 40/65. I like this setting because when I have two sprinklers going or filling the horse troughs the pump just runs. No short cycling.

 

[skipmarcy]

30/50 psi works great for my house but also make sure your bladder tank air pressure is set correctly - approx. 2 psi less than your cut-in pressure. With above settings you would want 28 psi air pressure with absolutely no water pressure in the tank - turn off the pump, drain off all the water pressure and use an accurate air gauge to read the tank. Depending on where your bladder tank is located, you may need to readjust the air pressure a couple times a year when the ambient air temp changes much as this will change the air pressure in your tank too, just like a car tire in the sun or shade will be quite different. My pumphouse is well insulated but I still have to adjust the air pressure in the late spring and late fall slightly to maintain the same pressures in the house. No big deal, only takes a minute or two.

 

[EagleTDL]

30/50 psi works great for my house but also make sure your bladder tank air pressure is set correctly - approx. 2 psi less than your cut-in pressure. With above settings you would want 28 psi air pressure with absolutely no water pressure in the tank - turn off the pump, drain off all the water pressure and use an accurate air gauge to read the tank. Depending on where your bladder tank is located, you may need to readjust the air pressure a couple times a year when the ambient air temp changes much as this will change the air pressure in your tank too, just like a car tire in the sun or shade will be quite different. My pumphouse is well insulated but I still have to adjust the air pressure in the late spring and late fall slightly to maintain the same pressures in the house. No big deal, only takes a minute or two.

Based on my setup, I have to do exactly what skipmarcy does (and thanks for the reminder to check my bladder pressure now that it's cooling off! ). Lowes, Home Depot, or any reputable Ag store will carry pressure switches. Before you dump a bunch of money, like Gods Country said above, buy you a 40/60 switch. They are only $20 or so and will really make a difference in regards to the pressure at the end of the hose. That's what I use and with the "jet" setting on nozzle, it's more than adequate to clean the worst of the mud off your vehicles.

 

[BeezFun]

If your pressure tank and fittings are old, they could be getting clogged with junk. When I replaced my last tank the outlet fitting at the bottom didn't have more than a pencil sized hole left in a 1" fitting, the rest was plugged with corrosion or whatever. Also if you have 1/2" pipe to your faucets it could be a problem, you might look at changing to 3/4" if it's easy to get at. I'd do a flow test a few different places at the same pressure to see if you can decide if there's an obstruction.

 

[Western]

All great advice here. I use the 40/60 switch on mine currently also.

What I have done and a system my brother uses now, consist of 1000 gallon holding tank (above ground) Well water is pumped into the tank, then a jet pump pulls from the tank into the main supply line. Never had a pressure issue with this set up

Mine supplied water to about 40 pens, the house, 2 barns and the shop. My brothers currently supplies 3 homes, each with a sprinkler system, but they do water on alternating days.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Most pressure switches are adjustable. One nut changes the cut-in pressure, and the other changes the differential. It's simple to change a 30-50 switch to a 40-60 with a 4" crescent wrench. If you have lost the instructions that came with your switch, look for it online.

 

[Western]

Most pressure switches are adjustable. One nut changes the cut-in pressure, and the other changes the differential. It's simple to change a 30-50 switch to a 40-60 with a 4" crescent wrench. If you have lost the instructions that came with your switch, look for it online.

Larry, good point! I've had to set mine also, but didn't even think about it when I posted above. With a PSI gauge (inline), it is really simple to set.

 

[Beltzington]

Thanks - Everything but the pump and the well pipe is new. The well had been unused for 15+ years and I just got it working several weeks ago. I had to chlorine shock it but I final passed the water test. Drank from it last weekend and didn't die so I guess all is well. The water tastes and smells very good but I am really disappointed in the pressure, 50psi is acceptable but it only takes about 30-seconds to go from 50psi to 30psi when spraying with one hose hooked-up. When this occurs I might as well be hand washing. Assume the same thing would happen in a shower.

Pressure washer is a good idea but eventually I will want more pressure when I do build my house and was trying to solve the low pressure issue.

I will try and adjust the pressure switch.

Pressure tank - I did drain and adjust the air pressure to 23 pounds. Did not seem to make much difference. Assume a larger tank would keep the pressure higher longer?

 

[KPark]

50psi is acceptable but it only takes about 30-seconds to go from 50psi to 30psi when spraying with one hose hooked-up. When this occurs I might as well be hand washing. Assume the same thing would happen in a shower.

Having more than one pressure tank, or a larger one, will keep the pressure longer, but also keep the low pressure longer.

Do I need to buy another 40/60 pressure switch or can I just adjust the springs on my 25/50 switch?

Not sure if you can adjust a 25/50 that high. You can try it and then set it back if it won't adjust that far. There should be instructions inside the cover plate. If you want to enjoy the higher end pressure, you could add one or more tanks and set the cut-in to 50psi and the cut-out to 60psi. The higher capacity of tank(s) means more time between pump cycles and longer time filling, but less wear and tear due to surges.

In any case, a pressure washer is a good idea. 60psi can't hold a candle to it, and you can clean machinery, siding, sidewalks, decks, and more.

 

[turnkey4099]

Thanks - Everything but the pump and the well pipe is new. The well had been unused for 15+ years and I just got it working several weeks ago. I had to chlorine shock it but I final passed the water test. Drank from it last weekend and didn't die so I guess all is well. The water tastes and smells very good but I am really disappointed in the pressure, 50psi is acceptable but it only takes about 30-seconds to go from 50psi to 30psi when spraying with one hose hooked-up. When this occurs I might as well be hand washing. Assume the same thing would happen in a shower.

Pressure washer is a good idea but eventually I will want more pressure when I do build my house and was trying to solve the low pressure issue.

I will try and adjust the pressure switch.

Pressure tank - I did drain and adjust the air pressure to 23 pounds. Did not seem to make much difference. Assume a larger tank would keep the pressure higher longer?

Standared pressure setting for residence are 30-50 and 40-60. 30-50 is "adequate" but won't give you a needle shower at the 30 psi end and may not run all impact sprinklers well. 40-60 does a good job at both hi and lo ends. Pressures above 60 are not recommended as it is hard of fixtures.

Adjustment is simple. Assuming you want a 40-60 range: Start by setting the "precharge". Empty tank and put in 38 psi (2psi below your target cut-in pressure). Then turn on pump and adjust the switch. Usually the tall screw will adjust both the cut-in/cut-out pressure so you turn it until the pump starts at the low pressure, e.g. 40 psi. This should take several 'drain tank down some and refill cycles to get it spot on. Hopefully the pump is capable of reaching 60 psi. If it is the original it may be too worn.

Adjust the lower screw to attain the 20 psi differential. This the optimum for system operation.

Note that if the tank/switch is not co-located with the residence, you have to make some allowance for any elevation difference.

Harry K

 

[JimRB]

I have a little pressure tank with a bladder. The bladder failed so my pump was running more often than it should. Well company came out with crane to lift up pressure tank and all the stuff underneath. New pressure tank and pump stops running so quickly. Pressure washer for any washing besides soap and sponge for car, truck and tractor washes.

 

[Beltzington]

Yesterday I was able to easily adjust the pressure switch to 40/60 which made a big differance. Unfortunately, I forgot the air gauge and the property is 50 miles from where I live so I'll heading back out today to adjust the air tank pressure to 38psi. Appreciate all the good advice.

Checked my home water pressure yesterday and it is 82psi :shocked:does anyone know if the city utility company is responsible for regulating this or do I need to install a pressure regulator on the house side of the water main?

 

[Egon]

50psi is acceptable but it only takes about 30-seconds to go from 50psi to 30psi when spraying with one hose hooked-up. When this occurs I might as well be hand washing. /QUOTE]

What is the water pressure when a hose is running? Does the pressure build up and the pump shut off with a constantly running hose?

 

[amaxwell]

Yesterday I was able to easily adjust the pressure switch to 40/60 which made a big differance. Unfortunately, I forgot the air gauge and the property is 50 miles from where I live so I'll heading back out today to adjust the air tank pressure to 38psi. Appreciate all the good advice.

Checked my home water pressure yesterday and it is 82psi :shocked:does anyone know if the city utility company is responsible for regulating this or do I need to install a pressure regulator on the house side of the water main?

My utility company forces us to install our own regulator:I would check with yours before I paid for it myself. I had a water heater pop off valve pop open because of excess pressure NOT fun.

 

[Furu]

It is not clear to me from the original post what the pressure is on a constantly running hose downstream from the pressure tank.

It was stated that the well had run for up to two hours but not what the flow and pressure was during that 2 hours. Did it drop off? Was the 2 hour test down downstream from the pressure tank or on a direct connection to the pump and drop pipe.
I agree to most of the comments about the pressure switch but I would want to verify the pressure from the pump after constantly running. When trying to verify a problem and determine root causes, especially with a pump that " had not been used for 15 years" I would take it to the basic level in trouble shooting so you know what you were starting with.

I know of many cases where pressure tanks and switches have been blamed for problems with a lot of shot-gunned parts when the root cause lies elsewhere.

If the pump can supply the pressure to get to the 50psi shutoff when flowing out the downstream hose, it should be capable of supplying in excess of 50 psi for long periods (2 hours test) upstream of the pressure tank. Test the pump output separate from the bladder/pressure tank if you have not done this. Know what your base-line capability is first.

 

[Beltzington]

Just got back from our property after spending most the day burning allot of yard waste. Set pressure pump to 40/60 psi yesterday and after connecting 300' of garden hose to reach the burn pile I was still very disappointed as the water pressure still seemed low. Long story short I finally figured out the spray nozzle I was using has an adjustment to limit the spray pressure. turning it to full open resulted in expected water spray. Used the well for 7+ hours keeping the burn pile in check with no issues with water pressure. Leaving at 40/60 psi and chalking this up to a lesson learned. Appreciate everyone's feedback.