Relocate Well Water Tank & increase PSI

djclkirl

Hello

I’m looking to relocate my well water pump tank 40 feet to our basement utility room. The room houses an oil furnace, hot water tank, water spin-down filter, water micro-filter, and salt water softener. 

The Basement is unfinished - so I plan to cut the floor and extend the 3/4” inch PVC pipe to the new location. 

Our house water PSI is approx 30 PSI. 

My wife would like to increase our water pressure for showering purposes. She also asked if doing so would allow us to install water sprinklers for our lawn. Today, we painfully water the lawn section by section. 

1. What factors do I need to take into consideration when relocating the tank? 
2. Can a pump be installed to increase the water pressure in the home?
3. Factors to consider before installing water sprinklers, e.g., Should I increase the water tank size and save a smaller tank that would cut in/out constantly when water is requested? 

Thanks

DJ

GroundUp

First off, please do not use PVC for domestic water. PEX/Poly or hard pipe with mechanical joints would be ideal, but CPVC at the very least. Your existing well pump is what creates the pressure- it's often as simple as adjusting the pressure switch, or just replacing it to higher pressure one. Most are a 30-50 so if you have 30 now, you may very well be able to adjust it up to 50.

Intplm.

Don't go to all of that trouble and expense. You can add and adjust your pressure switch to a greater pressure. You can purchase a 60/40 pressure switch giving you a 60psi top end pressure with a 40psi cut in/pump on pressure.

You can even do this with what you currently have. Adjusting the pressure switch to say, a fifty seventy psi adjustment can do all of what you are asking including the sprinkler system.

However. The age of your pump, tank and well can be a factor as they might not be able to take these adjustments.

If things are in good shape and are not too old and your well has a good recovery rate then I would simply adjust the pressure switch. And once that is done charge your tank to two (2) psi below the cut in setting with no water in it.

A few questions:

What is the model and type of tank?

What type of pump? Submersible? Jet pump?

What type of well? Shallow dug well? Drilled deep well? How deep is it and what is the static water level? Have you ever run out of water?

Does the pump maintain a pressure within the current psi setting? Or does it cycle between the settings.

djclkirl

IMG_0923.jpeg

djclkirl

a) yes, 3/4” inch black poly pipe

b) while looking up the water tank name, I noticed my typo. Water pressure is 50 PSI.

A few questions: 

What is the model and type of tank?

• Amtrol WX-255 Well-X-Trol

What type of pump? Submersible? Jet pump?

• 4” inch submersible pump

What type of well? Shallow dug well? Drilled deep well? How deep is it and what is the static water level? Have you ever run out of water?

• The well was here when we bought the 10 years ago. House built in 1976.
• Looking at old paperwork, 4” pump was installed in 2004.
• Approximately 125 feet in depth - however, I’m checking other papers as I thought it was 331 feet.
• Thankfully no, never ran out of water.

Does the pump maintain a pressure within the current psi setting? Or does it cycle between the settings.

• yes, maintains pressure. But I have never timed the cycle fill time once it cuts in.
• Tapping the lower 1/3 of the tank with my knuckles, it’s hollow, not as hollow as the top above the bladder line.

Jamie Hall

You should be all set if you just adjust the pressure switch. You can probably crank up the one you have if need be. If you do crank it up, though, you will also need to reset the pressure tank pressure: drain the tank completely (hopefully there is a valve and a drain… otherwise you'll need to drain down the system), reset the air pressure through the Schrader valve (an air compressor will make this quicker, but I've know patient folks to do it with a hand tire pump…) to, as said, about two pounds below your new cutin pressure, reconnect and go ahead.

A caution, however, on lawn sprinkling: it is quite possible, if using several sprinklers, to exceed the capacity of the well pump. Don't.

Intplm.

What @Jamie Hall says above but for one thing. The sprinkler system can be run as long as the timing is correct and the quantity of heads that are used on each zone are properly sized.

@djclkirl you are in pretty good shape. And in the future when you put in the sprinkler system, tie the water supply in before the any water conditioning equipment.

And if you are looking for more pressure at the shower. You can remove the water saver inside the shower head, that should help too.

djclkirl

thank you all for the time you’ve taken to respond here.

Any recommendations on what type of sprinkler system to use, and sizing?

Intplm.

Hunter sprinkler systems. They have a great product with a very user friendly timer, heads etc.

Best to have it sized by the installer.

hot_rod

Do you know the brand and model of the submersible? That would give you info regarding how many gpm you could expect. Then size the sprinkler circuits to what the pump can provide.

If you pump hard, the water level may drop, which will reduct the amount of water the pump will supply. But it is hard for you to know all this until summer rolls around and water levels drop. If it even does? Local well drillers usually have this information.

In my area all the homes had to lower their pumps as the water table kept dropping. I replaced my pump and galvanized piping at the same time as it was 30 years old.

Jamie Hall

Your local health department may also have information on your well (they should, but…) which would include a yield test, depth to static water and depth of well. I'd be rather wary of the yield test figure, as very few drillers actually perform a proper yield test (back when I was drilling wells among other things, my company and one other were the only ones I knew of in western New England which did proper tests on residential wells!) but at least it will be a guideline.

DCContrarian

"And if you are looking for more pressure at the shower. You can remove the water saver inside the shower head, that should help too."

I highly recommend the High Sierra 1.25 GPM shower head. It will get the most out of your existing flow. Best 40 bucks I ever spent.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VD22H8W