jgdyer
New Member
I am troubleshooting poor water well performance in my house, built in 2001. The house is 2 story, elevated on pillars above a flood plain, so essentially 3 story.
Flow performance has always been mediocre.
I just replaced a .5 HP 10 GPM submersible pump with a .75 HP 10 GPM pump with no apparent change in performance.
Well is 45 feet deep.
The well installer calculated pump curves, and we agree I should be getting better flow, but other than proposing I might have a restriction of some sort in the plumbing, he has no suggestions.
Delivery:
18.9 GPM at ground floor from a frost proof hydrant
8.3 GPM at level 1 from a laundry sink, both valves open, no flow restrictor in spout
2.5 GPM at level 2 in the shower with the wand removed, no flow restrictor
So, having eliminated the whole house filter and the water softener as culprits, my attention now falls upon the pressure tank.
As you can see from the layout in the furnace room at level 1, the plumber did not plan his installation very well. Lots of ells and tees and branches ...
The pressure tank installation is not conventional ..
A 3/4" leg off the 1" supply runs down to the tank
A standpipe comes off the tank leg to serve the gauge and pressure switch, both positioned higher than the top of the tank
After doing a little reading, I surmise that this setup can result in, at least, slow tank drawdown and an inaccurate pressure reading at the gauge. And, therefore, pressure switch settings that do not reflect actual tank metrics.
I wonder, too, if my tank isn't forming a hydraulic "speedbump" of sorts that is affecting flow across the supply line when the pump is running.
I also wonder if there is any way of fixing this short of going to a variable speed pump.
Suggestions, anyone?