two well setup

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Aceto

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I have two wells on my property and both are suffering from this summers drought. The first well had a history of running dry so the previous owner had the second one drilled. The well driller set it up so that with a plug on one pitless, we can switch the pump from one well to the other. the piping is interconnected between the two. We are thinking of setting up a pump in each well with a transfer switch in the basement so that when one well runs dry we can easily draw from the other one. I haven't seen any other postings on any similar installation and was wondering what all of you thought of the problems we might run into.
thanks
dry in Upstate New York
 

Speedbump

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I would let both wells run together. Two pumps and two Cycle Sensors or Pumptecs to protect the pumps. I don't know what horsepower these pumps are, but it sounds like they are submersibles. With one switch and a couple of definate purpose contactors you could easily run both pumps. This may help keeping either well from running dry.

bob...
 

Sammyhydro11

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I have a customer with the same setup. Both systems are plumbed in together with two pressure switches. You simply shut power off to one and turn power on to the other. I have a low water cut off switch on the shallow well pump so the pump cuts out once the water gets low in the well.

Sammy
 

Aceto

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yes both are/will be submersibles. my welldriller has not used pumptecs before. He isn't convinced of the durability and doesn't want to add anything that will create more service calls for maintance. He did ask me to see if anyone had experience with coyote controls and if they were comparable in quality. Is there an easy way to have the choice to run in either configuration, either both pumps together or switching between the two? The newer well has collapsed from the original drilled 125' to about 50'. Our bedrock is a loose friable shale and we are thinking we might have to clear out this well sometime in the future. I would like to be able to dig up and plug the pipe and still have water for the house while this was occuring.
 

Speedbump

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With a hand dug well and a collapsed drilled well, you probably won't be getting a lot of water until you make some repairs.

As for Coyote, I have seen their advertising for years, but have never ran across one in the field, so I can't comment on their dependability. I can vouch for the Pumptec.

bob...
 

Aceto

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both wells are drilled. I've felt the same way on the repairs and have wanted to drill out the filled in one for around two years and my well driller has been against it. We were running fine on the better well until this summers drought hit the water table. He's saying that it will be around the January thaw before it will recover fully. Just don't know if I can keep the wife happy until that happens.
 

Speedbump

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It should, but the Pumptec was designed by Franklin Electric who also makes submersible pump motors. Goulds, Red Jacket, Myers, Sta-Rite, Berkley and a host of other brand names are now owned either by ITT or Pentair. They now have their own motor which will be on all the above named pumps and others. Even though both motors should act the same when the pump runs dry, I wouldn't swear to it. I do know they work with the Franklin motor which is only on a few pumps these days.

bob...
 

Aceto

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The well driller called today and the new motor is in along with two pumptecs. We are going to reshim the ole pump body. When I told him about the franklin motor he told me that is all he will use, he isn't going to use gould's new motor until he absolutely has to. As this will be his first installation of the pumptec is there anything I should pass along? I've been on this forum for a few years and all I have seen is good people with great insight. Thank you for your help.
 

Valveman

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I have done many systems with 2 wells. I normally set up the primary (best well) with a 40/60 pressure switch, and the secondary pump with a 30/50 switch. Then the secondary well comes on automatically without having to throw any switches, or close and open any valves. I also use Cycle Stop Valves on both pumps. This makes the tanks fill at 1 GPM instead of max pump flow, so I don't pump the wells dry after the faucets are closed, while the tanks are refilling. I have heard that they changed the Pumptecs to be adjustable. If that is the case they may work with a Cycle Stop Valve. In the past I have always used a Cycle Sensor, because they would adjust to work with a CSV and the Pumptecs would not.
 

Speedbump

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I haven't seen these new adjustable ones yet either. Maybe I'll try to order one to have a look see.

We are going to reshim the ole pump body

What do you mean by the above?

bob...
 

Aceto

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I will ask my well driller how to explain it best. From what I understand, when you are rebuilding a pump, parts need to be shimed to compensate for wear when you are mounting the pump body onto a new motor. He is interested the information you have been sending. He's not internet savvy.

He told me tonight that he doesn't like the new goulds motors because they have a soft start that can't overcome the resistance when there is sediment in the water.

He also wanted to know what was best for the pressure switch, one or two. I will pass along your experience. Do you have any pictures of how you plumb in both pressure switches. I'm guessing just a tee, but I could be wrong.
 

Valveman

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Just tee the two pressure switches together. It is the staggered pressure settings that are important.

The biggest problem I have with weak wells is that when you use water in the house the well can keep up. As soon as you shut off the faucets, the pressure tank then needs another 10 or 20 gallons (depending on the size of tank) before the pump shuts off. Many times the well will keep up with the house demands and then pumps dry while refilling the tank. With a CSV the house if fed the water it needs and then the tank is refilled at 1 GPM, which keep the well from going dry while refilling the tank.
 

Speedbump

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I have never rebuilt a submersible pump. And I have certainly never heard of shimming one because of worn parts. The impeller stack for a submersible pump is practically the same price as the new pump. Just replace it, it makes more sense.

bob...
 

Aceto

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just finished wiring in the two pumptecs and installing the pump in the second well and to celebrate i started a load of laundry. we set the two pressure switches at 40/60 and 30/50 as you suggested. do you normally put the pumptecs before or after the pressure switch? we are after and i didn't know what difference it made except for the green light being off at idle status.
 
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Rancher

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According to the Pumptec instructions it is installed after the control switch (pressure switch).

Someone said the old Pumptec controllers are also adjustable, there is a pot with a hole thru the board so it is accessable from the backside of the circuit board, it's right where the selector switch is for the time-out delay... Anybody know how to adjust it, i.e. CW or CCW for sensitivity?

Rancher
 

Aceto

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Must be a new design-model #5800020600. It gave diagrams for both installations and has also marked adjustments for both underload sensitivity and reset time adjustments. The thing I thought was interesting is that with a pocket pc with an infrared port you can also moniter the system performance and the trip under/overload trip points remotely.
 
R

Rancher

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The old one I've got has a pot and a 10 position switch with each switch setting equal to a different time out in minutes, comes preset at 30 minutes.

Rancher
 
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