Shallow well connections

[Brian78753]

I put three 2" four ft. well points 14' down. Standing water is @ 5'. I am using a 1.5 jaccuzzi pump model R1lawn. Everything is piped all the way with 2" and I am getting about 10 gpm. I want to connect the well to my sprinkler system and would like someone to tell me the best way to proceed from here. What should I use and were in line do I put it for the best results. Also what is the advantage (if there is one) to wiring my pump to 230v rater than 115. Thanks

[speedbump]

First of all, that is the wrong pump for your application. Why have a pump that's capable of 60 plus gallons per minute but won't make much more than 40 lbs and is also way too much horsepower for the job? It's an amp guzzler.

A 3/4hp jet pump would do a great job.

Putting the pump as close to the wells as possible is the best place for it. The fewest amount of fittings is also a must. The check valve should be where the three wells are connected together with (I assume) a tee.

bob...

[Brian78753]

Just a homeowner here. I went to Home Depot, saw a pump that said lawn on it and went for it. I have had the pump for a long time now so returning it is not an option.
I have the check valve on the input side of the pump. What is the best way to plum the output side and connect to my system so it will come on when the zone comes on and go off when the zone is done?
Also I guess I should metion that will the pump is running the fleow gos from very very hard strem for a few seconds then gos down to a more manageble flow. I am gessing that even though I have the 3 2" well points that I am drawing more than the wells can supply. It seems as though it will pulse along like this as long as I would like to let it.

[speedbump]

Also I guess I should metion that will the pump is running the fleow gos from very very hard strem for a few seconds then gos down to a more manageble flow. I am gessing that even though I have the 3 2" well points that I am drawing more than the wells can supply

You could put a 100 hp pump on there and it can't get more than the wells can supply.

You have the wrong pump with the check valve in the wrong place and now your ready to move on to the discharge side of the pump.

Since self priming centrifugal pumps work terrible with a pressure switch, you have two options. Turn on the pump manually when you need water or use a sprinkler timer.

bob...

[Brian78753]

You could put a 100 hp pump on there and it can't get more than the wells can supply.

You have the wrong pump with the check valve in the wrong place and now your ready to move on to the discharge side of the pump.

Since self priming centrifugal pumps work terrible with a pressure switch, you have two options. Turn on the pump manually when you need water or use a sprinkler timer.

bob...

Then can you tell me why my flow rate fluctuates the way it does?

If the check valve dosnt go on the input side I guess its safe to assume it gos on the output.

As I said this is the pump I have so I have to make it work somehow.

[speedbump]

I'm not sure what you mean by fluctuating. I would have to be there to know what it's actually doing.

This was what I wrote a few replies ago:

Putting the pump as close to the wells as possible is the best place for it. The fewest amount of fittings is also a must. The check valve should be where the three wells are connected together with (I assume) a tee.

I just can't see why using that much horsepower makes any sense. Sell that one and get the right one. Wouldn't that make better sense?

bob...

[Brian78753]

Thats where my check valve is. As far as the uneven output flow, It shoots water out about four feet with a lot of pressure for a few seconds and then is slows down for a few. It does this over and over.Could I be pulling water from the well faster than it can replenish itself? If so what is the fix? another well point? Is the hp of the pump a problem other than the amount of electricity I am using? Also I have it temp. wired at 115volts. What is the advantage of wiring 220? I know... a lot of stupid questions ,but thats why I am here.

[speedbump]

I have the check valve on the input side of the pump.

I assumed you meant at the pump. If it's at the wells, that's great.

The surging your describing sounds like a giant air leak, or your pulling air from the screens. I don't know how to tell you to check that, but if the screens are quite shallow and there is a way that air could easily get down beside the pipe in the ground, that pump wanting more water could be drawing the level of water down enough to let air in at the top of the screen/s.

Oops, I forgot the wiring question: As long as the wire is large enough to keep it from getting hot or starving the motor (which will make it very hot) it's not a problem. The advantage to 230 volts is that the wire doesn't have to be so large.

bob...

[Porky]

You have a lawn sprinkler pump and not a well pump. It will never right for your installation. (1) pump is to large. (2) Wells can't supply enough water for the pump causing surging or possibly sucking air at the top of the sand points. (3) This pump will never work properly with a pressure switch. (4) You should have purchased a 1/2 or 3/4 hp jet pump. (5) For a jet pump to work automatically and properly it should have a small tank.

To use the existing pump you may try restricting the output to 10 gpm with a valve. Then when you are finished pumping water you will just have to unplug the pump. 115 volts is OK if the wire is large enough and is a short distance. . .230 volts is better.

Lastly, the people at Lowes, Home Depot and most Hardwares aren't pump experts. Meaning they sell you what fits in the shopping cart!

[speedbump]

Lastly, the people at Lowes, Home Depot and most Hardwares aren't pump experts. Meaning they sell you what fits in the shopping cart!

A truer statement was never spoken!

I had an employee from a Home Depot somewhere in the US call me yesterday, looking for a 3" submersible pump for a customer he had standing there with him. They don't sell 3" subs so he found my site on the Internet and called me looking for one. He didn't know what the water level was, didn't know what the well produced or how deep it was. The guy didn't even know how much water he needed. I have a choice of 30 some odd pumps in the 3" variety to choose from between 1/2 and 1.5 horsepower and he wanted a price. Would you buy a pump from this guy???

bob...