Where can I purchase pressure tanks and switches?

[ncgeo]

Yeah I would be annoyed too if there was someone in there with no clue holding up things for everyone else. I just have an issue with restricting sales to "pros". These days with the widespread availability of information (like these forums) it is not so easy to define a pro. A plumber who mainly works faucet repairs in the city probably has less knowledge of water wells than I do, and I mean no disrepect to the plumber. Who is going to take more time at the counter buying a well pump? A supplier shouldn't be so quick to judge the abilities of someone based on a company name or lack thereof.

It's a gray area .. where does a supplier draw the line in who to sell to and who not to sell to? Maybe if they enforced a no-return, or surcharge for return policy, they could steer away those with no clue. Just don't close the door on me because I have no sign on my truck!

[speedbump]

Used to be; that was the rule. No license, no sale. Greed has taken away that aspect with a lot of the suppliers.

Things change, but not always for the better.

bob...

[valveman]

I might add that it is very risky business for a wholesale house to sell to an end user. If the contractors find out, they will see this as the wholesale house going around them, and taking their customers. Contractors will switch to a different supply house and even change which brands of pumps they sell, to be able to offer something that a homeowner cannot get at the same price.

[ncgeo]

I'm sorry guys I call this protectionism. A contractor should rely on his skills and abilities, and not a closed supply chain, to protect his business. And a contractor doesn't want to sell me equipment without services. Seems like there is a good gig going with this arrangement, I wouldn't want to lose it either.

The problem I have is availability of materials outside of supply houses. As an example I'm not aware of any local retailer selling Myers pumps. I go to supply houses not for lower prices, but to buy stuff I can't get elsewhere.

[speedbump]

If you want to buy Myers go to Tractor Supply and get their pumps. They are made by Myers. Or should I say Pentair, who really owns Myers. Go to Lowes or HD, where they sell Water Ace, they too are Myers pumps. They just have cheaper motors on them.

If you want to buy from a Wholesale/Retail outlet who will offer you a discount, go to my site and shop to your heart's content. I do both. That is the reason Contractors in my area refuse to buy from me. I used to be one of them, except for the fact that I have a store front and can buy from the manufacturers. I also get the manufacturers pricing not the wholesalers. I am what is called a Nitch business. I prefer to call myself a taint business. I taint a Wholesaler or a Retailer completely. I do both. And this is an accepted enterprise. The difference between me and the big box store is that I sell nothing but quality, not quanity. And I can get very close to their low low prices while still selling quality. You also deal with me directly, not some aproned crony stocking the shelves.

So, if you want friendly (matter of opinion) come see me, I'm your guy. Nobody will get mad at you and you get quality at a low price. How could you go wrong.

bob...

[speedbump]

I go to supply houses not for lower prices, but to buy stuff I can't get elsewhere.

By the way, what do you do with all this stuff you buy? You wouldn't be doing unlicensed work would you?

[Gary Slusser]

Ronaldg, the government establishes business laws and usually manufacturers and their distributors are not allowed to sell to the end user; the homeowner. Their distributors sell to their dealers and we sell to the end user. The manufacturers don't want to hear from you or the dealer and the distributor doesn't want to hear form you. Most vehicle and clothing, electronics, appliances, etc. etc. manufacturers are set up the same way. So IMO you do not know what you don't know about all this.

HD, Lowe's, Sears etc. do not sell the same quality pumps, tanks, softeners etc. that us distributors' dealers do. And usually the product name or model, the warranty and specs is lower, less and shorter. Example, Ecowater makes all the big box store brand water treatment equipment, yet they make a much better version for the Ecowater dealers. The big box brands have a 90 day to 3 year warranty with 1 year on the control valve; the 3 yrs is for the tanks, all other control valve manufacturers warranty their valves for at least 5 yrs non prorated and 10 yrs on the tanks. The same happens for well pumps and tanks. I used to be a Gould's and Starite pumps dealer, you haven't seen either in a big box store and probably never will. You pay list from a distributor or you buy from a dealer or you buy something with less quality.

As to forums and info, you are debating and denying a lot of accurate info provided by pros that post here. You want things the way you want them and that isn't possible, so you need to shop locally with the help of your yellow pages or accept the advice you get here and buy online or find a local pump supply house in your yellow pages that will sell to homeowners; if they will you usually pay list.

[ncgeo]

By the way, what do you do with all this stuff you buy? You wouldn't be doing unlicensed work would you?

it is not illegal for an unlicensed person person do to work on their own equipment as long as the work is permiited and inspected.

[ncgeo]

Ronaldg, the government establishes business laws and usually manufacturers and their distributors are not allowed to sell to the end user; the homeowner. Their distributors sell to their dealers and we sell to the end user. The manufacturers don't want to hear from you or the dealer and the distributor doesn't want to hear form you. Most vehicle and clothing, electronics, appliances, etc. etc. manufacturers are set up the same way. So IMO you do not know what you don't know about all this.

HD, Lowe's, Sears etc. do not sell the same quality pumps, tanks, softeners etc. that us distributors' dealers do. And usually the product name or model, the warranty and specs is lower, less and shorter. Example, Ecowater makes all the big box store brand water treatment equipment, yet they make a much better version for the Ecowater dealers. The big box brands have a 90 day to 3 year warranty with 1 year on the control valve; the 3 yrs is for the tanks, all other control valve manufacturers warranty their valves for at least 5 yrs non prorated and 10 yrs on the tanks. The same happens for well pumps and tanks. I used to be a Gould's and Starite pumps dealer, you haven't seen either in a big box store and probably never will. You pay list from a distributor or you buy from a dealer or you buy something with less quality.

As to forums and info, you are debating and denying a lot of accurate info provided by pros that post here. You want things the way you want them and that isn't possible, so you need to shop locally with the help of your yellow pages or accept the advice you get here and buy online or find a local pump supply house in your yellow pages that will sell to homeowners; if they will you usually pay list.

Hi Gary, I'm not aware of the government allowing or disallowing who a distributor can sell to, but you may know more about that than I. I know the manufacturers won't sell to me; they prefer to deal in quantity to established dealers. And distributors naturally would prefer the large trade accounts. But they also service the professionals that buy just once. I'm really not much different from that individual as far the distributor is concerned. I'll pay a premium, but is it really ethical for distributor to drain my wallet for the same amount of effort by the counterperson?

You echo my point exactly regarding Goulds and Starite, I can't get them anywhere except a distributor. If I want Water Ace I'll go to Lowe's but if I want Myers where can I go? Suggesting I buy online is a loophole in itself which bypasses the distributors; **** or most of the online stores are just huge electronic flea markets selling to anyone. Wouldn't the distributors want a piece of that business? More frequently now the answer is yes. Again I'm willing to pay a premium, just treat me fairly.

I truly do respect the knowledge you guys have and could hardly debate or match your real-world experience. The information presented on these forums is invaluable. But that is not the issue being discussed in this thread. The issue is being effectively locked out from buying supplies due to antiquated, ambiguous, and inconsistent policies.

I wish you guys would be more open minded on this. These forums, and the internet as a whole, was made possible by a bunch of non-professional hackers. Much of it is programmed by those without formal credentials. Maybe we should have suppressed their good work as well.

All this being said I'm going to lay low on this topic now. I sense we're debating an issue that isn't going to be resolved by any of us, and I conclude we disagree on this.

[ncgeo]

Hi Gary, I'm not aware of the government allowing or disallowing who a distributor can sell to, but you may know more about that than I. I know the manufacturers won't sell to me; they prefer to deal in quantity to established dealers. And distributors naturally would prefer the large trade accounts. But they also service the professionals that buy just once. I'm really not much different from that individual as far the distributor is concerned. I'll pay a premium, but is it really ethical for distributor to drain my wallet for the same amount of effort by the counterperson?

You echo my point exactly regarding Goulds and Starite, I can't get them anywhere except a distributor. If I want Water Ace I'll go to Lowe's but if I want Myers where can I go? Suggesting I buy online is a loophole in itself which bypasses the distributors; **** or most of the online stores are just huge electronic flea markets selling to anyone. Wouldn't the distributors want a piece of that business? More frequently now the answer is yes. Again I'm willing to pay a premium, just treat me fairly.

I truly do respect the knowledge you guys have and could hardly debate or match your real-world experience. The information presented on these forums is invaluable. But that is not the issue being discussed in this thread. The issue is being effectively locked out from buying supplies due to antiquated, ambiguous, and inconsistent policies.

I wish you guys would be more open minded on this. These forums, and the internet as a whole, was made possible by a bunch of non-professional hackers. Much of it is programmed by those without formal credentials. Maybe we should have suppressed their good work as well.

All this being said I'm going to lay low on this topic now. I sense we're debating an issue that isn't going to be resolved by any of us, and I conclude we disagree on this.

Interesting, **** was the name of the largest online auction when I composed this reply. I wonder why it was filtered and not some other trademarked names. Must be a coding error by one of those non-professional hackers :-)

[valveman]

The Internet has created a global market. DIY people have more information available (like this forum), and more products available to them, so there is a lot more people doing it themselves than ever before. In the past a supply house would have never risk selling to and end user. However, thanks to guys like Bob, the supply houses know that you will be able to purchase what you want from somebody. They realize they will lose out on a sale if they don't help the end user. So more and more supply houses now offer "cash" sales to individuals. Only time will tell what the Internet will do to the manufacturer, distributor, dealer, then end user chain that has been used for years. Pricing on the Net now lets people see just how many times products are marked up before they get them.

There are now many places where the end user can purchase directly from the manufacturer. Installers are going to need to start charging what their labor and expertise is really worth, and stop trying to make their profit on the equipment mark up. There is a real art to installing pumps. Some home owners may luck out and get things installed correctly, and not have many problems. However, knowing where to put a little extra tape, how much slack to leave in the wire, and a multitude of other little things that installers learn the hard way, are what separates a DIY from a professional installation. Sometimes just knowing where to put a little extra tape, or not, can make the difference between a pump system lasting 1 year or 20 years.

[riverside67]

So where can I find a Square D pressure switch that will work at 80/100 in conjunction with a 3 phase - 10hp verticle turbine well?

Thanks

[speedbump]

You can crank a GSG-2 up to 80/100. Any switch will work with three phase if your using a contactor.

bob...