Need advice on getting new well drilled

[vickyt]

I have 40 acres in Florida. It is being used to bale hay. I plan to do more with it in the future, maybe a house and barn.
Right now I need to get water on it for irrigation and watering horses. I am getting quotes to have a well drilled but even though I live with one on a 5 acres lot, I really don't know anything about wells.
I know I want at least a 5hp well as I had a smaller one at my current property and we had to up it to a 5 to get enough pressure. (there are a lot of out buildings, horses, etc.).

I have a lot of questions because I really need this done right the first time.
Each well company tells me something different.

What size pump, what size bladder, how deep (we border a wetland), submersible or above ground (someone mentioned it lightening hits the submersible one it is harder to replace), where on the 40 acres to put it (highest ground? near future house?)
Are there brand pumps to avoid? Do drilling companys warrenty their work or the materials?
is the casing always steel and 4"? what does drive shoe mean?

Most importantly, after we get all the specifics, how much should it cost? I am getting price quotes all over the place. My husband is ill and I am having to figure out a lot of things on my own right now. Would really appreciate any help you can give. Thank you.

[Waterwelldude]

I don't live in Fl. but I will do what I can to help.

All well drillers should warranty there work, and the materials they use.
They should guarantee you water, but not the quality of the water. That is imposable to know until the well is drilled. No well driller has any control over the type of water in the ground.

How deep your well is going to be will be up to mother earth.
Good water may be 75 feet or could be 750 feet. Only a well driller in your area can tell you that.

Getting higher pressure does not always require a big hp pump. A 1hp submersible set 250 feet with a water level at 90 to 100 feet,can give you 60 to 70 psi.@ 10gpm.
It would depend on how much water you actually need, and what you are going to be doing with it.(irrigation or such)

Depending on how deep your well will have to be, and size of pump and tank.
Getting a price from anyone that is not in your area will only be a guess.

This is a common well where I am, S.E. Texas.
A 300 feet deep, 4" pvc cased well with a 1hp submersible pump on steel pipe(common for a home), with a 120gal steel pneumatic tank(not a bladder).
The price can range from 6000 to 7500 dollars. But that's here.


Hope some of this helps a little.


Travis

[vickyt]

Thanks Travis,
what is a cycle stop valve vs a 1 phase on the pump?

I have gotten 3 quotes and they are all in the $7000 range.
They all are quoting on
a 5hp submersible pump
4" deep well with 4" casing
150 feet of drilling

the difference is
quote 1: 1 phase pump and WWT120 bladder tank
quote 2: 30 gallon tank with cycle stop valve
quote 3: 220 bladder tank with 2" cycle stop valve

why are the tank sizes so different and is big better in this case?

[valveman]

This happens to be something I know a little bit about. That 5 HP pump is probably going to be a 50 GPM pump. That means it is always putting out 50 GPM. The only way to keep the pump running continuously is to always use 50 GPM, never 48 GPM and never 5 GPM. If you are only using 20 GPM, the other 30 GPM fills a 220 gallon tank (30 gallons of usable water) in about 1 minute. Then because you are using 20 GPM, the tank is drained in 1.5 minutes and the pump is restarted. This is a cycle every 2.5 minutes or 576 times per day. Cycling is the major cause of destruction of pump systems. The less number of times they cycle, the longer they will last. Installing two of these big tanks will cut the cycling by half, and you would need 6 of these big tanks to limit worst case cycling to less than 100 times per day. 100 times per day is the maximum number of cycles allowed by the motor manufacture to hopefully get you past the warranty period.

In the past, most people would install a big tank or two, and try to make every irrigation zone exactly 50 GPM, so the pump would run continuously. However, when you use all the water the pump can produce for the irrigation, the pressure gets really low when you try to use more water in the house at the same time. Pressure will be low in the shower and for the sprinklers, until you stop using water in the house. When the irrigation is not being used, the pump would still cycle on and off as water is used just for the house but, a house is a small load and shouldn't cause too many cycles per day.

The Cycle Stop Valve varies the flow from the pump to match the amount being used. You no longer have to always use 50 GPM to prevent cycling. When you are using 20 GPM, the CSV makes the pump produce only 20 GPM and keeps the pump running continuously. If you need water in the house at the same time, the CSV will sense that more water is needed, and opens up to deliver the exact amount being used (maybe 25 GPM). Then when the house stops using water, the CSV resets to 20 GPM for the irrigation. The CSV varies the flow from as little as 5 GPM to 50 GPM, always matching the amount being used. Only when all the water is turned off, will the CSV allow the tank to fill and the pump to shut off. Even then it fills the tank at 5 GPM instead of 50 GPM. Varying the flow to match the usage, and then filling the tank at only 5 GPM, means you can use a much smaller tank than in the past.

If the pump were used strictly for irrigation, the 30 gallon tank would be plenty. However, because the house also uses the same pump, a larger tank would be beneficial. A 220 gallon equivalent or 119 gallon bladder tank may be a little over kill but, not by much. With the CSV, I would use no smaller than a 60 gallon tank, and no larger than the 119 gallon tank. Anything in between would be fine. This will save you a lot of money and space compared to installing several tanks. And several tanks cannot do what the CSV and a small tank can do for you.

The 1.25" CSV is a domestic grade valve and is less expensive. The 2" CSV is more expensive but, it is a commercial grade valve, long lasting, and a real work horse. A 1.25" CSV and about a 60 gallon tank would be minimum. I would prefer a 2" CSV and about an 85 gallon size tank.

[speedbump]

Where are you in Florida?

Who have you gotten quotes from so far?

I think you will be sorry you are wanting such a large pump.

bob...