Constant pressure

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Cass

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I work on maybe 5-10 wells a year. Mostly replacing pumps, tanks, or switches. The up and down pressure is the biggest complaint I hear. The addition of a pressure regulator in the other thread got me to thinking. Are there any drawbacks to doing this? If I were to add a regulator and set the pressure at 50# with the tank and switch set at 50-70 are there any problems that this would cause. I know an older tank bladder might burst by changing the pressure. How about a shorter pump life? Talk to me.
 

Speedbump

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Rather than spending the money for constant pressure pumps, you can use the Smart Tee or the Cycle stop valve and do about the same thing. You can use a smaller tank just like with the constant pressure units but save a bunch of money in the process.

You can turn the pump on at 60 and off at 80 with the Smart tee set at 70 and have 70 psi constant pressure as the pump runs. Same thing with the constant pressure pumps. The pressure is only constant when the pump is running.

A pressure regulating valve is basically what the Smart Tee is.

bob...
 
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Rshackleford

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We have been installing constant pressure systems for sis or seven years now and are really happy with them. They work really nice when a customer has a high producing well. All of our customers are quite happy. On an installation from scratch the cp system in only $200-$300 more than a standard system with a large tank. I think that once you add in the regulator valve and motor protection to match a cp unit you will be almost even money. Also, if you installed a small tank and the pressure valve your pump would start and stop with every water demand. This happens with a cp unit, but the motor is ramped to start and stop. This soft start makes a big difference in the heat buildup and life of a motor.

Oh, and don't forget about the troubleshooting codes provided by the system. These are a pretty good added bonus. You can work with your customer over the phone. We have had three cp units fail. One an electrician drilled a hole through, one was flooded in a well pit, and another was hit by lightning.

Also, when these units first came out we had a pretty big fight with radio interference. We learned a few things, the manufacture learned a few things, and now this is a non issue.

I wonder about some of the bad water out there. Are these pressure regulator valves prone to plugging with sediment or rust bacteria?
 
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Speedbump

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When I was looking at them, they were pretty pricie. Maybe they have come down.

I could not get any interest in them at all in my area, so I gave up and went with the Smart Tee.

I'm sure with nasty water the pumps can have problems as easily as the Smart tee.

Being near Tampa Florida, the lightning capital of the world, electronic pumps aren't the best choice. Just like filter heads. I avoid the electronic heads and stay with simple electric motor driven heads with water meter driven auto regeneration.

bob...
 

Pumpman

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We're getting more and more calls for constant pressure, and we're using the VFD systems. As I've stated before, we have very few wells in this area, so we use VFD on jetpumps and irrigation centrifugals. One of our suppliers thought I was nuts to use one on a jetpump, but after he saw it work, he changed his mind.
There's alot of building going on in this area, and the upscale homes have higher pressure requirements with the full body showers, etc. We're not limited by well capacity, since water is delivered via canal, so we can meet most any capacity and pressure requirements.
I'm also looking at the possibility of using a submersible like the Grundfos SQE in a cistern setting.
Ron
 
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