Pressure tank and Shallow well pump?

[Donniwondoe]

I have a Drummond 1hp Shallow Well pump w/5 gallon pressure tank and A flotech 42 gallon pressure tank. Do I still need to add all the regular things like pressure relief valve pressure guage and a hose bib on a pressure tank T. Or can I run my shallow well pump straight to the pressure tank and utilize the pumps setup? Just wondering if I ran 1 inch pipe to a regular T from the pump to the tank if I could bypass installing all the other stuff? As finances are an issue. This on a gravity feed system.

 

[Valveman]

Those pumps are cheap. But it is the only one I know of that says, "Not made for continuous duty". That means the motor is not designed strong enough to run continuously. Since cycling on and off is the biggest killer of all pumps, not being able to run continuously can be a problem. If you never run a sprinkler, take a long shower, or water anything for long periods of time, the pump would not run continuously anyway. It doesn't say what the duty cycle is? Can it run 5 minutes or 20 minutes at a time? Who knows. May even be running too long to fill that extra pressure tank. Any motor that doesn't say "Made for continuous use" is just not a well built motor. That pump will also just barely build enough pressure to shut off with a 30/50 pressure switch. Adding a pressure relief valve for safety is helpful, but not if the pump cannot build 60 PSI to make the prv work. A pressure gauge (can go anywhere) would be nice, so you can see how little pressure that pump can build, which is why they don't come with one. A hose bib is just for you to use if needed, but not required. Save your money for a good pump and a PK1A kit and you will have something that will last a lifetime.

 

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[Donniwondoe]

I'm not sure what the duty cycle is. It has a 30/50 pressure switch pre-installed, automatic on/off, and a Guage is on the pump. It is rated for 940 gph @ 0' , with 115 ft headlift @ 0 flow. It is intended for continous flow in residential settings, irrigation, drinking water - not continuous use in like a pond or water feature. I have no head lift as my gravity feed measures around 12 psi - no pump @ around 1/2 gpm off of a 1/2 inch pipe. Switching over to 1 inch will increase the flow rate just not the pressure. Im just wondering If my bladder tank is set for the 30/50 specification @ 28 psi and is fed directly from my pump, will it give me the extra 19 gallons of pressurized water?

 

[Valveman]

I'm not sure what the duty cycle is. It has a 30/50 pressure switch pre-installed, automatic on/off, and a Guage is on the pump. It is rated for 940 gph @ 0' , with 115 ft headlift @ 0 flow. It is intended for continous flow in residential settings, irrigation, drinking water - not continuous use in like a pond or water feature. I have no head lift as my gravity feed measures around 12 psi - no pump @ around 1/2 gpm off of a 1/2 inch pipe. Switching over to 1 inch will increase the flow rate just not the pressure. Im just wondering If my bladder tank is set for the 30/50 specification @ 28 psi and is fed directly from my pump, will it give me the extra 19 gallons of pressurized water?

I don't think even the manufacturer knows what the duty cycle is, it just says "Not for continuous use". I would consider any water used for more than about 20 minutes like a long shower, to be continuous for at least that 20 minutes. Any irrigation is considered continuous use, as the irrigation should be set up to keep the pump running continuously while the sprinklers are on. The 12 PSI coming into the pump is helpful because a max head of 115' is the same as 50 PSI, and pumps should not be set to shut off even close to their deadhead pressure. The larger pipe will keep you from losing pressure to friction loss, but the pressure is limited by the pump as 50 PSI (115' of head) is the max that pump can do. Most systems run at a constant 50 PSI using a 40/60 pressure switch with a pump that can build a max head of about 70 PSI.

No, a 19 gallon pressure tank only holds 4 gallons of water. And that 4 gallons is used up before the pump even starts. So, ALL your water comes from the pump, nothing is added by a pressure tank. The pressure tanks ONLY purpose is to limit the on/off cycling of the pump, as cycling is normally the worst thing you can do to a pump. However, that pump is not made for continuous use, which means it must cycle off regularly. Usually cycling is what destroys pumps. But that pump can apparently be destroyed by not cycling as well, so it is double designed to fail and be replaced often. I guess that is the new American way.

A good jet pump with something like a Cycle Stop Valve to limit the cycling can easily last 30 years and even some over 50 years have been documented. A set up like that might cost $1,000.00. But replacing a 200 dollar pump 15 times in the same 30 years can cost more than $3,000.00 as well as leave you out of water on a regular basis.

 

[Donniwondoe]

So If I installed my 42 gallon flotech tank after that shallow well pump it wouldn't give me 19 gallons of pressurized water? Or it would be useless if I installed it after my pump? I figured it would give me atleast 4 toilet flushes, maybe enough for 1 load of laundry, or a sink full of dishes before the pump cycles on.

 

[Valveman]

The tank will not be useless, but a 42 gallon tank only delivers about 10 gallons of water.