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My house has always had excellent water pressure. The set up is: 1) submerged pump in catchment, 2) two squat 20 gallon pressure tanks in a row (short and fat to fit under house I think) and 3) filters, then house.
The pressure tanks are on their last legs. They've been recharged but won't hold a charge anymore. They are 15 years old and need to be replaced. But I hate to lose my good water pressure to an inferior pressure tank. I think I am at about 53 psi. I don't know if that is a function of the tanks or the setup.
Anyway, any thoughts on pressure tanks, brands and where I might pick up a couple? My pump comes on almost immediately now when I draw water and I'm thinking that can't be good for it.
Thank you Punaweb, buy by the way. Seen some derogatory comments here and I have no idea why. It is a great resource. Always has been.
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Most set-ups use one pressure tank (that does give a little bit of a surge when water is running, but usually not too bad), but I remember from your past threads, your system is more unique, with the submersible well pump....
FloTec is the one you find most often here.
We had a Sta-Rite composite tank with replaceable butyl air cell on the mainland that lasted over 24 years on the well we had (we had to replace an old thick walled steel tank & liked the non-steel (non-rust) of the Sta-Rite). We went with it as that is what the production labs worked at used....
info:
http://www.sta-rite.com/ResidentialProdu..._14_4.aspx
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For sure your pump will be happier with good pressure tanks. For small homes like most have in Puna it's not necessary to have a very large one, but it can be nice if the power is out for sure.
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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Thank you, Carey and VancouverIslander. I'll check out Flotec --maybe at Waterworks. Never been in there and should probably check it out.
As for the pump, it is hardwired --something I didn't appreciate in the aftermath of Iselle. Power was out for 10 days and I could not put the pump on the generator as it was hardwired.
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For what it's worth, I've just used a box store cheap tank and been fine so far. The tank that came with our place was also that variety and lasted probably 8 years or so of abuse - pump and tank were left out in the weather for about 6 of those years and then the pressure tank failed putting additional strain on the pump so we replaced both to be safe. Hoping for another 5-10 years before the next replacement.
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
Posts: 2,980
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Joined: Aug 2006
Hmmmmmm.......Yikes. Wondering if I should replace the pump.It came with the house. That is a serious ordeal. It's in the tank, almost all the day down. And hardwired through a thick cord that pokes through a hole in the concrete side of the tank.
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I would just replace the pressure tank for now. I too am using a 42 gallon pressure tank that I got from Home Depot. Bigger is better in this case. If I am quick I can complete a shower before the pump comes on just on what is in the tank. 42 gallons is the total volume. What goes in and out during use is between 1/4 and 1/3 of that. It's called the acceptance. The lower you set your pressure the higher the acceptance.
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That's interesting, MarkP. I cannot fit a 42 gallon one under there but I can fit two 20 gallon ones in tandem. Here's what I don't quite get, though: what do the pressure tanks do? I seem to have good pressure without them. So, let's say they are supposed to relieve the pump and they store 20 accepted gallons. Doesn't the pump have to come on anyway to refill them? It's not continuously operating as it draws water because of the pump, but it has to pump the exact same amount of water, correct? The pressure tanks are just a way station. I know there is something I'm missing in this calculation. I know they serve a purpose. But I don't know what it is.
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It's not pumping water that kills the pump it's starting it up. The pressure tank reduces the on/off cycling. The bigger the tank, the less frequently the pump runs, and the longer it will last. There are some systems that don't use pressure tanks but they use a specific type of pump. When my tank goes I'm going to replace it with the biggest one I can afford / fit in there. When the power is out it's nice to have a lot of water in the tank.
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Remember, your UV light is off.....
Even tho' you have pressure, you might not want to use that water.
Puna: Our roosters crow first
