[tommygun89]

The house I bought has city water, but there is a well already dug. Has a 4 or 5 inch round opening. Bottom of well is about 75 feet down and I hit water after only 20 feet (tested both via string and weight)

I already have a ½ horse submersible pump. I want to use this pump/well to water my lawn and garden via hose and sprinkler.

Here is what I can’t find anywhere online. How to hook this up without a pressure tank? I want to pump water to a water spicket at the top of the well pipe, that way I can connect a hose and have well water during the spring and summer w/o paying my small town water bill.


What are my options or does anyone have link to a diagram?


Thanks.

[hkstroud]

Excessive starting and stopping of well pumps shortens their life span. There are well pumps rated to be used without a tank.

Since you already have your pump, you could drop the pump down the well and put a pressure switch on the well pipe to control the pump. If the pressure developed by the pump does no exceed the maximum pressure of the pump when you have the hose open you should be all right. You could manually turn the pump on and off but sooner or later you are going to forget. Pressure switches are not that expensive.

If the pressure developed by the pump exceeds max pressure of pump (and it very well may, at 1/2 horse power and 20 foot down) the pump will cycle on and off as you use it. Add a small galvanized tank.

Drain in the winter to prevent freezing.

[tommygun89]

OK, so here is my Lowe's list...

1- 60 foot of black plumbing pipe (puts pump about 15 foot above bottom of well)
2- nylon rope
3- the electrical wiring (220 outlet already next to well)
4- heat shrink
5- pressure switch
6- water faucet


What am I missing?

[tommygun89]

is this a good pressure switch option? And what connects pressure switch to plumbing?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_74621-15649-PPSL3050_0_?productId=1099935&Ntt=pressure+switch& Ntk=i_products&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=pressure%20switch

[hkstroud]

Hopefully black plumbing pipe mean flexible well pipe, not that black polybutyle. If not flexible well pipe use PVC to go down the well.
Electrical cable should be rated for well, don't remember the type. Can't just use Romex, parts will be under water.

[hkstroud]

Any one of the switch shown should work well for your application. You chose the pressure setting.

You can drill hole through side of well casing to have a place to tie safety rope to, another to pass electrical cable through, another to pass piping through, put a cap on well casing.
There is a fitting made for all that but do not recall name for it at the moment.
If you don't use flexible well pipe, suggest 10' sections of PVC with a female threaded adapter on one end and a male adapter on the other. That way you can screw sections together. If you glue sections together you will have to make sure that the weight is taken by the safety rope until glue is thoroughly dry.

Pressure switch should fit in a tee in pipe (outside the well casing). May require a bushing to reduce size to fit switch threads. If you pass well pipe through side of well casing a few inches below ground and go over a few inches to an irrigation valve box, that would make a good place to install switch and cover electrical connections.

Tie safety rope to pump, tie other end to a tree or something that can't go down the well. While you are fiddling with the pipe you don't want to let something slip and see the end of the rope go down the well.

[jlisenbe]

Why use a pressure switch? Why not just have an on/off switch? You turn it on to water your garden (or whatever), and off when you are finished. I'd just be sure that I didn't turn it on with the spigot turned off.

[tommygun89]

Why use a pressure switch? Why not just have an on/off switch? You turn it on to water your garden (or whatever), and off when you are finished. I'd just be sure that I didn't turn it on with the spigot turned off.

Or have no spigot? Just the pipe to a hose fitting, when I want water, I turn the pump on, and turn it off when I'm done, this way no spigot to worry about?

[jlisenbe]

Sounds like a winner to me. The only function of the pressure switch would be to regulate pressure. Without a tank, you really have no way to do that and no real reason to do it.

[mygirlsdad77]

Pressure switch without a pressure tank is a complete waste of time. If you are not going to install a pressure tank, than do as you suggested in your last post #8. Only thing is, you will want some sort of restrictor so the pump has some sort of resistance to pump against, or, believe it or not, the pump will burn out rather quickly pumping with no resistance. On off switch it is, or simply install a pressure tank and pressure switch and drain for winter as Harold suggested. I have seen to many farmers install sub pumps without tanks, and they always have nothing but trouble.

[jlisenbe]

If he puts the pump 40 feet down, he would be pumping against 18# of pressure just to get it to the surface.

[mygirlsdad77]

Kiss, here's one for you. Ive been told by numerous people in the pump business that a pump with little restriction(open ended) even at depths of beyond forty feet will draws higher amps than a pump that is restricted. Is there any truth to this? Seems backwards, but a lot of things do to me.

[jlisenbe]

This is an interesting thread. I thought about the gas powered centrifugal pumps used to pump out ditches, holes, etc. They don't have any restriction that I know of, but they are also not the same kind of pump as a submerged pump, which I think you are referring to. If that's true, then putting in some sort of restriction would be simple enough, I guess. Glad you brought this up.

[mygirlsdad77]

Yep, we use a large diaphram pump for water issues in a ditch, and they are not to be restricted at all, but I've been told that submersible pumps require a certain amount of restriction for longevity of pump(cant remember what the amoun required is). I am always up for learning, so I would be very interested in finding whether this is true or not. Interesting indeed.