Should I Use A Storage Tank With My Well

robertc65

I moved into a house last year that is on a well. This is my 1st experience with a well so I'm trying to learn more about it. The well was pumping 6 gallons per minute when we had it tested prior to moving in last year and records I got from the county indicate that it is 180' deep. The ground is primarily shale. Inside we have just a well-X unit and a sediment filter.

I'm wondering if there are advantages to using a storage tank?

If I had a storage tank could I increase the pressure a bit by using a pump?

Also when determining the gallons per minute a well can deliver is the pumping capacity of the well pump a factor or is this simply a measure of how fast your well will fill back in with water?



Thanks in advance

Rob

K2

I take it the Well- X is the pressure tank with a bladder. Generally the larger your pressure tank the less on-off cycling on your pump probably getting a longer life on the pump and saving a few watts. In my case I've always opted for 2 or 3 smaller tanks side by side over the larger tank. If one tank goes bad I can just flip the lever and replace it when I have time.
I've never used storage that was not under pressure and really can't think of a great advantage.

Teetorbilt

6 GPM is pretty low. Consider that your average showerhead/faucet is 3GPM.

I'd tackle the pump first and then go after the PT capacity as Rob suggested.

I have seen booster pumps advertized but never in use. This pump is after the PT and can raise your pressure. Your flow rate still cannot exceed that of the well pump or you'll have all kinds of potential problems.

Get some more pump info. It sounds to me as if somebody cheaped out.

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K2

I missed the 6 gpm part. I remember when our driller had a low yield well he would go down another 50ft for storage. I guess my question would be. Is the well having problems keeping up with the demand???. Seems if you were drawing off of say 80 ft. of water and filling back in at 6 gpm. You should be able to go for a long time.

Teetorbilt

The well capacity is what the hole will yield. The pump capacity is how much the pump is able to pull out of the hole at any given time.

There are many things that you need to know. The well is 180ft. deep. At what depth does the level stabilize? Drawdown and stabilization of the level can tell you a lot including 'head' which goes back to the pump.

How old is the pump and what kind is it? A shallow well pump will have the motor and pump unit at the surface and draws water from the well. Most deep well pumps are submersible, mounted at the bottom and push the water to the surface. Larger wells will have the motor at the top, the pump at the bottom with a driveshaft running the entire length.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

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robertc65

Ok thanks for the info. I'll check out the papers I got from the county for more details. I do know that the pump is submersible but I don't know what size or brand it is.

It seems that I really don't have flow issue (amount of water) but more a pressue issue. The flow of water does keep up because it continues to fill the tank. Now that I have a visual of the basics here I'm wondering if my bladder is leaking and the water is just filling the tank.

Also thanks for the explaination regarding the well filling up and storing water it'self. So it sounds like the well acts like a very narrow but tall storage tank. As the pump draws water out it should fill back in to it's normal level. So I need to somehow figure out how high up the well shaft the normal water level is.

Thanks again

Rob

K2

I've never been around drillers in shale but in our sand, clay mix the walls of the well tend to fall off despite the drillers efforts to hold the walls. After the casing is set gravel is dumped into the voids and you could end up with quite a bit of storage.

Check you pressure at you shader valve on your pt. It should be 2 lbs below your cut-off pressure when empty or partially full. If the tank can't hold pressure when it is empty it is time for a new tank. The air pocket on top of a bad tank will give you some of the same effect as a good bladder tank since the first/ older pt's didn't have bladders.

Teetorbilt

Robert, I've never heard of 6 GMP home pumps. I have bilge pumps bigger than that. Not at the same pressure or head though.

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and go with the local pro. I believe that this is one of those times.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

maj

This is exactly right. I had to replace my PT a few years ago. I had a plumber do it, 'cause me & plumbing don't get along . Anyway, My pressure was not what it used to be before the new tank. So the plumber walked me through the correct way to adjust the pressure. Rob 53 is correct. I just pumped more air in the PT, then adjusted the cut-off on the pump.

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K2

Most of the deep well submersibles I see around here are rated at 10 gpm so 6 gpm could be a sign of a week pump, restrictions in the pipe along the way, or maybe some sediment at the intake. An amp meter could probably tell you something if you had some info on the draw or the horse power. Most deep pumps are 1/2 or 3/4 hp so if my math is correct that converts to 2 to 2.5 amps. So if you were drawing 5 amps that would probably be an issue.

Like Teetor says. The local pro might be in order to give the whole system the once over.