mzimmers
Active Member
Hi all -
I've lived in my current house for a couple years now. The community is served by a well. I have a pump and two pressure tanks. Lately I've noticed the pump coming on quite frequently, even when no water is running. The system is over 20 years old, so it's possible that it needs to be completely redone. I don't pretend to be a plumbing expert, but there's a lot about this installation that I'm not impressed with, mostly the idea of a high-voltage device like a pump sitting on the ground. The tanks were also installed without drain valves, making recharging them a little harder.
My equipment consists of:
- a Sta-Rite 1HP pump with 1 1/4" inlet and 1" outlet
- two (2) Amtrol WX-302 tanks.
So, my questions:
1. The community water inlet is 1" pipe. This gets expanded to 1 1/4" for pump inlet. Pump outlet is 1", expanded to 1 1/4 again to go to the tanks and house. If I have to re-do this, wouldn't it make more sense to reduce the tanks to 1" and use all 1" pipe and fittings (of course, I'd have to adapt up to 1 1/4" for going to the house.
2. Do I really need two tanks this size? There are 3 bathrooms in the house, but really only 2 ever get used (one is in the basement). No lawn; all irrigation is drip. If it turns out my tanks are bad, I don't want to get more than I really need.
3. What do people normally do about protecting the pump from the elements?
Thanks; I appreciate any input.
I've lived in my current house for a couple years now. The community is served by a well. I have a pump and two pressure tanks. Lately I've noticed the pump coming on quite frequently, even when no water is running. The system is over 20 years old, so it's possible that it needs to be completely redone. I don't pretend to be a plumbing expert, but there's a lot about this installation that I'm not impressed with, mostly the idea of a high-voltage device like a pump sitting on the ground. The tanks were also installed without drain valves, making recharging them a little harder.
My equipment consists of:
- a Sta-Rite 1HP pump with 1 1/4" inlet and 1" outlet
- two (2) Amtrol WX-302 tanks.
So, my questions:
1. The community water inlet is 1" pipe. This gets expanded to 1 1/4" for pump inlet. Pump outlet is 1", expanded to 1 1/4 again to go to the tanks and house. If I have to re-do this, wouldn't it make more sense to reduce the tanks to 1" and use all 1" pipe and fittings (of course, I'd have to adapt up to 1 1/4" for going to the house.
2. Do I really need two tanks this size? There are 3 bathrooms in the house, but really only 2 ever get used (one is in the basement). No lawn; all irrigation is drip. If it turns out my tanks are bad, I don't want to get more than I really need.
3. What do people normally do about protecting the pump from the elements?
Thanks; I appreciate any input.