Well / Tank / Filter - Low Pressure

[brick]

We recently bought a new home. We have a 250' well with a Morris

3/4hp 7gpm submersible pump. The well is about 125' from the house (uphill to the house). It comes into the basement through a check valve with a pressure gauge (stuck at 45). It then tees into a Well-X-Trol WX-203 pressure tank (32 gal.). Following that is the pressure switch and then an Omni U25 canister filter with a TO1 carbon filter (recently changed). The feed pipes throughout the house are 3/4" inner diameter. The pipes teed off the feed pipe to each faucet are 1/2" inner diameter. I have checked all the on/off valves in the system and made sure that the filter is not partially closed. I have cleaned the aerators throughout the house. We noticed sand in the filter and the aerators when we first moved in. So, when the wiring in the well was recently replaced (10 years old), I had them raise the pump 10'. The pump seems to cycle appropriately. It comes on after the water has been run for a while and doesn't constantly cycle.

All that being said, my water pressure is lousy - especially on the the 2nd floor. When the washing machine is on, there is barely a trickle on the 2nd floor. Could there be sand restricting the system in/around the pressure tank? What else can I check?

[Speedy Jim]

First step: Replace the broken/clogged gauge so that you can measure the tank pressure.

Jim

[Michael Ross]

I would agree with Jim on this one. Unless you know for sure what the pressure coming out of the tank is, there's no way of knowing if there are any other problems down line.

[Gary Slusser]

"brick" wrote

I'd look more toward that filter. Remove the cartridge and see if things change. If so, that type of carbon filter is not the right choice for whatever reason you are using it. If that doesn't improve the 'pressure' (actually you need more water), look into the presure tank air pressure. Since you don't have a gauge that works, replace it with one that does so you can see what pressure range you are running at. Then think about raising the pressure range after adjusting the air pressure in the pressure to the correct amount depending on the new range cut-in pressure switch setting.

Gary Quality Water Associates

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[Michael Ross]

The filter would definitely be my next step once I knew exactly what kind of pressure was coming from the tank. You're going to need to fix that guage for sure.

[brick]

I replaced the pressure gauge. Running a few faucets, I watched the pressure drop to 35, then the pump kicked and brought the pressure quickly back to 55. With the faucets off, the pressure is steady at

2. I also cleaned the filter again. Still quite a bit of sand in the bottom. It is a 2 micron carbon filter.

I also got the USGS report that the well company filed: Drilled

10/93, 282 ft depth, 6 in. diam., 70ft steel casing, 63 ft to bedrock, no salt, water bearing zones are 160-275 ft, yield 10gpm tested via a 4 hr watch/bucket test, drilling method - air rotary, well log - top soil 0-1; brown silty soil 1-15; fine sand 15-35; gray silty soil & mica 35-63; gray schist(?) 63-230; gray white gneiss(?) 230-282.

We also have a radon issue in the house. Is it true that the carbon filter will help with the radon issue? Since I'm fairly sure that the filter is causing the problem with the pressure, why can't I move it before the pressure tank? That way the system will still be filtered and the pressure will be available (without a filter to pass through) as soon as a faucet is opened?

[Gary Slusser]

"brick" wrote

Because you'd have the filter between the pump and its controlling pressure switch and when the filter blocks the pump keeps running and raising the pressure until the plumbing can burst. In some cases that would cause the pump to fall off the drop pipe. And you think you have problems now...

Filters come with two ratings, micron and gpm. The lower the micron rating the smaller the particle it filters, the more 'dirt' it filters the fewer gpm goes through the filter. You do not need a 2 micron, or 5 micron; you need a 50 micron or higher. What are you trying to filter? How much of it?

Remove the filter cartridge and see what pressure/flow you get. I think you'll solve your problem by doing that. Those "whole house" filters are toys. If you need a filter, a backwashed filter is the way to go, they are self cleaning and if sized and set up correctly, prevent pressure/flow loss like you're experiencing..

Your disposable cartridge carbon filter isn't going to remove much radon. How much radon do you have? IMO treating for radon in water is not a DIYer type thing.

Gary Quality Water Associates

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[Me]

[Gary Slusser]

"Me" wrote

I sell them and have one on my web site for acid neutralizing. The equipment is the same but the mineral inside would be different depending on what is being filtered out of the water. Although AN filter mineral is good down to about 20 micron.

Gary Quality Water Associates

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