Submersible well pump question

[Rkh]

Bought a second property next to me, has a submersible pump 100ft down. It is
connected to a pressure switch & air tank. The air tank/pressure switch is in a
housing 4ft below ground covered by a shed housing. I would like to take housing
down, eliminate air tank/pressure switch. Can I just plug in a 220v plug into
generator & run enough so pump don't seize up for not using it? I would like
water line hooked up to 4ft hydrant. How much pressure would be on the line?
It's 220v,.5hp,4.0amp submersible well pump.

 

[caterpillar guy]

You want to keep the pressure tank if you are going to use the well. The pressure tank is to keep the pump from running constantly while running water. We do have a submersible we used in the pasture field so no place for the pressure tank. We just had a float on it so it would run when cattle wanted water and off when it got full. Ran it for 15-20 years. Had to pull it up one time. Forget what for now. We just had a small hole in the water line down so it didn't freeze to drain line back and no hydrant. So it could be plumbed with a fitting for a hose and no hydrant. I would just leave the well pit there with a cover over it if you don't want a well house over the hole.

 

[Janicholson]

I agree, dead heading the pump is likely to cause cavitation and destroy the impellers. An insulated cover maybe 6 inches of polystyrene foam panel with water resistant OSB and EPDM on that would work. (south of southern MN). Running it for 10 min into an open hose would keep it operational. If there is no electricity at the property, I would put in a temporary line just to be convenient. If it is a long way, that won't work. Making a plan for the future is needed. Jim

 

[guido]

Rkh,

Why not just take the water from the pump side, and leave the rest? You may need it at a later date.
You will get whatever the volume the pump is able to supply. If you want pressure use it as is.

Your generator will have to be able to produce 3 to 6 times the motor's rated running amps, even though that is only for a very short period of time, in order to start the pump.

The tank may have the motor's amp requirements, if it was installed as a set with the tank,

Guido.

 

[Russ from MN]

Like others have said, it would be best to keep the pressure control switch and tank. My parents had a similar set up on the Canadian border of MN, it worked fine. Dad put a frost proof hydrant next to the pit, and when shut off it drained into the pit, and the pit had a drain line to the river bank. There was a water line 8 feet deep that went from the tank to the house. He used interlocking cement block to make a 7 foot round pit. For a cover we cut a circle of 2 inch foam the correct diameter, wrapped thin plywood around it for a form, and poured 4 inches of concrete. We put lots of rebar in it, and I formed up a 2 foot square access hole with a curb around it. After curing for a month we picked it up with the Farmall M loader tractor and carried it over and put it on the pit. The foam stuck to the concrete and was the gasket. It's been 50 years, but I still remember, when I tried to pick it up the front tires looked pretty flat, so we aired them up and finished the job, the cover weighed close to a ton. It made a nice root cellar to keep vegetables in over winter also!

 

[Destroked 450]

You ll want to keep the pressure tank and switch, depending on that .5 hp pumps number of impeller stages at 100 ft it should flow around 10 gpm and make over 100 psi water pressure when flow is restricted or deadheaded
Shutting the flow off before shutting off the pump without a pressure switch will cause a pressure spike that can burst lines, overload the motor or break the impellers
The only proper way the operate the pump without a pressure tank or switch is a open free flow with no shutoff

 

[Rkh]

Here is a picture of we'll & tank/pressure switch housing

 

[showcrop]

Does the construction or lack of the underground "housing"have anything to do with wanting to eliminate the switch and tank?

 

[Rkh]

Just want to get rid of shed over switch & tank. Also get rid of tank & switch.
Don't want pump to seize up for lack of use that's in well. It's a lot about 1/2
acre & don't want any more neighbors.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 15:06:35 01/10/23) Just want to get rid of shed over switch & tank. Also get rid of tank & switch.
Don't want pump to seize up for lack of use that's in well. It's a lot about 1/2
acre & don't want any more neighbors.

So get rid of the shed and leave the underground chamber and put a suitable cap over it. Concrete if need be. You don't give any reason why you wouldn't do it this easy way.

 

[DoubleO7]

I bet it had a concrete cap on the chamber originally. And then it got to be inconvenient especially with snow to shovel off when they had to fix something. Or surface water was filling it up.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I don't know how heavily you are regulated but around here once you get to certain point with an older well that they make you extend the casing and put a pitless adapter on it. I'm not much for being told what to do on my own property but we did this to our old well and I must admit that its better than worrying about the pump pit having water in it and crawling down in the hole!

 

[Destroked 450]

Where does power to the well come from or has it been completely cut loose