Freshwater pressure adjustment

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swimmer_spe

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I live on a lake and get water from said lake. We have a jet pump that has a 20PSI working range. Right now, it cuts on at 30psi and cuts out at 50psi. How high can I safely adjust it before we have other issues? Everything is copper piping.
 
60 PSI, but that may not be the real issue.
What makes you think you need more pressure?
Is this a new issue?
 
Do you feel the pump is cycling too often or do you feel you need more pressure? What size air control tank do you have? Is the tank free air or a bladder tank?



You could need to add air to the tank if it is waterlogged.

Sometime lake cottages might have installed a smaller system because usage wasn’t that high but a full time house will demand a larger system.
 
60 PSI, but that may not be the real issue.
What makes you think you need more pressure?
Is this a new issue?

We just moved in. The water pressure was really low. The pump would come on at 20psi.

Do you feel the pump is cycling too often or do you feel you need more pressure? What size air control tank do you have? Is the tank free air or a bladder tank?

You could need to add air to the tank if it is waterlogged.

Sometime lake cottages might have installed a smaller system because usage wasn’t that high but a full time house will demand a larger system.

The pressure was low, and I have adjusted it. The tank is about 1 foot diameter, and about 1.5 feet high.
 
That's one tiny tank.
With a tank that small you may get good pressure for a few seconds, but it will just drop off quickly once it's emptied, and the pump will be short cycling.
Other items to check is the intake filter that should be on the end of the line that's in the lake, and any other filters that may be in the system.
The main line from output side of the tank should have also been 3/4", then stepped down to the fixtures.
An undersized main line would be like standing on a garden hose.
A 3/4" line will have twice the flow of a 1/2" pipe.
 
Have you spoken to any of your neighbors about this problem? They may have already dealt with a similar problem and can often give you great advice and the name of a contractor that can fix it.

I would also check the foot valve at the end of the hose. It could be partially clogged or even partially open if a small piece of debris got sucked into the system.

The tank is small and that could be your problem. Replacement tanks are available at Lowes if you want to try this yourself. If not a well contractor would be able to solve this issue for you.
 
That's one tiny tank.
With a tank that small you may get good pressure for a few seconds, but it will just drop off quickly once it's emptied, and the pump will be short cycling.
Other items to check is the intake filter that should be on the end of the line that's in the lake, and any other filters that may be in the system.
The main line from output side of the tank should have also been 3/4", then stepped down to the fixtures.
An undersized main line would be like standing on a garden hose.
A 3/4" line will have twice the flow of a 1/2" pipe.

The main line to the pump is 3/4.

Have you spoken to any of your neighbors about this problem? They may have already dealt with a similar problem and can often give you great advice and the name of a contractor that can fix it.

I would also check the foot valve at the end of the hose. It could be partially clogged or even partially open if a small piece of debris got sucked into the system.

The tank is small and that could be your problem. Replacement tanks are available at Lowes if you want to try this yourself. If not a well contractor would be able to solve this issue for you.

I have not spoken to them directly about it but my one neighbour put a well in.

Winter has set in and the ice is forming on the lake, so accessing the foot valve may need to wait till spring.

It does sound like a new tank is in order.
 
I believe The question about line size was referring to the line leaving the tank and delivering water to the house. That line should 3/4". The line coming to the pump from the lake is plenty small at 3/4" inch. The line from my well to my my jet pump in the house is 1 & 1/4".

I agreed it sounds like your pressure tank is to small.

If you are not getting the adjustment you want from your pressure switch, they make those in different pressure ranges. My original was 20 to 40. I changed it out to a 30 to 50 and then adjusted it up to 40 to 60. Your system should handle that. You might have some small issues, but repair them and everything will be fine. Copper pipe will not fail in that range.
 
If its a jet pump there should be 2 lines going to the lake, one is the suction to the pump the other is the return/supply to the jet. The suction to the pump would be the larger of the two. Have you adjusted the pressure switch up and did the pressure get better? Does the pump run a long time to get to up to pressure or is it a real short cycle? If it takes a long time on the small of a tank I would lean toward the plugged foot valve or possibly a hole in the jet itself. Had that happen to a jet before, blew a hole in the side of the jet housing so it just wouldn't develop much pressure, wanted to run all the time.
 
If its a jet pump there should be 2 lines going to the lake, one is the suction to the pump the other is the return/supply to the jet. The suction to the pump would be the larger of the two. Have you adjusted the pressure switch up and did the pressure get better? Does the pump run a long time to get to up to pressure or is it a real short cycle? If it takes a long time on the small of a tank I would lean toward the plugged foot valve or possibly a hole in the jet itself. Had that happen to a jet before, blew a hole in the side of the jet housing so it just wouldn't develop much pressure, wanted to run all the time.

I tried asjusting it to shut off at 60psi. It doesn't seem to want to get to it, so I adjusted it to about 57psi
 
Jet pumps can work with a single pipe if the well is shallow or in this case the lake. Mine was a single pipe and the Y connection was made at the pump in the basement. I had a foot valve and the foot valve had to hold the tank pressure and that caused some problems with loss of line pressure. I replaced the foot valve and also added a check valve in the basement that made the foot valves job that much easier. That setup has been going 25 years now. Knocking on wood.
 
I didn't know that. I assumed if the system had a jet it was on the end of the line and needed a supply of pressurized water to power the jet. Where is the jet located on your single line system?
 
My jet is right on the nose of the pump. It is cast iron and bolted right on the impeller casting. If you are raising the water over 20+ feet the jet may have to be at the bottom of the well. Most people use submersible pumps now and they are in the well at the end of the the supply line. I am guessing that doesn't work well in a lake.

Actually I went from a jet pump to a submersible pump to to a county rural water district. Now I don't have to deal with pumps at all. Well almost anyway. I left my outside hydrants on the well for watering and such.

Swimmer, is your pressure switch a 20-40 or a 30-50? It should say somewhere on your switch cover. 57 may be all you can get out of your system for a variety of reasons. Lift, suction line size, impeller wear, etc, etc. If you have 57 psi at static, what do you have with water flowing?
 
I didn't know that. I assumed if the system had a jet it was on the end of the line and needed a supply of pressurized water to power the jet. Where is the jet located on your single line system?
My pump is as @Fireguy5674 stated also. I forget the exact depth but around 20’ sounds correct. Suction can only pull water up until the weight of the water is more than the suction can hold. A perfect vacuum is 27’ at sea level or something like that.

I bought the house 40+ years ago and the owners had just put in a new jet pump a Meyers and the well failed the well test to buy the home so the owner paid to have a new well dug. When they ran the line to the jet pump I paid the guy extra to bury a 240v wire as my plan was to use the jet pump for a couple years and then put a submergible in the well. Here I am all these years later and that Meyers is still pumping away but I’m ready when the time comes.
 
Learn something new every day. I have only dealt with a jet pump on a deeper well, think mine was 60' to the water. I dropped in a submersible when that jet blew out.
 
My jet is right on the nose of the pump. It is cast iron and bolted right on the impeller casting. If you are raising the water over 20+ feet the jet may have to be at the bottom of the well. Most people use submersible pumps now and they are in the well at the end of the the supply line. I am guessing that doesn't work well in a lake.

Actually I went from a jet pump to a submersible pump to to a county rural water district. Now I don't have to deal with pumps at all. Well almost anyway. I left my outside hydrants on the well for watering and such.

Swimmer, is your pressure switch a 20-40 or a 30-50? It should say somewhere on your switch cover. 57 may be all you can get out of your system for a variety of reasons. Lift, suction line size, impeller wear, etc, etc. If you have 57 psi at static, what do you have with water flowing?

My pump has a 220 degree range. It is adjustable. I have it set at about 35-55 psi
 
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