Not sure what type of irrigation "doesn't use much water".
Sorry I meant 電oesn稚 use much water like if ONLY used in the house and you DON探 have any irrigation.
When we design an irrigation system for a house that uses a well the first thing we do is a "flow test" to determine the GPM the pump is delivering at 35-40 PSI - then we design the system to use most of that amount so the pump will run the entire time the irrigation is on.
When properly done, the system will not cycle.
That is what we call matching the irrigation to the pump, which was the only right way to do it before the CSV. But I would guess that 90% of all irrigation systems are not set up properly like that, and the pump cycles to death.
But with a CSV you can match the irrigation to the yard and not the pump. You can still have a large zone where needed like in the back yard. But you can have a medium size zone in the side yard and a small bubbler or drip system down the front driveway. And the CSV will keep the pressure constant and not let the pump cycle no matter the size of the irrigation zone.
On those rare wells that "overproduce" for the size yard we have to irrigate - we use the CSV ... because it works!
Thanks, yes it works. And there are other benefits from the CSV as well. One is that when you match the irrigation to the pump, you are using all the water the pump can produce. So if you try to take a shower while you are irrigating, the shower and sprinkler pressure will be really low. With the CSV you can downsize the irrigation zones a little bit so you have water left for the house. This way you can take a shower and not even know the sprinklers are running.
The CSV can also be a water saving device. Many times even good irrigators will have to overlap or over water certain areas, just to use enough water to keep the pump from cycling. You don't have to do that with a CSV. You can run only the sprinklers that are needed, which also means you are using only the amount of water that is needed, and nothing is wasted.
As far as I know there's nothing in the pump that is damaged by going on and off. The contacts in the pressure switch eventually wear out, but it hasn't happened yet. I've used it to water the garden with a sprinkler and it's cycled all day once a week in summertime. Hasn't seemed to hurt it. It's only a 1/2 hp pump, maybe it's different with bigger ones.
Burned contacts in the pressure switch are just the first sign that you are cycling the pump too much. EVERYTHING in a pump system is destroyed by cycling. The points in the pressure switch, bladder in the tank, check valve seat, start capacitor and relay, pump shaft and coupling, thrust bearing in the motor, and even the motor windings are all destroyed from the pump cycling on and off.
The smaller the pump the less it cycles and the less cycling hurts the pump. But make no mistake, every time the pump starts it causes damage. The bearing is running dry until the motor gets up to speed, the windings start with high amperage and heat, the torque twist everything around, the motor temp goes from one extreme to the other, and many other problems are created by cycling a pump on and off.
Watering once a week in the summertime is very lightly using the pump compared to someone who waters everyday of the week and all year long.
Keeping in mind that the static level is only 20 feet from the surface, and so the main resistance from pumping water through 385 feet of pipe is friction, how much wouls a CAV1A cost? I certainly don't want to pull up all that pipe and replace the pump.
A CSV1A is only about $200, and I don't know why you would have to pull the pump. Yes the high static level means that friction loss is the main resistance. And that can be a problem. Not having enough resistance, as with a high static level, can cause the impellers to go into an unthrust condition. This causes the top of the impellers to grind off. Not having enough resistance on the pump also causes it to produce more water than you are using, which can make the on/off cycling even worse.
A CSV will keep extra resistance on the pump and prevent it from producing too much water and cycling itself to death. The added resistance of the CSV also eliminates upthrust problems.
Contacts can get pitted. Thrust wear on each start up. Higher amp rates and heat at starting. Tubing movement and power supply line movement. Just a few that come to mind.
Yeah it is a lot like cold starting a car engine. Everything wears a little until the oil gets to circulating. So if you cold started a car engine 100 times per day, the engine would not last as long as if it only started once per day. But you understand that so I am just preaching to the choir here.
Thanks!
