Two Homes Off of One Well Pump

[Pettrix]

Well has enough production but wondering about design. Currently a well is supplying a home and there is a 1.25 inch water line with a VFD (variable frequency drive) controller in the garage. Once you open a water line in the home, the pressure drops, then the VFD controller registers the drop and it kicks the well pump on. It keeps a steady 60-62psi water pressure the entire time the faucet is on.

My future 2nd home will tap into the current well with a "T" at the pitless adapter with another 1.25 inch line to the new home. Since the VFD is in the other garage of the current home. Will it still work properly at the 2nd home?

Since the pressure drop will be on the other end of the line, will the VFD still be able to function properly?

 

[RNeumann]

It depends where the check valve is. If their is a check valve between the VFD pressure sensor and the pitless the second home wouldn’t “trip” the VFD sensor. But without a check valve in that section the plan will work fine.

I have a similar setup and found it was easier to run the second home from the first house if that makes sense. The well is in the middle of the two homes but it was still “easier” to go into the one house and then back over to the second home. My system has one line going back out for irrigation and the yard. Then the water is treated for domestic use. After that one line goes to house 1 and one line goes to house 2. All 3 “zones” can be isolated from each other without issue.

 

[oosik]

The way RNeumann has done this is a very acceptable method. Just be certain that the supply line from the well to house #1 is large enough.

 

[RalphVa]

What the others say sounds good. The 1.25" line will give you around 5-6 gpm total. Our house has only a 2 gpm well and has a 3/4" line. You've enough for 2 1/2 to 3 gpm/house. Should be enough.

In trying to pump water during our dry last summer, I was looking into a bigger pump. Unfortunately, I'd only run a 3/4" poly line down the hill and all (about 1100 ft). According to my Cameron Hydraulic Data book, it's only good for possibly up to 3 gpm from that distance and not pop the 60 psi safety on the pump and pump up 100 ft (43 psi).

Ralph

 

[LouNY]

Ralph I don't know were you are getting your numbers from,
the charts that I see for 1 1/4 inch poly pipe at over 17 gpm are only having less then 2 psi drop per 100 ft.,
yes you have some head loss buts that's less then a psi for every 2 feet.

As others have mentioned with the 1 1/4 to the first house then a feed thru 1 1/4 will be a bit better then teeing off.
If you tee off the behavior will depend on where your pressure switch is located with it in the first house a high flow in the second
could result in a low pressure swing in the first as the water leaves your pressure tank to go to the second.
A second pressure tank in the second hose will help.

This is a situation were a pump house and pressure tank and controller at the well is benifical especially using a tee configuration.

poly pipe flow charts;
PE - PolyEthylene Pipes, Flow and Pressure Loss

 

[oosik]

After our spring was developed and prior to installing any supply pump - I surged & pumped @ 350 gpm for three straight days - and nights. Ran a 5" diesel trash pump for 72 hours - non stop. Elimination of silt & sand and rearranged all the gravel at the bottom. The spring is 26 feet deep and cased all the way to the bottom with 4 foot concrete manhole rings. The very bottom ring is a perforated one. 3/4 horse submersible pump sits two feet off the bottom. 1 1/4" poly pipe run the 80 feet up to the house. This is crystal clear spring water - no treatment of any kind, what-so-ever. The water boils up from the gravel on the bottom and exits out thru the perforated ring. The controls run the pump on a 40/60 psi cycle.

 

[RalphVa]

Ralph I don't know were you are getting your numbers from,
the charts that I see for 1 1/4 inch poly pipe at over 17 gpm are only having less then 2 psi drop per 100 ft.,
yes you have some head loss buts that's less then a psi for every 2 feet.

As others have mentioned with the 1 1/4 to the first house then a feed thru 1 1/4 will be a bit better then teeing off.
If you tee off the behavior will depend on where your pressure switch is located with it in the first house a high flow in the second
could result in a low pressure swing in the first as the water leaves your pressure tank to go to the second.
A second pressure tank in the second hose will help.

This is a situation were a pump house and pressure tank and controller at the well is benifical especially using a tee configuration.

poly pipe flow charts;
PE - PolyEthylene Pipes, Flow and Pressure Loss

Bad memory. My Cameron Hydraulic Data book shows 9.13 ft/100 ft of 1 1/4" (old pipe; it says) for 18 gpm. That's about 3.5 psi. This is for "old pipe" of 1.38" ID.

I just remember that trying to pump 3 gpm through 1100 ft of my 3/4" poly pipe that it would probably open the safety (recycle) on a PD pump. Just checked the 3/4" chart. Yeah, it would put up about 19 psi pressure loss. That plus 43 psi head would pop a 60 psi recycle safety valve.

Was looking at getting a 5 gpm pump to pump from my little stream down below. Would have to run another 3/4" line to do so. Too expensive for the rare cases I've needed it. Will have to contend with my little nearly 2 gpm pump.

Ralph

 

[Jstpssng]

We ran the greenhouses for years off a dug well and shallow well pump which fed into my grandparent's house and then ran through as others describe.

 

[Valveman]

Well has enough production but wondering about design. Currently a well is supplying a home and there is a 1.25 inch water line with a VFD (variable frequency drive) controller in the garage. Once you open a water line in the home, the pressure drops, then the VFD controller registers the drop and it kicks the well pump on. It keeps a steady 60-62psi water pressure the entire time the faucet is on.

My future 2nd home will tap into the current well with a "T" at the pitless adapter with another 1.25 inch line to the new home. Since the VFD is in the other garage of the current home. Will it still work properly at the 2nd home?

Since the pressure drop will be on the other end of the line, will the VFD still be able to function properly?

It depends on how large your pump is, what kind of VFD you have, and where the pressure transducer is located. You could have a 5 GPM pump, or a 25 GPM pump. You will need at least 10 GPM to supply two houses at the same time. If the VFD has a pressure transducer and there is no check valve above ground it might work. If the VFD has a pressure switch it probably won't. But either could pulse the pressure when the other house is using water. The water will be coming and going from the line to your house as the pressure goes up and down and the tank fills and drains.

How a Pressure Tank Works and why you need a Cycle Stop Valve on Vimeo

 

[Pettrix]

It depends on how large your pump is, what kind of VFD you have, and where the pressure transducer is located. You could have a 5 GPM pump, or a 25 GPM pump. You will need at least 10 GPM to supply two houses at the same time. If the VFD has a pressure transducer and there is no check valve above ground it might work. If the VFD has a pressure switch it probably won't. But either could pulse the pressure when the other house is using water. The water will be coming and going from the line to your house as the pressure goes up and down and the tank fills and drains.

Goulds 3HP VFD with pressure transducer
13-22 GPM Pump Output
The controller and setup are currently in the garage of the current home.

There are NO check-valves in the line AFTER the pitless adapter. There are 3 check-valves in the 1.25" drop pipe in the well.
See sketch I made.