turnkey4099
Elite Member
1" would do it but 1 1/2 is better. Size of pump has nothing to do with the pressure setting, a small pump will produce the same pressure as a large one, just take longer to do it.
Harry K
Water line from well to cabin
- Thread starter TNhobbyfarmer
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1" would do it but 1 1/2 is better. Size of pump has nothing to do with the pressure setting, a small pump will produce the same pressure as a large one, just take longer to do it.
Harry K
fishheadbob
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35 years and doing great with this setup. 50 foot drilled well with a 1/2 hp submersible, 300 feet level run, 60/40 pressure switch in the basement. 1 inch poly drop pipe ( a little tougher than the regular stuff ) and 300 feet of regular black poly pipe to the pressure tank. In the shower you can tell when it's at 60 psi cause the water comes out so hard it almost stings. My water has some limestone in it which will build on fixtures and coffee makers, apparently the buildup doesn't happen inside the plastic since it continues to produce a lot of pressure. The well drilling company suggested these specs and I must give them credit since it has always operated well.
I also use 1 inch poly to run my barn well. 14 foot dug well with a 70 foot run, 1/2 H.P. shallow well in the barn, 20/40 switch on the pump. No problems except it's difficult to prime- maybe 30 minutes- when I've had the well off for months. The foot valve in that well should probably be replaced, but it's off in the winter so if the water drains out where it enters the pump box in the barn it would likely freeze so the "self draining" aspect is good in this case. The pump might kick on twice a day for 30 seconds to replace the lost pressure due to the foot valve. I can live with that. 1 1/4 might have it priming a little easier, but no big deal, certainly not enough to get me digging and replacing.
I also use 1 inch poly to run my barn well. 14 foot dug well with a 70 foot run, 1/2 H.P. shallow well in the barn, 20/40 switch on the pump. No problems except it's difficult to prime- maybe 30 minutes- when I've had the well off for months. The foot valve in that well should probably be replaced, but it's off in the winter so if the water drains out where it enters the pump box in the barn it would likely freeze so the "self draining" aspect is good in this case. The pump might kick on twice a day for 30 seconds to replace the lost pressure due to the foot valve. I can live with that. 1 1/4 might have it priming a little easier, but no big deal, certainly not enough to get me digging and replacing.
Egon
Epic Contributor
What are the parameters you are trying to meet? Without those almost any answere will be correct.
I have 4 separate water systems that all use submersible pumps and 1"&1/4 pipe with heater cables in them. As others have suggested, the size of the pipe has little to do with water pressure, pressure is a function of where you have the pressure switch set. The frequency in which the pump runs is dependant upon the size of your air tank, and the plumbing in your house is usually only 3/4" or 1/2" pipe when it goes through your water filtration system so that is the smallest denominator and your incoming pipe only needs to be larger then that. Heater cable takes up some space inside the water pipe, so that is why my pipes are at the 1&1/4" size minimum, fittings further reduce the actual size.
No mater what pipe you install, run the pipe and the pump wires plus a spare length of nylon rope through 4" diameter non-perforated Big-O drain pipe, incase you ever need to service the pipe or wires at a later date. Seal the ends with expanding foam to seal out the rodents and water in the event that the pipe springs a leak. Cover or surround the Big-O with 1" thick styrofoam sheet material before you backfill, then it won't matter how deep it is buried
works like a charm, you need to keep the heater cable turned low enough that you can still get cold water otherwise you would use a lot of hydro and have hot and hotter water at the taps
No mater what pipe you install, run the pipe and the pump wires plus a spare length of nylon rope through 4" diameter non-perforated Big-O drain pipe, incase you ever need to service the pipe or wires at a later date. Seal the ends with expanding foam to seal out the rodents and water in the event that the pipe springs a leak. Cover or surround the Big-O with 1" thick styrofoam sheet material before you backfill, then it won't matter how deep it is buried
works like a charm, you need to keep the heater cable turned low enough that you can still get cold water otherwise you would use a lot of hydro and have hot and hotter water at the taps
OP
TNhobbyfarmer
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Thanks for all the advice. Lots of helpful information as always on TBN.
STx
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To answer that question correctly, you need to know -
- desired flow at the cabin
- elevation change
- starting pressure
- desired pressure at the cabin
- location of pressure tank
You need to keep your water velocity below 5FPS, 1" SCH40 pipe will allow you to go up to about 12GPM and stay within that but your friction losses will get pretty high at about 10GPM. You also gain/lose .433PSI for each 1' in elevation change. If you're going to put the pressure tank at the house, you just need to account for water velocity to prevent water hammer, if you're going to have it at the well, you need to account for the friction loss and elevation changes.
If you plan to run other stuff off the well (irrigation, animal watering stations, etc.) I would put the pressure tank at the well to keep pressure more consistent in the entire system and account for the friction losses and elevation change. If you are only going to use it for the cabin, I'd put the tank at the cabin.
Without doing any calculations, I would say no smaller than 1.5" pipe would give you some insurance. 1" will work but you won't have much capacity left in the pipe for adding irrigation, etc. at the cabin.
Here's a link to a friction loss chart for Sch 40 PVC so you can do your own calculations. It's a simple formula, (length of run/100) * PSI loss and then add/subtract your elevation change. http://www.rainbird.com/documents/turf/ref_PVC Schedule 40 IPS Plastic Pipe.pdf
- desired flow at the cabin
- elevation change
- starting pressure
- desired pressure at the cabin
- location of pressure tank
You need to keep your water velocity below 5FPS, 1" SCH40 pipe will allow you to go up to about 12GPM and stay within that but your friction losses will get pretty high at about 10GPM. You also gain/lose .433PSI for each 1' in elevation change. If you're going to put the pressure tank at the house, you just need to account for water velocity to prevent water hammer, if you're going to have it at the well, you need to account for the friction loss and elevation changes.
If you plan to run other stuff off the well (irrigation, animal watering stations, etc.) I would put the pressure tank at the well to keep pressure more consistent in the entire system and account for the friction losses and elevation change. If you are only going to use it for the cabin, I'd put the tank at the cabin.
Without doing any calculations, I would say no smaller than 1.5" pipe would give you some insurance. 1" will work but you won't have much capacity left in the pipe for adding irrigation, etc. at the cabin.
Here's a link to a friction loss chart for Sch 40 PVC so you can do your own calculations. It's a simple formula, (length of run/100) * PSI loss and then add/subtract your elevation change. http://www.rainbird.com/documents/turf/ref_PVC Schedule 40 IPS Plastic Pipe.pdf
Last edited:
STx
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I have an irrigation controller setup at mine to keep the water trough full for wildlife. I didn't want to put it on a float valve because animals will chew the pipe and it's running off the city water.
I'm also going to be putting irrigation in, off our well, for the 3 or 4 acres of food plots I have planted since we don't get a whole lot of rain there and especially since food plots are more valuable in dry years.
We're going to be moving into our cabin pretty soon and my wife is going to plant some landscaping so we'll have irrigation for that also, and the grass in the dog yard so it doesn't dry up to help keep the dirt/mud tracked into the cabin at a minimum.
I know we're weirdos but, there are lots of reasons to have irrigation or an irrigation controller.
I'm also going to be putting irrigation in, off our well, for the 3 or 4 acres of food plots I have planted since we don't get a whole lot of rain there and especially since food plots are more valuable in dry years.
We're going to be moving into our cabin pretty soon and my wife is going to plant some landscaping so we'll have irrigation for that also, and the grass in the dog yard so it doesn't dry up to help keep the dirt/mud tracked into the cabin at a minimum.
I know we're weirdos but, there are lots of reasons to have irrigation or an irrigation controller.
Gary Fowler
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I have a 1" connection from my county water supply which supplies 100 PSI at the meter. I ran over 300 feet of 1" line to a hydrant at a garden location. I have enough flow at the end of the line to push a full stream of water from a 3/4" hose at least 5 feet straight out.
When I had my sprinkler system installed, they used 1.5" header pipe fed by the 1" line directly at the meter. Each station feeds 10 sprinkler head nozzles and I have plenty of flow and pressure. I am not sure how the 1.5" header factors in to the equation since it is fed by only a 1" line at the meter. I queried the water company about putting me in a 1.5" meter but they said it wouldn't be necessary and they were right.
All my PVC pipe is schedule 80 so it handles the pressure and any rock contact without rupturing. It costs a bit more but pipe cost is minimal compared to the cost to install.
I cant see you needing anything larger than 1" from your well to the house. Also you shouldn't have more than 40 PSI entering your home, so if you have your tank pressure set at 60-100 you will need to install a pressure regulator just before the line enters your house so you don't damage any of the house fittings as most of them aren't designed for more than about 50 PSI.
When I had my sprinkler system installed, they used 1.5" header pipe fed by the 1" line directly at the meter. Each station feeds 10 sprinkler head nozzles and I have plenty of flow and pressure. I am not sure how the 1.5" header factors in to the equation since it is fed by only a 1" line at the meter. I queried the water company about putting me in a 1.5" meter but they said it wouldn't be necessary and they were right.
All my PVC pipe is schedule 80 so it handles the pressure and any rock contact without rupturing. It costs a bit more but pipe cost is minimal compared to the cost to install.
I cant see you needing anything larger than 1" from your well to the house. Also you shouldn't have more than 40 PSI entering your home, so if you have your tank pressure set at 60-100 you will need to install a pressure regulator just before the line enters your house so you don't damage any of the house fittings as most of them aren't designed for more than about 50 PSI.
