I have an irrigation well that is connected to an underground sprinkler system and a set of hydrants for hand line watering. There is a rainbird controller which turns on and off the pump via a pump controller and I can switch the pump on at that box manually as well to use the handline hydrants. There is no pressure switch on the pump or controller and if the pump is left on without a valve or hydrant open the pump will "dead head"- run continuously with no water through the pump (i.e. causing the pump to burn out). This is no big deal until the irrigation guy came and left the pump running without a valve open- I was there to turn it off, but easily might not have been. It also concerns me that if one of the automatic valve fails, I would burn out my pump. I'm wondering if there is a "flow switch" or "high pressure cut out" switch that would shut off the pump when it either reached too high a pressure, or shut off if there was no water flow. I don't need a pressure tank and switch and am hoping there might be an easy solution to this that I could just do myself. Thanks.
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Well Pump- Pressure/Flow switch?
- Thread starter anojones
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heehaw
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for most pump controls to work, you need a small pressure tank: just a little one would make it work: they are usually set to cut off at 60psi and back on at 40psi: plus some have a low pressure cut off, so if the pump runs out of water, it will shut off instead of burning out.
how long have you used this system? i tried using a rainbird water valve to turn on an off to keep fresh water for my donkeys, and it lasted less than a year: it was turned on once a day, for about 15 minutes and in less than a year it quit turning back off.
heehaw
how long have you used this system? i tried using a rainbird water valve to turn on an off to keep fresh water for my donkeys, and it lasted less than a year: it was turned on once a day, for about 15 minutes and in less than a year it quit turning back off.
heehaw
moeh1
Gold Member
I have a no-flow cutoff switch in my set-up. It is a PVC housing about 6" square by 3-4" thick with a small vane inside that is connected to an electrical switch. If the water stops flowing, it cuts the power to the pump. This is a push button override switch to start the pump up again, you have to hold it down until water starts flowing. I actually got it at Sears several years ago closeout. It was expensive, but marked down to almost nothing, I couldn't pass it up. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
heehaw
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never seen one of those?? but i have been trying to figure out how to make an automatic shut off, if the water runs for more than ?? minutes without shutting off: but couldn't find anything to act as a trigger, this might work..do you have a model number, who makes it or anything??
heehaw
heehaw
After searching some more- I came across these. An inexpensive way to shut off for low pressure or shut off for high pressure. I'm not sure how they would fit into the system and if they need a more conventional switch involved or not. All I want to be able to do is have the system shut the pump down for either a no flow or perhaps too much pressure. I'm not sure where to get my hands on these to look at them.
Switches
Switches
heehaw
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the standard ole pump switch will turn the pump on when the pressure gets down to whatever level you set it for, and then cut it off when the pressure gets up to the level you set it for: then theres the low pressure cut off: it looks almost identical to the other, but while the pump is running, if the pressure gets below a certain level, it shuts off, and has to be reset manually: has saved my pump a couple times when i would pump all the water out of the sand filter. but i am pretty sure, a pressure tank has to be used: i tried to disconnect my tank once, and the pump kicked on and off till i shut it off. just one of those small tanks the size of a basketball will work.
heehaw
heehaw
marks
Silver Member
Since the controller will activate the pump, you may consider a standard pressure switch and set the cut-out pressure at the low end of the deadhead psi. Set the cut-in low, and you should be okay.
This would be a very good device for my system- I don't really need a pressure tank, as when the pump is on I'm using all the water and don't want the pump to cycle while I'm watering. It looks like it would be easy to install- I have 2" PVC above ground from the well head which then heads underground to the sprinkler system and hydrant system and could "T" the relief valve into this above ground portion. The only issue is cost- the only online price I could find was over $500 (though a lot cheaper than a new pump).
Maybe a better option would be to add a pressure tank and switch to the above ground PVC pipe- this would make the irrigation well more versitle as I could use it like house water to a shop (and the irrigation well is plumbed to the house well via a valve- and if the house well pump died I could temporarily use the irrigation well for house water if it had a pressure tank). I'm just not sure how to plumb the pressure tank and switch to the system with the 2" PVC above ground- espeially with the pump start relay connected to the rainbird timer-but I'm sure it could be figured out. Thanks all for the help.
Maybe a better option would be to add a pressure tank and switch to the above ground PVC pipe- this would make the irrigation well more versitle as I could use it like house water to a shop (and the irrigation well is plumbed to the house well via a valve- and if the house well pump died I could temporarily use the irrigation well for house water if it had a pressure tank). I'm just not sure how to plumb the pressure tank and switch to the system with the 2" PVC above ground- espeially with the pump start relay connected to the rainbird timer-but I'm sure it could be figured out. Thanks all for the help.