Stupid water pressure question
 

I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?

Stupid water pressure question
 

wrote in message
...
I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?

I don't think a larger diameter hose would do much for your situation. One
thing you might consider is buying a separate pump for your irrigation
system. Assuming your well could support two submerged pumps, you could buy
a separate pump for your irrigation system and drop it down the same well
hole. I have a rain bird controller and it has a provision for turning on
an irrigation pump right before the system cycles on. For this setup, I
wouldn't think you would need a separate pressure tank. The irrigation pump
should be able to feed the irrigation system directly since it will be on
while the irrigation system is running, but you would probably need a
filter.

Stupid water pressure question
 

RoyDMercer posted this a few weeks back. I've hung on to it so I'll have
the info when I put in my sprinkler system. Hope it helps, and thanks Roy!


http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/sprinkler04.htm
wrote in message
...
I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?

Stupid water pressure question
 

wrote in message
...
I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?


Get a better plumber.

What kind of well - artisian ? - driven ? - deep or shallow?

Based on his "run longer instead of cycle" I would *guess* your present
tank is "water logged" - therefore requiring less volume of water to get the
pressure up from the turn on point to the turn off point. If so you might
be able to pump air into the tank (not always the case)

What shape is your pressure switch (electrical) in ? What is it set at ?
(most are adjustable)

You probably cannot get a second pump in your deep well.

Yes - larger diameter hose will help (a little)

Stupid water pressure question
 

I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

For an indoor faucet, that's not extremely bad. Indoor plumbing often
involves long runs of small-diameter pipe. Even with decent pressure, you
rarely (if ever) get enough water out of the indoor plumbing system to run
a sprinkling system.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?

It depends on the length of the hose and flow rate. If your hose is
small enough in diameter, long enough in length, and you're trying to run
a decent amount of water through it, then the answer would be YES: The
pressure loss over a long, thin hose might be enough that a substantically
larger hose will help. However, if you're hooking the hose up to a spigot
connected to the indoor plumbing, then the answer is probably NO: The
indoor plumbing system probably wouldn't let enough water through anyway.

You could always test by using a short, fat hose and see if it makes a
difference....

steve

Stupid water pressure question
 

Thanks, everyone. Lots to digest.

My next door neighbor gets about twice the coverage from a sprinkler
that I get. I asked him, but he doesn't know what would be different
about his plumbing.

Stupid water pressure question
 

I agree with Steve and Roy. The hose diameter might not be a cure. One of my
neighbors insists on using a 3/4" ID garden hose rather than the more
customary 5/8". Yes, I know the math formula and all that stuff, but he
doesn't understand that our neighborhood homes are plumbed with 1/2" copper.
If you look at the innards of a spigot, technically called a silcock I
believe, you will probably see an even smaller restriction. Put your ear to
the lines, where the noise comes from, is where the water restriction will
be (silcock) Can't figure how to get my head down the well though :)
wrote in message
...
I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?

Stupid water pressure question
 

Your water system needs both pressure and flow working together to
appropriately give you water. Your piping should be sized to give you
anywhere from 8 to 20 GPM at approximately 35 PSI. If the piping, pump or
tank is not sized right you can run pressure below 35 psi while flow is
desired or you may have pressure but not enough volume (GPM) Your plumber
may have found your pump short cycling because of an undersized pressure
tank, and is suggesting a larger one to give you more "cushin or volume"
when demand is high. It is better for your pump to cycle on longer and less
frequent calls for water than short constant calls for water.



Getting more radius will require more pressure, but make sure you have the
volume to run more than one head at a time also.




"AustinMN" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I have well water, and my pressure is pretty pathetic.

When I was pricing out an irrigation system last year, I also had to
include the cost of upgrading my well pump and tank.
However, the plumber explained to me that these upgrades didn't have
anything to do with *pressure*. They were required so that the pump
would run longer, instead of lots of cycling off and on, which would
wear it out the pump.

I tested my gpm at an outdoor faucet: 5 gpm! Terrible.

My problem is, I want to get more radius out of my traveling sprinkler
(haven't commited to the cost of irrigation yet).

So I'm confused about pressure versus flow rate.
Will using a larger diameter hose do anything for me?

By any chance, are the lines from your pressure tank to the spigot badly
scaled? If you have very hard water, they can get to the point where the
effective diameter is 1/4 inch...or less. Most outside faucets are
pre-softener, so that you aren't paying to soften water you are dumping on
the ground. That means those pipes can scale much more easily than those
in
the rest of the house.

Austin

Stupid water pressure question