Deep well pump in a holding tank??

[tinysparky]

Hello,

I have been told i must install a fire sprinkler in my house. I have also been told that unless my house is supplied with a 35 gpm @40 psi for 10 min, i will have to use a special dedicated fire pump setup.

My well does 17 gpm at 70 psi...darn near fire hose. Our water has some sulfer smell.

Thought is to fill a 1100 gallon tank (that vents) from my current well then install another deep well pump in the tank that can handle the psi and gpm. There would only be a 10' rise from the tank to the head level....which is the attic.

This should work....right?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[cowboy73]

The only thing is, stored water can get funky pretty quick. You would have to maintain it kinda like maintaining a hot tub or a swimming pool.

 

[sberry]

Why a deep well pump?

 

[larry4406]

The houses I build like this have a 300 gallon storage tank in the basement then a booster pump. Sprinkler uses the well until such time it can't keep up and pressure falls then booster kicks in. Not a deep well pump

 

[Tim Kennedy]

Is this new construction & where are you located?

 

[bad_idea]

I'm with Tim, sorry for the sidetrack, but why are you required a sprinkler system in a home? I have never heard of such a thing.

 

[ard]

Around here, California fire country, you need sprinklers and water storage for new construction

 

[tinysparky]

The only thing is, stored water can get funky pretty quick. You would have to maintain it kinda like maintaining a hot tub or a swimming pool.

The water going to the tank would be used for general drinking, showering, laundry, etc. But there would be occasional cleaning.

Water has sulfer smell that if it is sprayed into a tank, goes away fast. We use it for our temporary setup and it works great.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[tinysparky]

Why a deep well pump?

Doeant have to be, but i need psi and flow. Out on Amazon i cam get a 40 gpm deep well with wiring and a 4 year warranty for 200.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[finn]

I'm still confused. If you're only pumping from a surface mounted tank, or a tank that's buried a few feet below the surface, why do you need a deep well pump?

Any normal shallow well pump with the appropriate pressure switch should suffice, won't it.

You're not drawing with this pump, so much as you're pressurizing.

I guess you'd have to look at the head curves.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Move to Texas?

My well only puts out 5 GPM. I had to do a perc test and put in smoke detectors. That was bad enough.

 

[tinysparky]

I'm still confused. If you're only pumping from a surface mounted tank, or a tank that's buried a few feet below the surface, why do you need a deep well pump?

Any normal shallow well pump with the appropriate pressure switch should suffice, won't it.

You're not drawing with this pump, so much as you're pressurizing.

I guess you'd have to look at the head curves.

Correct, its about pressure and flow. There is minimal head. Why deep well pump you ask? Because they are very cheap ...on amazon....and have a higher performance curve.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[ssdave]

Deep well pumps will work in a tank if you make sure they are installed in a manner that they will cool correctly. Some pumps need to be installed in a shroud, like a well casing, that only allows flow from one end. The flow passes over the motor, cooling it. Some pumps, if not cooled in this fashion, burn out quickly when used in a tank.

 

[Greatbear]

Be careful using a pump meant for a deep well in an installation with minimal head. The reason is these pumps have several "stages," or impellers that are stacked one atop the other. A well pump must first overcome the head distance, which is the working level of the well to the surface. This alone can be at considerable pressure, and this doesn't include the desired tank pressure. Well pumps have different numbers of stages, each of which increases the pressure. What happens when you use a pump meant for a rather deep well (say, 250 feet) in a shallow system, the pump is expecting to first lift the water to the head level and then begin to actually build pressure. Since each stage in a pump increases the pressure a given amount, if the working pressure is considerably less than the pump is designed for, the first few stages will create the desired pressure, but subsequent stages will be overcome by that pressure. The remaining stages will not work to raise the pressure further but instead force too much water into the following stage, and the problem gets worse up the chain. Submersible pumps build their pressure internally, with each stage "recoiling" against the shaft. If too many stages are not building pressure because the first few are doing all the work, the impeller stack will "lift." Being that these pumps are made with spinning elements (impellers) in between stationary elements (stators) the lifting of the impeller stack causes the two to grind against one another, eventually destroying the pump. This can be prevented by throttling the output of the pump, but that reduces flow. If you look at manufacturer's pump application data, you'll find charts that bring together pump horsepower, desired flow an pressure, and depth. You'd find that using a shallower depth submersible pump is better suited for this kind of application. In most cases, using a booster pump (which is basically the guts of a submersible mated to an external, air-cooled motor) is the better choice.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Scottsdale, AZ started requiring sprinkler systems in residential builds many years ago. IIRC, an article I read at the time discussed how it would reduce the cost of their fire department, as well as prevent loss of life and reduce property damage. Most fires are quickly extinguished once a sprinkler that is over the flames trips.

Found more about it on their website: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/fire/residential-sprinkler

 

[stingry]

Hello,

I have also been told that unless my house is supplied with a 35 gpm @40 psi for 10 min

My well does 17 gpm at 70 psi...darn near fire hose.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

If your pump does 17gpm @ 70 psi, it may very well do 35 gpm @ the lower pressure of 40 psi. You will need to look at the pump curve for your pump.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Why a deep well pump? "
I wondering the same thing, my 1/2hp with a head of 15' will produce 40gpm. So 3/4hp should produce the same at your needed pressure, at a lot less cost. They also make multi stage shallow well pumps for higher presures