Well pump sizing
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- Опубликовано: 7 авг 2024
- Basic guidelines for designing well systems properly.
I made a no-frills TDH calculator you can use for free here:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Just fill in the yellow cells with the appropriate info.
I'm no expert at sharing files so let me know if it doesn't work for some reason. 
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By far the best info I have found to explain to someone just trying to understand their system.
A peek in the mirror makes me think I'm related to your well driller. Great information because it is rational, reasonable and useful. Thanks.
this is the BEST, most informative Video I have seen explaining how to do the Drop Pipe sizing and pump/motor sizing. I watched it 12 times, and it lines it ALL out. And I am a licensed pump installer! Makes it simple and easy to understand all the metrics involved and how to apply them in real world. Thanks!
You are the most amazing person explaining this I’ve ever heard. I live in Tn. Can’t find anyone here that can truly set up a system like that. I wish you were here. I would gladly pay you for your knowledge.
Thank you. Glad to help.
Finally a video that explains everything, thanks and God bless
Best video so far to help me choose the system. Thank you!
This is very informative, helped me greatly in my cost study for water supply options in our project.
Finally a great vid concise and to the point!!!!!
Thanks. This is the best procedure for sizing a submersible well pump I have found on the internet. Isn't it interesting that the elevation head only depends on the vertical difference between the water level in the well and the tank in the basement? Doesn't matter how far down below the water level the pump is installed.
That is very true. However, this draw down can be rapid;meaning one may not realize the high static head . For this reason, it always good to use worse case scenario and calculate total head based on pump depth. This is especially true for old well that have no test pumping records
Standard well flow test out here in California is Pumping with what ever size pump you decide you want in Gallons Per Minute. Given local information. Checking Static level, then pumping and checking "Draw Down" level every 15 minutes for 4 hours. You heard it right Four Hours. But then you KNOW !
Great video! Thanks!
That was great information, just wish my well driller know this stuff.
When i start to watch the video
I was like
Well another guy talking bullshit
But men
Respect for you you are a fucking master!!!
🔥🔥🔥
"we'll get to head in a moment.. "that's what she said
Beside just the tips, I appreciate the knowledge involved
Good info.
The Hands have spoken.
Hi Lenny, Last thing, my well record also lists the pump intake set at 285 feet, finaly water level end of pumping at 285 feet, and recommend pump dept of 240 feet, static level of 19.5feet. did I interpret my pump intake to be set at 240 feet correctly, or it should be at 285 feet?
Very informative....Would like to know do you need to calculate head is the water is in a tank above the pump
technically, you'd want to figure the highest point of your complete water system. So if your house is 4 stories tall and you have water on the top floor, you would figure the highest faucet. I hope that answered your question.
Yes. Hydraulic( elevation) head is a major head-loss factor in well water domestic water systems.
Hi, thanks a lot for the video, one question, adding system pressure to the formula only applies if the pump si feeding a pressure tank right? If it were just filling a water tank pressure should not be added to the formula so the psi value would be 0 correct? Thanks!
Correct
Does having an Artesian Well change the way the calculations are done? My Well is 720 ft deep and according to the well report "flows 8 GPM at the 40PSI at the surface." In 2005. Drawdown was 82 after 4 hrs. Post-Static Water Level -92.4. First water hit at 645 ft. 4" PVC Liner. Well yield was listed 25 GPM. About 220 ft to the Well Tank in the garage.
No, it shouldn't make a difference.
What would you do if the total pipe length is over 100’
Thanks for the informative video, I watched it a few times and learned alot. I'm in Ontario, the well report stated the following, final water level 285 feet, recommend pump dept of 240 feet, well production 5 gpm and recommended pump rate 10 gpm. My WSFU number is 18 gpm; based on the minsitry document of 10gpm pump rate: I calculated for a 2 hp pump, using 3/4 drop pipe to have the velocity as per the above guidelines. My pump is listed at a rate of 35gpm, would I be able to get the 18 gpm from this ministry document? can I set my system to pump at a rate of 10gpm? Thanks
Your question is a bit confusing but I'm going to take a crack at it. I understand you have a 5 gpm well. I'm guessing you mean the total depth of the well is 285. And I understand the static level is about 20. I would set a pump near the bottom of the well, like maybe 260. I would use a pump that will pump 5 gpm at 240. The reason being when the static level is near 20 the pump production will be around 20 gpm. As the water level drops, the pump will produce less and less until the water level gets to 240 and the pump production and the well production are the same. That way the pump will never suck air. As for a 2 hp pump, that sounds a bit high. I would look at the 3/4 or 1 hp 5 gpm series. Also typically you don't use less than 1 inch drop pipe. Especially with a 260' set. I hope I was helpful.
@@lennyc624 thanks alot and i do appreciate your reply
Hi at 4:42 Head is explained as the difference between the Pumping Level and the highest point of the water system and the example shows 60 feet. However earlier in the video the pump is placed much lower in the well so do we need to measure head from the location of the pump or the Pumping Level and is the Highest point the Pressure tank in the basement or is it the Shower head on the 2nd floor - quite confused on the explanation of Head...
Head is measured from the pumping level. The setting depth of the pump is irrelevant with regard to head.
Technically, head is figured to the highest point in the plumbing system but realistically, you typically don't need full volume on your highest level. If you do, then definitely figure that in.
In most cases, if you get enough pressure to satisfy your pressure switch, you will be able to get enough pressure upstairs to a 3gpm shower. If you have a 20 gpm shower on your 3rd floor, you should probably figure it in.
Had to thumbs up for that’s what she said xD
Do you need a pressure tank if your well is only going to be used for irrigation?
Not necessarily. I wouldn't use a pressure switch if you're not using a tank though. Turn the power on to irrigate then off to stop. Make sure you don't put a valve on it and create a situation where you can dead head the pump. That would be bad.
Are there any negatives to getting a larger horsepower pump than required?
Yes, if efficiency is a concern to you. As long as your tank is big enough to let the pump run long enough to properly cool, you can go as big as your water supply will allow, however, you will be spending more on equipment and energy than necessary. Thanks for the question. Cheers
I need some help as I think my well driller is selling me the wrong pump, over and over. I have a 12GPM well at 380’ (1000’ well 6” bore in california sierra foothills, so in rock.) yes he over drilled my need. Static water level 115’, not sure the drawdown. Pump set at 380’ , Pressure tank Goulds v250 right next to well head. 1 1/4” sch120 drop pipe with 2 check valves, brass couplers. Pump is a 7GS20412 (7GPM 2hp) . My pump has locked up 3 times in 3 years with a thin layer of grey buildup until the impellers lock and the pump protector trips. Could this pump be sized so wrong that the pump speed is creating this problem? I think I should have a 10GS15412 or a 10GS10412? 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 5 people, grass/lawn with 5 zones with 4 sprinkler heads each which this pump barely can push up the heads. I look at the pump curves and think this is the wrong pump design. Thank you for your help.
At first glance, it seems like an odd pump choice. I don't have the curves in front of me so I can't be certain on that. The more concerning issue is the thin build up that's locking up the pump. If the pump is sized wrong enough to burn it up, you would have frequent episodes of no water or very low pressure or air spurting. I'm not familiar with wells in California but if none of your neighbors are having the same issue, you may have a bad well. I hope for your sake I'm wrong.
Oh and the pump speed is typically the same no matter the size. Over or under speed would not cause a build up of anything as they make variable speed pumps.
Something tells me the well doesn't produce 12 gpm. If there's a 7 gpm pump set deep, that tells me the well probably only makes about 7. Again, without looking at the curve I can't be certain. That being said, a 7 gpm 2 hp should be able to crank out 7 gpm from 500 or 600 feet. Seems like not the best pump choice being set 3 hundred something.
As far as the well being over drilled, that may or may not be the case. It is not unheard of to drill a 6" well in anticipation of drilling through a shale shelf that needs to be sleeved off. Around where I live, it's not common but there are some areas where it is. Now if every single one of your neighbors has a 4 or 5" well 200' deep then I'd question the drillers motives.
Can you recommend a solar pump for a 400 foot well?
I have never used a solar pump nor do I know anything about them but if you have to pump water from 400 feet, its going to take a heck of a lot of solar power, I would think. I also don't know anything about solar power.
How can I check the accuracy of the contractor in replacing a pump that was lost along wtih the house in a wildfire?
Sorry to hear that. If you would like to email me, I would be happy to try to help you. Lcribari@msn.com
Please give me as much detail as you can and put well pump in the subject. If you don't hear back from me, comment here again.
Thanks, that was well explained. Could you shed some light on the proper course of action when the calculated household demand exceeds the GPM capacity of the well?
The calculated demand does not always equate to the actual practical demand. Often times you can get by just fine, however, if you truly need more water at times than the well is able to produce, an option might be to have a reservoir of some kind. In some cases, the well can be drilled deeper for the function of using the well itself as a reservoir by setting the pump deeper. In other cases, installing a bigger tank could be the answer but neither solution is always proper. There are a few different options but it can get costly very quickly and the wrong solution could burn up a pump in a hurry.
There are many variables to designing a pump system and every situation is different so it is advisable to consult an expert. If you don't like consulting experts, which is respectable, you could easily waste money on trial and error. And well stuff is not cheap. If Money is not a huge concern, you could have a 2 stage system that pumps water out of the well at a slow rate into a reservoir then a second pump system pumps out of the reservoir as needed. you can get pretty creative. The point is there's not a proper course of action that works for every situation. I know this probably wasn't the answer you were looking for but thanks for the question.
Sir, thank you, it was a much more comprehensive answer than I expected! In my particular case, the well driller pumped the well for over two hours using a ten GPM pump with no perceptible drop in the pumping level. So, his conclusion was "at least ten gallons" per minute. With a theoretical load approximating the one you calculated in your example, I'm kind of up in the air as to what size pump to select. Who knows the actual capacity of the well? And certainly, all of those fixture units will never draw simultaneously, as you pointed out. It is important to note that the well is only about thirty feet deep, so there is limited storage capacity there (too deep in the area finds salt water). I suppose, in this situation that a ten gallon per minute pump would at least not risk burning itself out due to low water level. Do you thing that a larger pressure tank would help compensate for occasional short periods of high use? Again, thanks for your reply, and the benefit of your obvious experience.
@@johnmanning6572, frankly, unless you're going to have a fancy shower with multiple heads using 20 GPM or a sprinkler system, you'll probably be fine with a 10 gpm pump. My guess is if the pumping level never dropped, it probably makes a bit more than 10. Assuming you have a standard, single family house with standard fixtures, I would say a 1/2 or 3/4 hp pump with a 10 or 15 gallon draw down tank would serve you well. (based on what little info I have about it) I assume the driller never figured it to need more than that or he would have used a bigger test pump. As I said in the video, the proper method can be a bit overkill. To answer your final question, I don't think the benefit of a larger tank would be worth the cost in your case.
Thank you very much for the information, Lenny C, it was very helpful.
What would happen if my pipe is one inch and it should be one and a quarter?
It will still work ok but if you are using a lot of water at once, you might experience low pressure due to the pipe restricting the volume. Also, your pump will run less efficiently. If you are installing the system new, don't under-size the pipe. If you are replacing your pump with a bigger one, it's probably not worth digging up and replacing the line to the house however know that you will not be operating at optimal efficiency.
@@lennyc624 Its a new system. I watched your video to late, I bought the pipe and already cut it to length. Out of all the videos about sizing a well pump, you were the only one I saw mention pipe sizing.
@@lennyc624 Thanks for taking the time to respond and for your videos!
Hi! I’m upgrading a residential well from 5 gpm to about 24 gpm (similar to your example), going from 1/2 hp to 1 1/2 Hp. Could recommend a good, reliable pump, durable pump? How many phases?
The current pump is only 5 ft from the static level. ( Total well depth 234ft, 90 ft to static level, 95 ft to pump level) . I’m thinking the new pump needs to be dropped another 20 ft. Pump recovery is 30 gpm.
The line size needs to be increase to 1 1/4 in…. Dumb question…. Does that mean the line from the pump to the house needs to be replaced? … dig up the line? only about 20 ft from house…
Finally, do you consult? Hopefully yes…any contact info appreciated!
Again, many thanks for the very useful,
and valuable information! Thanks!
Goulds makes a good, reliable pump. Typically, pump motors are single phase, 230v. They come in 3 phase as well if you have it available. I would test pump the well to make sure it can produce enough to keep up with a bigger pump. Technically, you should replace the pipe from the well to the house but you could probably get away with the existing pipe if it's 1 inch.