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need reality check and mfgr recommendation for home water system
In article ,
(F. Stephans) says...
So what I need from the kind readers of these newsgroups is
1) an opinion on whether you think it'll work and any suggestions you
might have on how to make it work better.
It will work fine. That's very similar to the system I have installed.
I use a 2500 gallon tank, but that's about the only difference. You
could also flow restrict your well to a lower rate to avoid any
possibility that it will run dry. At 2.5 gpm, the well will pump 1100
gallons in 7.33 hours.
2) a recommendation on pump manufacturers as to reliability and
affordability. As far as I can tell from reading these groups, Goulds
and Grundfos get the thumbs up most of the time, but what I'm trying
to determine is whether there are other pumps that will do a decent
job at a lower price. To make this clearer, I've been told that you
can get 30 years of reliable service out of a Goulds, but they cost
about $600. What I want to know is if there is a pump that will give
me, say 15-20 years of good service at $300-350? This is after all an
easily accessible and therefore replacable pump.
Separate the pump and the motor in your mind. The pump will last until
the seals wear out. You can replace the seals and run it for another
century or so.
The motor will run until the starter contacts or bearings wear out.
Since there is no lateral load, the bearings will run for decades. The
contacts will depend on how often the pump kicks on and off. The larger
your pressure tank, the longer the motor will last.
I would advise a trip to Lowe's. I saw a nice looking 1/2 hp shallow
well jet pump for $149 at Lowe's a couple weeks ago. It had a GE motor,
and should run fine. With positive pressure on the suction, a 1/2 hp
centrifugal pump will push a LOT of water. Spend your money a large
bladder pressure tank, in the 60-80 gallon range. Replace the pressure
switch on the pump with one that has a low pressure shutoff, so if the
cistern goes dry the pump shuts down.
Don't forget that you need a check valve between the pump and the
cistern. 
--
http://home.teleport.com/~larryc
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