My brother in Vermont bought this nice Crystal Quest CQE-WH-01202
whole-house filter (iron/sulfur/manganese, see link below) but we're not
sure about whether he has enough water pressure for the backwash cycle and
what to do about it. I'd like to solve this before I fly down there next
week to help him hook up the plumbing connections.

The product page says proper backwash needs at least 14gpm. I had him do a
bucket test and he gets only 3gpm when measured from a higher floor bath.

Is there some typically some adjustment on his existing pump for the water
pressure (I'm not familiar with well systems) and if so, why would it not be
turned to max already? Can we just install one of those water pressure
booster pumps that have the little attached tanks that sell for around $500?
Or would we also need to install a much larger water tank to go with the
booster pump? Did we get into a complex job or is this just a matter of
getting a couple more straightforward parts to complete the system?

He really wants the CQE-WH-01202 filter that he had shipped to his house.
He doesn't want a lesser capable unit even if it needs less backwash
pressure. So we'll try to get this one working..

http://crystalquest.com/Manganese,%2...r%20filter.htm

"scorpionleather" wrote in message
...
My brother in Vermont bought this nice Crystal Quest CQE-WH-01202
whole-house filter (iron/sulfur/manganese, see link below) but we're not
sure about whether he has enough water pressure for the backwash cycle and
what to do about it. I'd like to solve this before I fly down there next
week to help him hook up the plumbing connections.

The product page says proper backwash needs at least 14gpm. I had him do
a bucket test and he gets only 3gpm when measured from a higher floor
bath.

Is there some typically some adjustment on his existing pump for the water
pressure (I'm not familiar with well systems) and if so, why would it not
be turned to max already? Can we just install one of those water pressure
booster pumps that have the little attached tanks that sell for around
$500? Or would we also need to install a much larger water tank to go with
the booster pump? Did we get into a complex job or is this just a matter
of getting a couple more straightforward parts to complete the system?

He really wants the CQE-WH-01202 filter that he had shipped to his house.
He doesn't want a lesser capable unit even if it needs less backwash
pressure. So we'll try to get this one working..

http://crystalquest.com/Manganese,%2...r%20filter.htm

There is a pressure control on the well pump system which would be set for
standard household water pressure. As long as his well produces enough
water, or he has a large enough storage tank, you should be fine, provided
this filter doesn't require higher than standard pressure to operate

On Aug 15, 6:50*am, "RBM" wrote:
"scorpionleather" wrote in message

...



My brother in Vermont bought this nice Crystal Quest CQE-WH-01202
whole-house filter (iron/sulfur/manganese, see link below) but we're not
sure about whether he has enough water pressure for the backwash cycle and
what to do about it. *I'd like to solve this before I fly down there next
week to help him hook up the plumbing connections.

The product page says proper backwash needs at least 14gpm. *I had him do
a bucket test and he gets only 3gpm when measured from a higher floor
bath.


Why is he measuring the flow rate in a higher floor bath?
Presumably, the unit is going somewhere lower, much closer to the
well, fed by a much larger diameter pipe. Also, many bath fixtures
have aerators, etc that restrict flow. Before considering
alternatives, I'd find out what the real flow rate is.




Is there some typically some adjustment on his existing pump for the water
pressure (I'm not familiar with well systems) and if so, why would it not
be turned to max already? *


Can we just install one of those water pressure
booster pumps that have the little attached tanks that sell for around
$500? Or would we also need to install a much larger water tank to go with
the booster pump? *Did we get into a complex job or is this just a matter
of getting a couple more straightforward parts to complete the system?

He really wants the CQE-WH-01202 filter that he had shipped to his house.
He doesn't want a lesser capable unit even if it needs less backwash
pressure. *So we'll try to get this one working..

http://crystalquest.com/Manganese,%2...ogen%20Sulfide...

There is a pressure control on the well pump system which would be set for
standard household water pressure. As long as his well produces enough
water, or he has a large enough storage tank, you should be fine, provided
this filter doesn't require *higher than standard pressure to operate- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

wrote in message news:8ce59576-bf94-4472-84a2-

Why is he measuring the flow rate in a higher floor bath?
Presumably, the unit is going somewhere lower, much closer to the
well, fed by a much larger diameter pipe. Also, many bath fixtures
have aerators, etc that restrict flow. Before considering
alternatives, I'd find out what the real flow rate is.

I'll have him check the adjustment on the existing pressure tank and see if
he can measure the flow from a valve somewhere in the basement. Do you
think that with such adjustments and different faucet location it would even
be possible that we could see an increase from 3gpm to 14gpm? Would there
be any risk of running the well dry if we change the pressure setting?

After searching the web I found some info that people like to recommend the
Gould Aquaboost II or WellManager systems along with an atmospheric storage
tank. The pump is supposed to intelligently know about the water demand and
regular its power pumping from this tank according to water demand. If it
turns out we have to install something like that, I wonder if it is feasible
I could grab one from a supplier during my week-long trip to Vermont and be
able to install it as a DIY project. Or if this would turn out to be one of
those complex things that a well company has to do along with engineering
analysis of the well yield etc...?

On Aug 15, 6:42*pm, "scorpionleather" wrote:
wrote in message news:8ce59576-bf94-4472-84a2-
Why is he measuring the flow rate in a higher floor bath?
Presumably, the unit is going somewhere lower, much closer to the
well, fed by a much larger diameter pipe. * Also, many bath fixtures
have aerators, etc that restrict flow. * Before considering
alternatives, I'd find out what the real flow rate is.

I'll have him check the adjustment on the existing pressure tank and see if
he can measure the flow from a valve somewhere in the basement. *Do you
think that with such adjustments and different faucet location it would even
be possible that we could see an increase from 3gpm to 14gpm? *Would there
be any risk of running the well dry if we change the pressure setting?

After searching the web I found some info that people like to recommend the
Gould Aquaboost II or WellManager systems along with an atmospheric storage
tank. *The pump is supposed to intelligently know about the water demand and
regular its power pumping from this tank according to water demand. *If it
turns out we have to install something like that, I wonder if it is feasible
I could grab one from a supplier during my week-long trip to Vermont and be
able to install it as a DIY project. *Or if this would turn out to be one of
those complex things that a well company has to do along with engineering
analysis of the well yield etc...?

Increasing the GPM is only possible if you have the volume of water
behind the pump to sustain the desired volume.

14gpm is quite a flow rate in any residential installation on a
municipal water system let alone on a well.

And how long is the backwash? You'd need to sustain 14gpm for the
entire time the filter is backwashing.

Increasing well output from 3gpm to 14gpm is quite a lofty goal that
may never be achieved.

I wonder if there is some way to temporarily boost the flow rate (using
existing standard well equipment pressure tank) that only happens during the
backwash. I'm imagining, if the filter unit is smart enough with some
electrical signal output, it could trigger some booster pump or pressure
setting in the pressure tank to temporarily increase flow rate. hmmm

On Aug 15, 9:12*pm, "justalurker ." wrote:
On Aug 15, 6:42*pm, "scorpionleather" wrote:





wrote in message news:8ce59576-bf94-4472-84a2-
Why is he measuring the flow rate in a higher floor bath?
Presumably, the unit is going somewhere lower, much closer to the
well, fed by a much larger diameter pipe. * Also, many bath fixtures
have aerators, etc that restrict flow. * Before considering
alternatives, I'd find out what the real flow rate is.

I'll have him check the adjustment on the existing pressure tank and see if
he can measure the flow from a valve somewhere in the basement. *Do you
think that with such adjustments and different faucet location it would even
be possible that we could see an increase from 3gpm to 14gpm? *Would there
be any risk of running the well dry if we change the pressure setting?

After searching the web I found some info that people like to recommend the
Gould Aquaboost II or WellManager systems along with an atmospheric storage
tank. *The pump is supposed to intelligently know about the water demand and
regular its power pumping from this tank according to water demand. *If it
turns out we have to install something like that, I wonder if it is feasible
I could grab one from a supplier during my week-long trip to Vermont and be
able to install it as a DIY project. *Or if this would turn out to be one of
those complex things that a well company has to do along with engineering
analysis of the well yield etc...?

Increasing the GPM is only possible if you have the volume of water
behind the pump to sustain the desired volume.

14gpm is *quite a flow rate in any residential installation on a
municipal water system let alone on a well.

Say what? 14 GPM is a very typical flow rate for a residential
well. I have a 50 ft well here in NJ yielding 15GPM. Nothing
special, just a 4" casing. Had we gone to 110ft, there is much more
water and could have easily had 20GPM+ flow rate. And 14GPM would
obviously be a joke for any municipal well.



And how long is the backwash? You'd need to sustain 14gpm for the
entire time the filter is backwashing.

Increasing well output from 3gpm to 14gpm is quite a lofty goal that
may never be achieved.

We don't even know what the flow rate of the well is. Measuring 3
GPM at an upstairs faucet says nothing about the actual max flow rate
capability of the well.

It amazes me when the truly clueless chime in.

On Aug 15, 8:42*pm, "scorpionleather" wrote:
wrote in message news:8ce59576-bf94-4472-84a2-
Why is he measuring the flow rate in a higher floor bath?
Presumably, the unit is going somewhere lower, much closer to the
well, fed by a much larger diameter pipe. * Also, many bath fixtures
have aerators, etc that restrict flow. * Before considering
alternatives, I'd find out what the real flow rate is.

I'll have him check the adjustment on the existing pressure tank and see if
he can measure the flow from a valve somewhere in the basement. *Do you
think that with such adjustments and different faucet location it would even
be possible that we could see an increase from 3gpm to 14gpm?

Yes, it's possible. How old is the house? If he has old galvanized
pipe, it's not unusual for the pipes to be corroded and constricted so
instead of a 1" line, you have 1/4" line. Measure on the 2nd story
using that, you could get 3GPM. Open a 1" line direct from the well
you could have 5X.

It's more common to find a residential well yielding 15GPM than 3 GPM.




*Would there
be any risk of running the well dry if we change the pressure setting?

It's the flow rate that is going to run the well dry, not the
pressure. The flow rate is determined by the well, pump, and piping.

Here's another simple test. With the faucet constantly drawing 3GPM,
how much is the well pump actually running? If it is running 100%,
then clearly 3GPM is the max you can get with the well, pump, and
piping from the well to the house. If it is cycling on and off and
runs only 20% of the time, then clearly the settup is actually pulling
a lot more than 3GPM.




After searching the web I found some info that people like to recommend the
Gould Aquaboost II or WellManager systems along with an atmospheric storage
tank. *The pump is supposed to intelligently know about the water demand and
regular its power pumping from this tank according to water demand. *If it
turns out we have to install something like that, I wonder if it is feasible
I could grab one from a supplier during my week-long trip to Vermont and be
able to install it as a DIY project. *Or if this would turn out to be one of
those complex things that a well company has to do along with engineering
analysis of the well yield etc...?

Adding a booster pump would not be my focus. Any reasonable well
pumping installation can surely support far more than 3GPM, so it's
very likely you have the pumping capacity.

I'd start by measuring the flow rate from a large valve or fitting
close to where the water softener will be connected. And obviously
it depends on the well yield, because if the well truly yields only
3GPM, no matter how much you boost the pressure, that's all the water
you can pull continuosly. To get a higher rate, you'd be limited by
the tank capacity. Whether that would be sufficient for the water
softener depends on how long the softener needs that 14GPM flow rate
to backwash and the tank size. If it needs it for 1 min, it's
practical. If it needs it for 10, that's another story.

On Aug 14, 11:17*pm, "scorpionleather" wrote:
My brother in Vermont bought this nice Crystal Quest CQE-WH-01202
whole-house filter (iron/sulfur/manganese, see link below) but we're not
sure about whether he has enough water pressure for the backwash cycle and
what to do about it. *I'd like to solve this before I fly down there next
week to help him hook up the plumbing connections.

The product page says proper backwash needs at least 14gpm. *I had him do a
bucket test and he gets only 3gpm when measured from a higher floor bath.

Is there some typically some adjustment on his existing pump for the water
pressure (I'm not familiar with well systems) and if so, why would it not be
turned to max already? *Can we just install one of those water pressure
booster pumps that have the little attached tanks that sell for around $500?
Or would we also need to install a much larger water tank to go with the
booster pump? *Did we get into a complex job or is this just a matter of
getting a couple more straightforward parts to complete the system?

He really wants the CQE-WH-01202 filter that he had shipped to his house.
He doesn't want a lesser capable unit even if it needs less backwash
pressure. *So we'll try to get this one working..

http://crystalquest.com/Manganese,%2...ogen%20Sulfide...

An upper floor bathroom is the wrong place to measure the flow rate.
You are going to lose about three PSI of pressure just from being on
the second floor. I would check it first at the well. If you don't
have it there you want have it anywhere. Then check it at the filter.
If you don't have it at the filter,assuming you had it at the pump,
you will probably have to use larger pipe between the pump and filter
or move the filter closer to the pump.

Jimmie

On Aug 16, 8:23*am, JIMMIE wrote:
On Aug 14, 11:17*pm, "scorpionleather" wrote:



My brother in Vermont bought this nice Crystal Quest CQE-WH-01202
whole-house filter (iron/sulfur/manganese, see link below) but we're not
sure about whether he has enough water pressure for the backwash cycle and
what to do about it. *I'd like to solve this before I fly down there next
week to help him hook up the plumbing connections.

The product page says proper backwash needs at least 14gpm. *I had him do a
bucket test and he gets only 3gpm when measured from a higher floor bath.

Is there some typically some adjustment on his existing pump for the water
pressure (I'm not familiar with well systems) and if so, why would it not be
turned to max already? *Can we just install one of those water pressure
booster pumps that have the little attached tanks that sell for around $500?
Or would we also need to install a much larger water tank to go with the
booster pump? *Did we get into a complex job or is this just a matter of
getting a couple more straightforward parts to complete the system?

He really wants the CQE-WH-01202 filter that he had shipped to his house.
He doesn't want a lesser capable unit even if it needs less backwash
pressure. *So we'll try to get this one working..

http://crystalquest.com/Manganese,%2...ogen%20Sulfide...

An upper floor bathroom is the wrong place to measure the flow rate.
You are going to lose about three PSI of pressure just from being on
the second floor. I would check it first at the well. If you don't
have it there you want have it anywhere. Then check it at the filter.
If you don't have it at the filter,assuming you had it at the pump,
you will probably have to use larger pipe between the pump and filter
or move the filter closer to the pump.

Jimmie

BTW you will want to google well flow rate to find out how to do it
right.
It is more complicated than it may seem because you also have to
determine how fast your pump can replace the water not just how fast
you can get a gallon of water out of the pressure tank.

Jimmie