Home & Garden Water Pressure Systems

There are two basic types of pressure tanks. The good ones have a rubber diaphragm that stops the air pad from being absorbed in the water. The cheap ones do not have the rubber diaphragm and the air pad must be periodically recharged.
I have a good pressure tank with the rubber diaphragm but it is small at 20 litres. I set up the pressure switch to minimize pump cycling. I raised the on pressure switch so the pump will run continuously if someone is watering the garden or taking a shower.
A word of caution; make sure the pump can easily achieve the stop pressure by 5 PSI or more. Eg. If the switch shuts off at 50 PSI, you need to hold the contact on the pressure switch closed and force the pump to keep running. Make sure the PSI will go above the shut off pressure. Try not to get a shock....that hurts like....

 

Hi there,

I'm about to try and get a pressure tank set up for my house. I will pump water from a shallow well to the pressure tank and then on to the house. It will feed a hot water shower and the rest of the house plumbing, including watering the large garden.

I have a few questions:
1) any suggestions of type/brand of tank available in Dumaguete/Tanjay area? I have done some reading and I think I need a bladder/diaphragm tank as the water is slightly saline and would corrode steel over time.
2) I am thinking of putting a water filter downstream of the pressure tank. Is this necessary and would it affect the power of pump required?
3) which leads on to what size shallow well pump would be required.

Any other tips would be most appreciated!

Thanks

 

Before putting in a shallow well pump, do you know how deep your water table is?
Depending on deapth you may need a stronger pump to fill the storage tank.

 

I am by no means an expert, but I would look for some advice regarding whether or not to put in a storage tank before the pressure tank. Obviously that would necessitate the use of two pumps, one to fill the storage tank and another to feed the pressure tank. It might be overkill, but I'm thinking it would diminish the required power for the pumps significantly.
One tip I can confidently share is to go for a fair sized pressure tank of 150 liters. That way the pump would need to come on only a few times per day, rather than every hour or so. Those pumps are pretty noisy, so much better if it doesn't need to run often.
When installing our water storage/pressure system (city water feed, so no well) we found the Uy Matiao shop downtown to be helpful and knowledgeable. Ask for Ben (their water guy).

 

If using city water, can you also use a pressure pump? Is there enough system pressure and volume of water to push the water up to the tank and then pressurize the tank to supply a good supply of water. Do you fill at night and pressurize during the day?

 

Its 23 feet deep and has been in place for a few years without issue.

 

Yes, the city water pressure is enough to fill/refill the storage tank (we have a 750 liter one, but at ground level, not elevated). A small pump then keeps the pressure tank at adequate levels for our house. The system has been running for about 4 years now, without any issues, except for the pump needing a new capacitor at one time (not a big deal).

 

Attached is a schematic of the water supply layout I have - relatively simple and ensures a supply even if/when the municipal supply fails. For info - the tank is on a 20ft tower but the elevation is not absolutely necessary. The pressure pump is set to kick in at about 15-20 psi (& off at 42 psi) so even if the municipal supply pressure drops we get good pressure at all the outlets.