Is a CSV right for me?

[mwolf00]

I've owned my home for 15 years and my second pressure tank is failing.  I am trying to decide if a CSV is right for me.  According to your site, they seem right for everyone on a well but I have my doubts.  Our pressure tank is the 80 gallon/20 gallon draw variety (with 40/60 pressure switch).  I live with my wife and teenage son.  The well takes a little over 2 minutes to refill the tank once the switch kicks on.  I know the pressure tank is failing because I'm starting to get air in my water lines. 

Your demonstrations over-simplify some things (I think).  For instance, when you use your clothes washer and dish washer, they aren't just on or off.  They cycle and draw water every 5 to 10 minutes for the cycle as needed.  If a HE washer uses 25 gallons to wash your clothes, it would only cycle my well pump once whereas it might use the CSV 5 or 6 times.  Likewise, if you're washing you car, you might use the hose for a minute and then leave if off for a few minutes while you're scrubbing.  Once again, the CSV use would be higher, not lower.

The only real, continuous-use that I can see in my home is showers (we do not water our lawn).  Toilets, sinks and appliances are all likely to cycle the CSV far more often than the 20 gallon draw on a pressure tank. 

I also have an R/O filter which draws a very low amount of water as it refills its own pressure tank.  Would the CSV have to cycle every 5 to 10 minutes as this is happening?

Our well water has a lot of iron and a low pH so we have a chemical dosing pump before the pressure tank to add a soda ash solution to raise the pH as well as add some bleach to kill iron bacteria.  The dosing pump runs when the well pump runs.  My guess is that means that it would run more often and I'd have to lower the amount of solution dosed as it runs.  Do you happen to know if your previous users have had success with this?

Finally, I'm confused as to which of your products I would purchase.  I have a well pump that is submerged 150feet down about 300feet from my home.  I am not sure of the difference between the following: "PK1A"; "PK1A-LT"; "PK125"; "PK1AM" and so on.  Is one of them the "whole deal" whereas the others are just parts of it?  How can I tell what I'll need?

Overall, I'm intrigued by the idea and I'm willing to give it a shot so long as it doesn't burn out my well pump faster.  We don't have a big problem with variable water pressure but a bit more constant would be nice.  I do know that when my draw is maxed out and the well is refilling the pressure tank, I get about 17GPM draw plus what is being used to refill the pressure tank (call it another 4GPM) if that matters at all.

Thanks for reading this!



 

[Cary Austin]

You have worn out two bladder tanks in 15 years, your pump is already cycling too much.  With every pump cycle the tank bladder goes up and down. It is like bending a wire until it breaks.  Your pump will cycle the same number of times with a CSV and small tank as it does with a big pressure tank.  It just doesn't cycle at all for long term uses, which more than makes up for cycles for short term uses.  You can always use a CSV with a large tank if you want.  That way you get the best of both worlds.  But with the large tank you will lose the benefit of constant pressure during small uses.  Once you get use the the strong constant pressure, you won't like waiting four minutes in a shower with dismal pressure before the CSV can go to work.  Save the money and don't buy a big tank.  Just upgrading to the 10 gallon tank with the PK1A kit will cut the cycles tremendously and still give you constant pressure.

All those kits do the same thing.  It is just a matter of where to put the CSV.  If there are no outlets between the well and tank the PK1A is what you need.  If you have outlets between the well and tank, the or the CSV1A can go at the well, while the rest of the PK1AM goes in the house.  The PK125 is really make to put the CSV125 in the well and the manifold at the house.  LT just means less tank if you want to purchase one of your own of any size.

[mwolf00]

Thank you for your responses.  I've ordered the PK1A kit with a 10 gallon tank and look forward to installing it!  BTW - my understanding is that my water is pretty hard on the tank membranes which is one of the reasons for failure (more so than the pump cycling too much).  Add to that the fact that I'm adding chlorine bleach to the water helps to reduce the life.  Having said that, should I anticipate having to clean out the valve every year or so?  All of the piping leading to my iron filter usually gets "iron sludge" in it over time.  I would guess it would be best to have quick disconnects on either side of the valve so make that easier to accomplish.

[Cary Austin]

You don't need quick connects.  If the CSV1A gets plugged up with iron, you just unscrew the top cap and pull out the gut pack.  Clean the gut pack and drop it back in.  Some people even keep an extra gut pack (A-cart) handy.  That way they can let one soak in CLR or chlorine while they drop in the extra gut pack and are back in water.