Cycle Sensor application

[dave4333]

I checked the tank. Cycle Sensor now installed. Tank is 90 gallon Wellmate. 24 gallons. Takes 2 minutes 40 seconds to fill. Would CSV increase back pressure on well poly pipe beyond limit? Pump is 5 gpm, 1 hp. Static level is 22’. Recovery level is at 40’. Pump at 450’ in 500’ well. Lowest amperage I saw on cycle sensor was 8.14 amps. Water comes in at 220-280’ and 380-440’.
Ran great a few days. Then the other morning, It was reading r-cycle. Our pressure switch has also tripped to off (gas to be manually reset). Tank is fine with 37-38 psi Precharge. I had rapid cycle time set at 120 sec. have since changed it to 60 sec. I’m not sure what could have caused that. I’ve never seen pump run less than 2 minutes.

[Cary Austin]

The Cycle Sensor is usually telling the truth.  It is watching 27/7/365 and is seeing something you are not.  Maybe the pressure switch it too far from the tank or too much air in the tank is causing the switch to bounce on startup.  Setting at 60 seconds won't make any difference if it is a bounce.  But if it doesn't trip on rapid cycle at 60 seconds, I would move it up to 110 seconds and try again.  If you know the tank takes 2 min 40 seconds to fill when no other water is being used, then it should take at least 2 min 40 seconds every time.  Sometimes the little problems are the hardest to find, but they need to be found.

A 1HP, 5 GPM pump can build 290 PSI.  So pipe would need to be rated for that to work with a CSV or even just to set the pump at 500-600 feet deep.

[dave4333]

I keep getting rapid cycle lockouts. This morning I turned in a sprinkler zone. I noticed later we had no water. I had turned the rapid cycle time to 60 seconds. Our pump takes 160 seconds to fill tank. Sprinklers definitely ran for a while. No other water was running. I’m wondering if our manual reset pressure switch could be causing the rapid cycle lockout. If the switch gets down to 30 psi and trips to protect pump, could that somehow make cycle sensor think it’s a rapid cycle?

[Cary Austin]

No the lever on the side of the pressure switch will lock out when pressure falls too low.  It won't start back up until you hold the lever up.  Most likely you have a bouncing pressure switch.  You may have too much air in the tank or something?  Have you watched it when switching between two zones?  However, you don't need the low pressure cut off switch when using the Cycle Sensor.  So replacing it with a standard pressure switch would be best.  The Cycle Sensor is telling you there is too much air in the tank, pressure switch is too far from the tank, you have a bad check valve or something.