11-22-2010
I went ahead and installed the Sandmaster before the CSV / pside-kick. As discussed earlier... many troubleshooting threads die off once the person resolves their intitial situation with little or no followup... so I wanted to close the loop.
My final setup as follows:
pump > Lakos SandMaster > CSV / pside-kick manifold > Big Blue 20" filter > House
Setup has been in operation now for a little over two weeks. Constant 50lbs pressure. CSV working as advertised... and no pump cycling. Its been great! Now that everything is in place I have one last question... I plumbed everything, including the two pressures gauges as suggested by Lakos.
I also installed a pressure gauge on either side of the Big Blue filter to give me a better way to monitor when the filter needs replacing. The gauge on the pside-kick manifold as well as both gauges on either side of the Big Blue filter are all reading 50 psi... but the two gauges on either side of the Sandmaster are both reading 110 psi! At first I freaked out. When I first saw 110 psi I paniced thinking the PVC feed from my well was going to burst. In an effort to troubleshoot, and eliminate the Sandmaster as a reason for the buildup, I took it completely out of the circuit. To my surprise both gauges still read 110 psi. Thankfully, a post I found in another forum helped ease some of my worry. It was stated the pressure build up is normal with the CSV. As follows:
"The pump should build about 130 PSI max on the inlet to the CSV. That high pressure is not dangerous or going to hurt anything. High pressure actually makes the work on the pump easier and the motor will pull less amps, than when running at higher flow rates."
After reading that comment and contemplating the fact I had 110 psi... my light bulb went on! All of a sudden I realised why you said "If your pump can build more than 150 PSI, then you must put the filter after the CSV" Whew.
Anyway... after two weeks, no leaks and nothing has blown up yet. Now realizing my my initial fears were unfounded.
10-18-2011
I'm guilty of not coming back to this forum once I got my system up and running. I'm sure you've installed something by now but in the event others stumble across this thread here's an update.
Just shy of one year after installation ... and Everything is still working perfectly!!! Crystal clear water! No more sediment accumulating in the toilet tanks or clogging washing machine hose filters (thanks to the Lakos Sand Master)... We're also enjoying long showers with constant water pressure - just like in the city! (thanks to the Pside-kick system with PK1W Cycle Stop Valve).
As you can see in my installation photo above I also purchased the Lakos purge kit (the clear PVC tube below the SandMaster) It allows me to see any accumulated sediment and purge it when needed. I chose this as a less expensive option to the automatic purge kit. Anyway, believe it or not... the Big Blue cartridge sediment filter still looked pretty much the same as it did 9 months after I installed it with no pressure build up. With my previous set up (pre-rebuild) I was having to replace the filter every other month, so the Lakos is doing its job. NET: I'm very pleased with the entire setup. Would do it exactly the same if I had to do it over again.
10-18-2011
I 'd like to say I was simply doing a followup for my thread... but in truth, a coworker came to me this morning to tell me the output from his well dropped off dramatically this morning. On investigation he discovered the bladder in his vertical tank let go. He remembered me talking about how I eliminated the big bladder tank during my well overhaul last year and started asking questions. I went looking for this thread for him to read... (to save him from having to do all the same research). It was then I discovered I failed to do any follow up on my original thread. Ooops...
Anyway... after reading my thread (and a couple others on the CSV and Pside-kick) and once he realized the Pside-kick system was a "complete kit"... and that his well would deliver constant water pressure, he starting putting together his order! Now it looks like I'll be offering him some installation assistance once he gets everything. I told him he really didn't need my help, that the instructions with the Pside-kick are great and its actually quite easy to install. But... I'll go over to his place and watch... besides... he offered me all the free beer I can drink
Anyway, thanks again for all your advice and guidance (and the others who replied to my thread). I've been fixing and repairing wells, both mine and others in my family, for decades. I've installed more bladder tanks that I care to think about. I'm old school and semi-retired and have preached many sermons about why a well needs a big bladder tank. On stumbling across a thread talking about the Cycle Stop Valve I'll admit I was hesitant and didn't completely understand the technology of how it works. I'm glad I was flexible enough to see the light and move away from old school ideas.
Back when my old fashioned bladder failed I was able to keep my well limping along by first draining the tank and then charging it with air. I had to keep adding every every night but it worked. During that time I spent many many hours researching and reading everything I could find on the CSV. However, once I discovered that NASA uses the Cycle Stop Valve I was sold. I was affiliated with the aerospace industry I know how much money and research NASA puts into their projects... after reading the NASA article it was a no brainer. If it was good enough for NASA it was good enough for me. Both my wife and I are very pleased with the systems performance. It was money well spent... and that’s saying a lot coming from me because I'm really careful when it comes to opening my wallet.
Elton Norway
