head pressure...

[maverick]

why is there so much head pressure behind the CSV?
I install my CSV yesterday and the pop off valve would blow at 55 lbs.(on tank gauge). I put a pressure gauge in it's place and it would peg the gauge at 100+ lbs.

Frank

[Cary Austin]

That is how the CSV works.  It makes the pump think it is in a deeper well, so it can only pump the amount of water needed.  Your problem is the pressure relief valve should be downstream of the CSV, not upstream.  Upstream of the CSV the backpressure will be whatever your pump can build, usually about 100-150 PSI.  Downstream of the CSV the lines and the pressure relief valve will only see 40 to 60 PSI, and a 75 PSI pressure relief valve won't pop off.

[maverick]

thanks...I put a 200 psi gauge on the well head and have 155 psi. back pressure.

[Cary Austin]

Perfect.  That means your pump is working easier believe it or not.

[maverick]

Loving it so far.
 I opened a faucet on the side of the house it went from 155psi back pressure to 120BP. open a second one on the other side and it dropped to 60BP and still maintained 50psi on both faucets...

[maverick]

observation...
took a GPM at the sprinklers drop pipe...1.5 HP 18 GPM pump...1.25" drop pipe in well...1.25"
CSV...Tee for air tank...Tee for house supply...straight to ball valve for sprinklers.
I opened a faucet at the pump house to turn the pump on...turned it off and opened the ball valve,it filled a (measured) 4Gal. bucket in 6.3 secs. after doing the math, can this be right? what do you get?

well is 230' to water...pump set 280'...315' deep.

[Cary Austin]

That is 40 GPM.  That can't be right.  And you shouldn't have to turn on a faucet at the house to get the sprinkles to start.  You must have a check valve between the sprinkler line and the tank?  Also the CSV needs to be located before the tee to the sprinklers.

[maverick]

just plumbing for the drop that will go to the sprinklers (no controls yet). I turned on a faucet at the pump house to get the draw down to get pump started to check the GPM. no check valve... CSV is the first thing from the well head then A Tee to the little bladder tank. next is the Tee for the house supply. then a ball valve to the sprinkler supply line (open to atmosphere).

CSV---T---T---BV---open
            t    h      s
            a    o      p
            n    u      r
            k    s      i
                  e     n
                         k
                         l
                         e
                         r

[Cary Austin]

Still doesn't explain the 40 GPM unless the tank was still draining.

[maverick]

a quick question:
I have a 50 PSI CSV...when running 4 sprinkler heads my pressure gauge for the house is reading 50 PSI the head pressure for the pump is 45 PSI. when I shut off the water flow it goes to 151 PSI and shuts the pump off. then it drops to 60 PSI to match the house pressure. does this sound normal.
what got me to looking at the pressure gauges was the sprinklers looked to be fluctuating in pressure. normally I could run 8 heads with no fluctuating with 120 PSI head pressure.

thanks Frank   

[Cary Austin]

Sounds normal to me.  The CSV should hold 50 PSI steady until you turn on more sprinklers than the pump can supply.  Inlet pressure will vary from 50 to 151, depending on how many sprinklers you have on.