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Water pressure regulators - house with well

71PA_Highboy

An Unknown but Engorged Member
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May 20, 2020
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442
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212
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Near the Triad, Lookin' at the freeway
I just finished putting in a filter (spindown and cartridge) setup and a electrostatic ionizer (sorta water softerner-ish) and have been thinkinng about a pressure regulator. Current well pum is set for 40-60 PSI, so I was thinking about increasing it to 45 and putting a pressure regulator on the output of the filter setup set to 40 PSI.

No net change on the inside except that I will maintain a consistent pressure to everything even during high use times.

I do notice when the pump cycles, and it isn't that annoying (I live alone so no worries about a shitter flish when I am in the shower).

Am I over thinking this?
 
to add to this, if you want the pump to cycle less, increase the size of the pressure tank.

to check it you need to drain it, then check the air pressure at the schrader valve.
it should be 2-3PSI below what your pump cut in is set to.

if you see water come from the schrader, toast.
if it bubbles/gurgles out the drain while you're putting air in it, toast.
 
87manche said:
to add to this, if you want the pump to cycle less, increase the size of the pressure tank.

to check it you need to drain it, then check the air pressure at the schrader valve.
it should be 2-3PSI below what your pump cut in is set to.

if you see water come from the schrader, toast.
if it bubbles/gurgles out the drain while you're putting air in it, toast.
Click to expand...

This^^

Check your pressure tank to see if it's waterlogged and needs to be replaced. If so get the biggest PT you can fit.
 
Edit: The pressure tank is good... I have had bad ones before, so I know how to test/diagnose. Since I am cognizant (not an expert by any means) of how well systems work I notice when the pump kicks in with the slow increase in pressure at the shower head, and the slow decrease as the tank does it's job.

Bought the house last year and redoing the plumbing a piece at a time...

The pressure tank is relatively new, and small IMHO, but because of where it is, it is as big as it can be and still fit.

I am looking to relocate it so I can put in a bigger tank, but there has to be a 'right sizing' rule of thumb somewhere... Bigger is not always better, so how do you determine which is 'right/correct/appropriate' for the use case....

So why the thumbs down on a pressure regulator? It seems to me it would actually help the pressure tank do it's job by managing outflow.

Thanks for the input!
 
Last edited:
Following along.

I have a well and a small pressure tank as it resides under the house in the crawlspace.

I am building a new home later this year and will also build a well house so I can actually get to it and service it plus have a larger pressure tank.

What is the rule of thumb on pressure tank size?
 
Side question:

How does the distance between the well/pump and pressure tank and/or the size of the line feeding up to the tank affect pressure and/or cycling?
 
If you want to eliminate the cycling from the pressure tank then you need to run it like the city does. Big pump that puts out more volume than you can consume and builds more pressure than you need at full demand. Have a return type regulator which maintains your downstream pressure at your desired setpoint and returns the excess volume back to a holding tank. Have your well pump keep the holding tank above a particular level with a level switch or transmitter that fires the well pump up or down. You'll also want a flow switch to start and stop the recirculation pump so you don't waste power and heat your water up by endlessly cycling it through the holding tank.

Or, you know, you could put up with the pressure cycling like the rest of us :flipoff2:
 
crispins said:
Following along.

I have a well and a small pressure tank as it resides under the house in the crawlspace.

I am building a new home later this year and will also build a well house so I can actually get to it and service it plus have a larger pressure tank.

What is the rule of thumb on pressure tank size?
Click to expand...

Tank draw down should match the gpm of the pump.
 
Russell said:
If you want to eliminate the cycling from the pressure tank then you need to run it like the city does. Big pump that puts out more volume than you can consume and builds more pressure than you need at full demand. Have a return type regulator which maintains your downstream pressure at your desired setpoint and returns the excess volume back to a holding tank. Have your well pump keep the holding tank above a particular level with a level switch or transmitter that fires the well pump up or down. You'll also want a flow switch to start and stop the recirculation pump so you don't waste power and heat your water up by endlessly cycling it through the holding tank.

Or, you know, you could put up with the pressure cycling like the rest of us :flipoff2:
Click to expand...

Or he could get a vfd driven system and enjoy constant pressure.
 
crispins said:
Following along.

I have a well and a small pressure tank as it resides under the house in the crawlspace.

I am building a new home later this year and will also build a well house so I can actually get to it and service it plus have a larger pressure tank.

What is the rule of thumb on pressure tank size?
Click to expand...

whatever it takes to get the well pump manufacturers recommended run time for the pump, at whatever pressure you want.

so if you want 30/50 a smaller tank holds more water than it would at 40/60.
pump output*pump run time=tank draw down capacity, basically.
they all have charts for the tank sizes at the different pressures for capacity.

so if OP wants to bump the pressure up in the system, the tank has to get bigger to keep the pump from short cycling.
 
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