Constant Pressure is a Thing of Beauty

Last week, we had a failure at our home - our water pressure system (bringing water in from our cistern and pumping it up through our entire home) failed. We knew it was coming - we had been limping along with the system that came with the house (sort of an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of thing.) This was a "Canadian Tire Special" kind of deal - a small 1/2 Horsepower Jet Pump attached to a 4 gallon pressure tank. This is the kind of system you'd expect to find at a cabin that sees a few visitors every couple of months, not for a family of three with a baby (lots of laundry, baths, etc.)

Anyway, the old system was loud, ran WAY too often (because of the under-sized pressure tank) and the lights dimmed every time ole Betsy kicked in (about every 20-30 seconds of running the water. To be honest, I was glad it happened. It gave us a chance to try out the new technology from Grundfos - a "constant pressure system." This is still a Jet Pump system, but with their new technology, it no longer requires a pressure tank.

For those not familiar with rural water systems, here's a quick overview. (Well water or cistern, the process is similar.)

Water is drawn into the home by a pump (either a submersible, or in our case, a "jet pump.") The water is pumped into a storage tank under pressure where it accumulates. The tank has a pressure switch that controls the pump based upon how much water (and therefore how much pressure) is in the tank.

When the water pressure reaches a maximum point (usually 50 PSI) the pump kicks off and the home is ready to use water directly from the pressurized tank. The water is drawn down from the tank until it reaches the minimum pressure point (usually 30 PSI.) At that point, the pump kicks in and runs until the pressure tank again reaches 50 PSI.

In theory, this is designed to run the pump for fewer but longer cycles (instead of having it kick in and out every time any water is drawn and burn out the pump.)

The new Grundfos technology eliminates the need for the pressure tank as it is set up to provide a constant pressure to the home and runs the pump in an manner to keep that pressure constant. Installing the pump was relatively simple - I got to cut out a lot of archaic looking plumbing connections and run brand new PEX from the pump to the Watermax conditioner.

I also replaced the disgusting looking supply plumbing that connects the cistern to the inlet on the pump with brand new braided vinyl tubing. I should have taken a "before" picture - my apologies. You can tell from the picture here what a large "footprint" the former setup had.

(The black tank you see there is for our Hague H3500 Reverse Osmosis system - a separately-installed drinking water system we have to purify the water for drinking and cooking. Cistern water tends to be GROSS! We had ours cleaned just 2 years ago and there were leaves, mice and frogs in the tank. I truly get scared when I hear people drinking that water - or having a false sense of security because they use a Brita filter, or there is some sort of filter in their fridge - YIKES! Those do NOT eliminate bacteria!!!)

So the end result???

We went from a loud pump that cycled all the time, dimming the lights each time it kicked in (and kicked out) to one that is quiet, runs continuously at different speeds to ensure constant pressure. The old system would cycle between 30 and 50 PSI. The new Grundfos pump is supposed to deliver a constant 60 PSI. I put a gauge on the system upstairs to measure what was actually being delivered (not just the pressure at the pump itself) and measured a "city-water-like" 62 PSI. That, my friends, is a THING OF BEAUTY!

The only "down side"??? We'll have to go out and put "low flow" showerheads on the system now. Previously, the pressure was so low that it was not only unnecessary, but also impractical. Now, the pressure is almost enough to peal off your skin. I love this thing! If you have a pressure system for your home, when the time comes to replace a jet pump, I would strongly consider you take a look at this new technology. Contact us for more info on this amazing new system.