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XXXXXXXXXXX1
Premium Member
join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

XXXXXXXXXXX1 to Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

to Jack_in_VA

Re: [Plumbing] Well Pump Upthrust issue: Dole Restrictor Valves good or bad?

I want to put blame aside for the moment and figure out the correct path to take given the scenario.

What of upthrust Jack? Is it a nonissue in the grand scheme or is it worth fooling with system back pressure? I know you are not a fan of CSVs, and a Dole valve seems to do a very similar job.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

Like I suggested go with the Gould Pump recommendation. That should satisfy any warranty problems should they occur vs the possible problem if a csv is on the system. You would not be regulating pressure very long with a csv so really would do no good.

I don't think the upthrust is a problem but the quick start and stop definitely might shorten the life of the pump motor. Consider also a much larger pressure tank since you have such a good flow rate from the pump.
XXXXXXXXXXX1
Premium Member
join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

1 edit

XXXXXXXXXXX1

Premium Member

I agree and disagree with you Jack. To do right by the pump, theoretically the dole valve is the way to go. But... as much as a pump failure would suck, a blown line in the house or underground would suck much, much more. Without knowing for sure, I would err on the side of protecting the lines over the pump. And that assumes upthrust would actually result in a problem. The last pump in there had a check valve failure after four years... And it was 3/4 hp with even more capacity than the Goulds in there now!! I can't say upthrust was an issue that I ever dealt with, making me wonder how much of an issue upthrust really is on a residential well.

robbin
Mod
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

robbin

Mod

I would run a better test of the flow you are getting. Looking at the pump specs, it is speced to pump it's max of 7.6 gallons per minute at 50' water depth. So, in essence, you just have 20' too much water which is about 14 gallons and less than 10 psi of water column. That doesn't sound like enough difference to create the flow you seem to have measured. I don't think there is a problem with upthrust if it only happens at start up. The problem is going to occur if your system always has upthrust. If this is mainly a start up problem, then a larger storage tank may solve the problem. If you want to experiment then put a pressure gauge and valve before the check valve (gauge on well side). Then you can experiment with flow restriction and how it effects pressure on the well plumbing.
XXXXXXXXXXX1
Premium Member
join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

XXXXXXXXXXX1

Premium Member

Robbin, my last pump failed at a bit over four years due to the check valve failing, nothing to do with a motor or pump failure. Since the check valve was built into that pump, it was junked in favor of this Goulds stainless steel unit. The construction on this pump is much more rugged than the last pump as well (last one was composite plastic). Upthrust was not an issue as far as I can tell.

I am making some assumptions with my calculations using my tank's specs as the baseline. Numbers may be off, but 26 seconds is clearly too short of a run time. If the pump actually pumped at 5 GPM, the tank would be sized properly, but my high static water level threw those numbers way off.