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Lurch77
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
Green Bay, WI

9 recommendations

Lurch77 to Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

to Jack_in_VA

Re: [Plumbing] Correcting low city water pressure

Did you notice I pointed out your example was proper for this situation? And you still argue, belittle, and make sarcastic remarks. Are you this pretentious in real life, or is it just an online persona? Have you ever noticed that you are constantly in argumentative debates about everything in this forum?

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

2 edits

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by Lurch77:

Did you notice I pointed out your example was proper for this situation? And you still argue, belittle, and make sarcastic remarks. Are you this pretentious in real life, or is it just an online persona? Have you ever noticed that you are constantly in argumentative debates about everything in this forum?

Have a good evening Lurch I won't hold a grudge against you.
buffalobillj
join:2014-05-05
Buffalo, NY

buffalobillj to IowaCowboy

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to IowaCowboy
the pump corrected a problem in a city of buffalo ny police station because they didn't want to dig up main street and repair the bad water line. see wikihow and read up on some help at: »www.plumbingqa.com/the-c ··· ressure/
iknow_t
join:2012-05-03

iknow_t

Member

said by buffalobillj:

the pump corrected a problem in a city of buffalo ny police station because they didn't want to dig up main street and repair the bad water line. see wikihow and read up on some help at: »www.plumbingqa.com/the-c ··· ressure/

there's a possibility of sucking up dirty groundwater with a pump.. if there's a leak in the pipe.

Boooost
@24.190.184.x

Boooost to IowaCowboy

Anon

to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:

If it's a flow issue, what can be done to correct it.

Call a plumber.
/thread

Lurch77
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
Green Bay, WI

1 recommendation

Lurch77

Premium Member

Many people like to do things themselves, or learn how to do them themselves. Or at the very least like to know how it's done, even if someone else is doing it. We could say "call a professional, /thread" for nearly every question in here. But then it wouldn't be much a discussion forum.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

Mr Matt to iknow_t

Member

to iknow_t
said by iknow_t:

there's a possibility of sucking up dirty groundwater with a pump.. if there's a leak in the pipe.

I have a relative that owned a large commercial residential plumbing company. He had a customer that owned a McMansion which was officially a two story but had a walk out basement and full bathroom in the attic. It was really a four story building. When the homeowner first moved in water pressure and flow was OK.

Over several years one or more developments were built between the McMansion and the water treatment plant. Eventually between 6:00AM and 9:00AM on week days the water pressure dropped from 60 to 70 PSI to 20 to 30 PSI and was so low that there was only a trickle in the bathroom in the attic and second floor and was accompanied by a low flow rate at all other faucets. So the customer asked ED the owner of the plumbing company for a solution.

Ed considered a booster pump but the utility company would not allow it because as iknow_t said: "there's a possibility of sucking up dirty groundwater with a pump.. if there's a leak in the pipe." ED came up with a solution he used there and other locations.

To solve the problem, Ed installed two tanks, a holding tank and a pressure tank. Water flowed from the water main through a check valve into the holding tank. He installed a combination Vacuum Break and float controlled vent in the top of the holding tank. The outlet from the holding tank terminated in a "Y" connector. One port of the "Y" was connected directly to the pressure tank through a check valve. The other port of the "Y" connector was connected through a "Jockey Pump" and check valve to the pressure tank. The pressure tank was a normal bladder type tank used as a pressure tank for a well. The pump was controlled by a pressure switch on the pressure tank.

Normally water flowed into the holding tank as the air was vented by the Vacuum Break Float controlled vent, until the holding tank was full and water continued to flow into the pressure tank until the pressure in the system reached equilibrium with the normal 60 to 70 PSI mains pressure. When the water pressure and flow rate dropped in the morning, the pressure tank maintained water pressure in the home. When the pressure in the pressure tank dropped to the low set point at the pressure switch, the jockey pump transferred water from the holding tank to the pressure tank to maintain pressure. If the pressure in the holding tank dropped below atmospheric pressure the vacuum break opened drawing in air, preventing the pump from drawing a vacuum on the water main. As soon as the jockey pump stopped, air that entered the holding tank would be released by the float controlled vent. The Utility and Building Department approved the installation. The homeowner no longer had a problem with low water pressure.

hortnut
Huh?
join:2005-09-25
PDX Metro

1 recommendation

hortnut to IowaCowboy

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to IowaCowboy
Click for full size
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This thread has wandered all over the place.

You just need 3 things to do some basic testing:
-Pressure Gauge maybe get one with a 3/4 in. female hose thread adapter. Then can get an adapter from male hose to 1/2 inch pipe and/or many other adapters. Or just get a regular one. HomeDepot has them for under $10. Fittings are around $3 each.
-5 Gallon Bucket or some other container with a known quantity to measure water
-Watch/Clock/Stopwatch to measure time in minutes and seconds

Ability to make some calculations. Bonus would be a calculator.
Maybe get some other pipe fittings to attach to the 3/4 in. female hose thread adapter. That way can attach it to many things. Most shower heads are 1/2 inch.

With the above can test the pressure at various points throughout the house - inside and outside. And with the Bucket/Container/Time Piece can find the Gallons per minute. These should give some clues as to what is being dealt with in the plumbing area and what you can do to rectify.

I used the above cheap tools to design and build various irrigation setups in my Nursery Greenhouses with different sprinkler heads and needs for each crop. I also used it to design my Field growing irrigation using 3 inch hand lines. Source of water was wells. Some greenhouses had misters, some used fog, some used impact sprinklers and other specialized watering. I am kind of a geek and gauges are cheap, so I had them all over the nursery. My residence was also supplied by same system. Mainline from well was 2 inch and some 1 1/2 inch, branch lines 1 inch and supply to house was 1 inch.

I also used my little "kit" to do quick checks when real estate shopping.

Boooost
@24.190.184.x

1 recommendation

Boooost to Lurch77

Anon

to Lurch77
said by Lurch77:

Many people like to do things themselves, or learn how to do them themselves. Or at the very least like to know how it's done, even if someone else is doing it. We could say "call a professional, /thread" for nearly every question in here. But then it wouldn't be much a discussion forum.

But there's also a saying that a little bit of knowledge is dangerous. And since the OP is ready to put in a $200 pump without knowing anything about:

• his current pressure
• flow rates
• the condition of the indoor pipes
• the condition of the line from the street
• the street pressure

he's definitely in the dangerous category and should seek professional help.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

But not all of us can afford a professional.

And considering the house was built in 2000 the indoor pipes are in good condition.

There is a hose bib on the pipe right after the water meter, I could put a pressure gauge on it.

BillRoland
Premium Member
join:2001-01-21
Ocala, FL

BillRoland

Premium Member

said by IowaCowboy:

But not all of us can afford a professional.

True. But, you have shown in the past that you won't hesitate to spend at least as much money doing repairs of dubious necessity.
said by IowaCowboy:

And considering the house was built in 2000 the indoor pipes are in good condition.

That is an assumption. Plenty of stories out there where new construction had problems/issues. Its probably a valid assumption, but you can't definitively say "everything's fine because its only 14 years old."
said by IowaCowboy:

There is a hose bib on the pipe right after the water meter, I could put a pressure gauge on it.

Why don't you do that? Countless people have told you to do just that. Anything else is just speculation.

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

robbin

Mod

said by BillRoland:

Why don't you do that? Countless people have told you to do just that.

Perhaps it is because the OP does not currently live in the house or even in the state the house is located in.
System

to IowaCowboy

Anon

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This topic has been closed. Reason: run its course