How to Fix this Water System?

Question

Due to low water pressure and lots of water interruptions from our water supplier, we asked a 3rd party to install a water system. This is how the water system looks like based on my observation.

PROBLEMS:

After using this system for a few weeks, I noticed the following problems:

• Low water pressure on the 2nd floor when pump is not plugged in. The reason is that there's not much difference between the storage tank outlet and the pipe responsible for delivering water in the 2nd floor.
• When the water pressure from the supply is high, and the pump is not plugged in, the water flows okay (using the green line). The pressure is not high though, but enough to deliver water to the 2nd floor. The problem is the water from the supply can't fill the pressure tank (via blue line). I have no idea how water pump works, but should water flow through it when it's not running?
• When both the storage tank is full and the pressure tank is also full (meaning it has reached the upper limit in the gauge), the pressure switch works well and turns off the pump. However, a slight drop in of pressure (say I just simply open a tap for a few seconds) in the pressure tank (the gauge reading drops down), the pump starts running again.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:

The following are the ideas that I thought would solve the problems above. I'm no expert when it comes to water system so I'm looking for your inputs and suggestions. The following are the ideas that I thought would solve the problems above. I'm no expert when it comes to water system so I'm looking for your inputs and suggestions.

• To solve problem 1, I'm thinking of inserting a small pressure tank (6 gal) between the storage tank outlet and the pipe responsible for delivering water in the 2nd floor (see broken-line orange box).

• To avoid the pump running when the pressure from the supply is high, I'm thinking of putting another pipe that will connect the water supply to the pressure tank directly (see orange pipe).

• I have no idea how to solve this one.

This system was installed 3 weeks ago so I'm assuming there's nothing that's been broken already since the day it's installed.

Answer 1

Zane; I gave a suggestion in your duplicate ask, however the picture is now worth a thousand words , "as the saying goes". I can't see how having that large tank mounted somewhere in the house will be of any value since you can not elevate it high enough to produce any decent pressure. For each foot of height of the water level above the point of use you will get .433 pounds of delivery pressure. so, to get even 20 pounds water pressure to take a shower, the top of the water level would have to be about 46.5 feet above the shower head. (1 LB = 2.33 feet or 20 LB = 46.5 feet). If your picture is how the system was installed there are a few things you could do: 1)"Fire" that plumber and hire one that knows how to plumb a booster system. 2)Replace the red pressure tank with a very large bladder tank. and get rid of that large tank that is somewhere in the house. 3) Make the big tank just a storage tank with a double swing check mounted on the top of the tank. (A good plumber will know how to do this) and move it to between the house water supply piping and the booster pump. 3) convert that large tank to a bladder tank similar to the red tank or just use suggestion 2, and get rid of that tank. My 2 cents

Answer 2

I do agree with d.george but You need check valves your system will never build pressure when the water can back flow through those T’s back to the source, since you have a booster pump elevating the second pressure tank is a waste at most in a residential setting you will have 10 psi from the tank in the ground floor from the 2nd floor (if only gravity feed and up on the second floor it will be only a couple of pounds per square inch). Make sure to install at least 1 check valve in the green line at the T so the water can not return to the source but if power is not turned on you will still have water flow from the source in fact the flow from the system will charge your system to the highest pressure from the main since the pressure is trapped by the check valve this in itself may help quite a bit depending on the size of your pressure tanks.

Answer 3

After studying the drawing of the installed water system and especially the upper tank, there is no way that your system can operate effectively unless there are more controls, vents, piping or other devices installed on that tank that are not shown. That tank needs to have a different piping arrangement and/or controls if it is to be a vented tank. If it is a pressurized vessel similar to a bladder tank it needs to be piped differently. It can't possibly work being piped as shown. Adding a 2nd pressure tank as shown inside the orange dashed lines will not help correct the problem. Unless I am wrong, that tank on the 2nd floor will weigh approximately 1100lbs or 500 kilos. that is a lot of weight on an upper floor.