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I live in Southwest Florida, and we have well water. I am in the process of redoing our whole well input plumbing setup and wondering about the best materials to use.

This is what I'm proposing as a flow/materials:

  1. The well pump pumps up water in a PVC pipe, which right past above ground transitions to a steel pipe. (Currently setup from the old system)
  2. This steel pipe goes into a steel Tee that has one side go to PVC for a sprinkler system, and the other side of the Tee goes into the ground utilizing metal, and once underground transitions to PVC. (Currently setup from the old system)
  3. That PVC runs about 4' to a Well Shed, where it pops back out of ground utilizing steel, and goes into the shed.
  4. Once in the shed there is a pressure tank, pressure switch, sediment filter, iron eater, and kinetico softener. All of these I'm imagining connected with PVC.
  5. The ~115' run to the house is done in Endopure Poly tubing.
  6. This transitions to steel to feed into the house above ground.

My questions (For all of these I'm looking for the best answer from a lasting / maintenance standpoint. I don't mind if its a little bit more expensive):

  1. Do you think I should replace any of the materials being used in steps 1-2?
  2. Are there any materials besides PVC that you'd recommend I use for step #4? Everyone around here seems to use PVC, but it seems like PEX might be easier to work with and might last longer. I do have this in a shed, so it should mostly be shielded from UV.
  3. Is something like Endopure the right / best thing to use for step #5? Most people I know use SCH 40 PVC for this; but it seems like poly is supposed to be more durable / better.
  4. Anything else you'd change / recommend from a materials setup?

Thanks for your feedback!

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    They used to use PVC for water supply, and PVC pipes in "sizes that could only possibly be for water supply" are readily available in any hardware store. However I have heard people have gone to PEX because of some sort of health issue.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Apr 1, 2020 at 18:41
  • My water feed from the street is underground PVC that transitions to copper as it comes up through the slab in the back of my garage. All enclosed distribution on the house is copper and that transitions to braided stainless jacketed vinyl wherever it emerges from a wall at a local shut off valve.
    – Michael Karas ♦
    Apr 1, 2020 at 19:02
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica - Organotins got some excitement a decade or two back - my take-home from digesting the research was that large amounts of 1/2" CPVC distribution lines (and probably PVC, but the actual research I was able to find was specifically CPVC) were a lot more likely to be a problem (if there was a problem at all) than short sections of 1" or larger in the well supply (lower ratio of plastic to water, less stagnation time as well.) There's also some research that calls the Organotin scare itself into question.
    – Ecnerwal
    Apr 2, 2020 at 12:57

1 Answer 1

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Subject to being a matter of opinion, but for contrast:

Pump, 200PSI black poly water pipe, pitless adapter (freezing climate, exit well casing below ground) 160PSI black poly waterpipe, house, filter, pressure tank. Plain poly, not pex. No fancy upcharge brand, just basic well poly marked NSF-PW (National Sanitation Foundation Potable Water, as far as I recall.) This is the bog standard well pipe used in every place in the Northeastern USA that I've had dealings with a well. The 200PSI stuff is because the well is 300 ft deep and the pressure down there is somewhat higher to lift the water to the surface, so 160 would be dubious. It's also sturdier for hanging the pump on.

Steel pipe? What year is it, 1949? PVC - stuff shatters much too easily for outside use, even before sun exposure.

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  • Thanks! So, essentially you're recommending I use black poly everywhere from the pump to the house? (Just confirming I'm reading this right).
    – Doug
    Apr 1, 2020 at 20:59
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    You might want to use PVC inside the shed simply for convenience in making numerous connections in a short distance. Inside the house, if replacing waterlines (not just well input lines) these days, PEX. Otherwise, leave them alone if they work. The black poly is all buried here for freeze protection, and we dont have a well shed unless we are willing to heat it.
    – Ecnerwal
    Apr 1, 2020 at 21:02

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