Choosing a pumping station for a country house

You can choose and buy a pumping station in the corresponding catalog. Below we will talk about what is important to pay attention to when choosing a device.

How the pumping station works

The pumping station, using a well or a well as a source of water, is capable of supplying water to an autonomous water supply system and maintaining the necessary pressure in it to ensure a reliable supply of the necessary water to taps, toilet bowls and other plumbing fixtures or for watering the local area, garden / vegetable garden and etc.

The pumping station can supply water to an autonomous water supply and maintain the correct pressure.

What is the advantage of a pumping station compared to a conventional submersible pump, which is cheaper? The pump must be turned on and pumped water into the water supply literally every time the tap is opened. Part of the water will go to fill the empty pipes (since constant pressure in the water supply is not maintained), which causes an undesirable and sometimes quite significant delay between the time the tap is opened and the water supply. When the water level in the well/well has temporarily fallen below the intake opening, the pump will stop supplying water. All this gives us everyday inconvenience. Unlike just a pump, the factory kit of any household pumping station contains an additional important element — a storage tank for a reserve supply of water, the so-called water pressure tank. In fact, this is a tank in which high pressure is maintained in order to have a constant pressure of water in the water supply. Thanks to the constant pressure, you just need to open the tap — water will immediately flow from it. At the same time, the pump at the pumping station does not turn on every time the tap is opened, but only at the moments when it is necessary to pump water into the tank to maintain the desired pressure. Due to the pressure in the tank, the pumping station has a small reserve of water even in the event of a drop in the level of water intake and a lack of electricity. Of course, the amount of “reserve” water supplied is small, but nevertheless this is an important advantage in rural areas and cottage / holiday villages, where power outages occur frequently, especially in inclement weather. In general, a pumping station is an increased household comfort and uninterrupted water supply.

At the same time, keep in mind that for systems with large continuous water consumption, for the same irrigation of a large garden, it is more rational to use a simple pump. The fact is that with a simple pumping of large volumes of water, the pumping station will turn on and off very often, which negatively affects its mechanical resource and reduces its service life. To prevent this from happening, you can turn on several points for the same watering, using a large volume of water, so that the station pump runs constantly without turning off. This will save the resource of technology. But keep in mind that in the presence of a very powerful station, this approach can lead to depletion of the water intake and is fraught with the danger of a “dry run” or even suction of soil into the water pipes.

What should you pay attention to when choosing a household pumping station?

Water pressure tank tank

For a family of 4-5 people, you will need a model with a tank of 50 liters.

The larger the capacity of the hydroaccumulator tank, the greater the supply of water will be provided in the event of a temporary power outage. Therefore, ceteris paribus, choose a station with a more capacious tank. It is recommended to take a station with a tank of at least 24 liters. Especially considering that part of the tank capacity is also occupied by compressed air. The more a person lives in the house and consumes water, the larger the tank is needed. Relatively inexpensive household stations with a 24 liter tank are the Optima Jet 100S-PL-24, Dnepr JET-80A, Werk XKJ-1101 IA5, Sprut AUJSPD 800F, etc. For a family of 4-5 people, a 50 liter tank is probably the necessary minimum , if the house has decent modern plumbing and bathrooms. These stations include Sprut AUJSP 505A, Speroni CAM 80/50 L, EBARA JEXM 080 50C, etc.

By the way, a more capacious tank gives the station another significant advantage — it reduces the number of switching cycles of the station relay / pump, and this has the most positive effect on the life of the equipment. When you just need to wash your hands or fill a pot with water, the station provides the necessary fluid flow solely due to a capacious water pressure tank, without the need to turn on the pump.

The tank itself can be made of cast iron, steel or plastic. The first two options are more reliable, but a plastic tank is cheaper, much lighter and, in principle, is also able to work out the entire resource for which the pumping station is designed.

Water intake height

Often, household pumping stations allow you to raise water from a depth of 6 — 9 metres, that is, they are designed to work with the 1st level of groundwater, at the level of wells. If possible, check the depth of the water reservoir with those who drilled the well before installing the station. If the water is deep or the house is on a hill, then a special ejector should be installed separately on the well (usually it allows you to raise water from a depth of up to 30 m). If the water in the well is below 30 m, you will need other equipment to raise the water, a household pumping station will not be able to cope here.

Do not forget that a non-return valve must be installed at the end of the suction pipe or hose of the pumping station! It protects the system from "leakage" of water when the pump is turned off and prevents highly undesirable "dry" starts of the pumping station. And the filter mesh on the valve will retain large soil particles, clay clods, etc. preventing them from entering the pump.

Height of rise / pressure of water

At east european stations, the height of the water rise is 25-45 metres, which is enough for 3-4 storey building.

Determines how high the water can rise in the plumbing. Usually, at east european stations, the height of water rise through water pipes is 25-45 metres, which is quite enough to service the water supply in a 3-4-story building. The higher the power of the station and the more pressure it creates in the tank, the higher the level of water rise in the house. However, do not chase stations that create a powerful pressure in the water supply! The point is not only that in private houses it makes no sense to raise water by 50 and even more so 100 metres. The increase in water pressure affects pipes and plumbing joints — with a higher pressure, the risk of sudden leaks and pipe breaks increases. Usually, a moderate water pressure of 1.5-2 atmospheres is sufficient to service a private house with water supply for 1-2 floors. For 3-4 storey buildings, it is possible to increase the pressure in the pipes up to 3-5 atmospheres, especially if there is an extensive water supply system with many joints and turns. However, remember that not all household stations can provide a high pressure indicator in the region of 3-5 atmospheres!

Power and performance

When installing a pumping station, try to take into account the natural possibilities of a well or well! A station that is too powerful can not only lead to frequent downtime due to the banal lack of water in the water intake, but also begin to suck in sand and soil, which will generally block the water supply through the pipes and can lead to the failure of the station itself!

The typical power of a household pumping station is from 600W to 1.5kW. Such a station is capable of supplying from 2 to 6 cubic metres of water per hour, and this capacity is quite enough for east european use (we do not consider industrial installations). Remember that a more powerful station consumes a lot of expensive electricity and creates an increased load on household wiring. Moderately powerful pumping stations that are excellent for home use are Karcher BP 3 Home & Garden, Vitals Aqua AJW 1170-50E, Werk XKJ-801 IA5. For those who still need more help — Aquatica 776225, Werk XKJ-1301 IA5, Pedrollo JCRm 15M with tank, etc.

Protection against "dry running" automatically turns off the station when absence of liquid in the source.

Protection

If the pumping station has protection against "dry running", this is good. This function is designed to automatically turn off the station in the absence of liquid in the source, which will help protect the water supply system from breakdowns. With a “dry run”, the station engine overheats severely, up to failure, and the pump mechanism may jam due to thermal deformation of the parts. This will necessitate costly repairs to the station.

Overheating protection, in turn, helps prevent damage to an overly intensive electric motor by disconnecting it from power in time. Naturally, you will be left without water for a short time, but you will not have to pay for expensive repairs to the station.

Pump

A common mistake of those who purchase a pumping station for the first time is to save on everything. That is why designs are sold consisting of the cheapest pump and a plastic tank. If the parts of the body and the pumping mechanism itself are made of thin, fragile and short-lived plastic, the likelihood that the station will not last long is very high. Plastic can crack even from severe winter frosts. Also pay close attention to the impeller/screw material: plastic is the cheapest option, but brass, bronze and steel are preferred in terms of reliability. Stations with reliable metal impeller / auger are east european Dnepr JET-110A and Sprut AUJS 110, Polish Optima Jet 100-24, German Werk XKJ-1304 SA5, Latvian Vitals Aqua AJW 1170-50E, Italian Marina CAM 40/22, etc.

Outcome

For the vast majority of cases, when choosing a pumping station, it is fair to proceed from the calculation that for a family of 2-5 people, the best choice would be a pumping station of medium power in the region of 800W — 1 kW, equipped with a 24 or 50-liter water pressure tank and having a capacity of 2-6 cubic metres water per hour. And only if the family is very large, or large cheerful companies often gather in the house / dacha — you will need a more powerful installation with a power of 1.3 kW and a capacity of 7 or more cubic metres of water per hour, for example Pedrollo Plurijetm 4/130 - 24 CL etc.