Adding Booster Pump and Water Softener/Pex to Copper


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Old 01-28-14, 04:23 PM
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Adding Booster Pump and Water Softener/Pex to Copper

I thought I had this all figured out, but I want to check with the experts before I do it.
My house has 3/4" copper main line with 1/2" out to the fixtures, the water pressure has always been very low, 40 PSI on city water. I found a good deal on a Dayton 4HFA8 booster pump and want to install it along with a Kinetico Mach 4040s OD water softener that I bought used online. My plan was to use 3/4" Pex to plumb it all in, but now I'm concerned that all the Pex fittings and shutoff valves will restrict the flow. I have already purchased everything to do this with the 3/4" Pex, should I return it all and use 1" Pex instead? Or will the 3/4" work for what I'm doing? Here's a crude drawing to better understand what I'm working with. Thanks for your help with this.
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Old 01-29-14, 12:43 AM
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I am not a professional plumber . Maybe a " shade tree " amature ? :-)

But , my guess is the 3/4 should be OK , especially with the booster pump ?

Do the rest of the houses in your neighborhood also have low pressure ? If not , the water valve at the water meter may not be 100% open / turned on ? Or some other issue ?

Will the pump run all the time or is there some sort of pressure or flow switch ?

God bless
Wyr
 
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Old 01-29-14, 04:12 AM
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I have no experience with whole house booster pumps I wonder if a pressure switch like WyrTwister mentioned and maybe even a pressure tank would be a good idea. The pressure tank would help minimize the pump's on/off cycling which I assume would help extend it's life.
 
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Old 01-29-14, 04:28 AM
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If you are on municipal water, have you tried adjusting your Pressure Regulating Valve? Where are you taking your pressure reading from? You will find that unless your house is plumbed with a home run of 3/4" and branched at each appliance, your water flow will be less than stellar, and you will note marked increase and decrease when toilets are flushed, etc. Pex is an excellent piping medium and will not restrict to any degree the pressure. Remember pressure is pressure, no matter what size pipe you have. You should be concerned with volume.

How do you regulate your booster pump?
 
 

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