I installed a rental whole home water filter some time back. But it really drops the water pressure, especially if 2+ taps are open.

Static pressure is about 60psi, but one tap drops dynamic pressure to 52 +/- and 2 taps 45 +/- psi.

The shower is just a trickle if any second tap opens.

I want to put a boost pump upstream of the filter with a pressure sensor downstream.

Any ideas??

jgb-adt

 

A rental whole house filter! Why?
Going to cost you far more than if it was you own!
Filter dirty?
45 PSI is more than enough pressure.
Far more likely there's trash in the shower head, and or faucet aerators caused from when they installed the new filter.
Under sized main lines, old steel plumbing can also cause major issues.

 

You can not install a pressure sensor downstream and a pump upstream of the filter.
As the filter loaded up the pump could blow out the filter media, membrane or cartridge.

If you are on municipal water it is common to install a whole house carbon filter to remove chlorine and possibly further filtering the drinking water.
What exactly is this rental filter?

 

joecaption;
The wife insisted, and is paying for it.
All the tap screens are clean as is the shower head.
When I bypass the filter the shower is near normal even with 2 taps open.
And no, I can't simply bypass before any of us take a shower.

GregH
I only need the downstream pressure to maintain about 60 psi. I don't expect the pump to go more than about 70-75psi. When the city pressure sometimes goes to 65-68psi the shower is fine, even with 1 tap open.
The filter has a small sediment filter and a large tank filter that supposedly removes all sorts of stuff. The water does taste better and the toilet bowl stays clean compared to before the filter was installed.
We also have a Watts RO filter in the kitchen for drinking/cooking water.

jgb-adt

 

You are most likely using 1 micron filtration. It is too small for sediment. When I install filters, I install them in tandem. The first is a 5 micron rope type filter to remove sediment while the last one is a carbon filter, usually 1 micron. You have to stop the sediment before it gets to the carbon filter or you are spitting in the wind. Try a larger micron filter to see if that helps. What is a "large tank filter"? You didn't mention that in the original post. Nor did you mention the RO.

 

No idea what size filter is. It is a rental unit so I doubt I can change anything.
There are 2 filters. Inlet filter is about 12 inches long by 3 in diam. which is the sediment filter. They send me a new cartridge every year.

The big "tank" is about 4 1/2 ft tall and about 10 in diam. On the outlet side is a pressure gauge. Not sure what exactly it filters out, the wife has the docs filed away somewhere.

When the water is not running anywhere the pressure is about 55-60 psi (static).
When a tap is opened the pressure drops to about 50 psi. Toilet flush is about 45 psi. One tap and the shower drops to about 42 psi. The shower is barely flowing.
All that is on a good city pressure day, and that sometimes drops to 50 psi static.
Then the shower just drops to a trickle.

It was worse until I complained to the company and they changed the filter to one that has a better flow rate, but not good enough.

So, since I cannot change the filter, I need to up the inlet pressure to overcome the pressure drop across the filter.

I figure I need a pump and a small accumulator on the inlet side, and the sensor on the outlet side. What else would I need?

The Watts RO filter is a 1 gallon 4 stage filter mounted by the kitchen sink. Had it for years.

 

You probably don't need any peripheral pumps, etc, and where would the water come from for you to pump it? Have you tried increasing the pressure at the PRV (Pressure Regulating Valve)? Increase it to 65 lbs and see what happens.

The big tank is in question. What type media does it have? Sand? Had it been cleaned or reversed lately? It could be full of crud. And why so many filters on city water? Is it really that bad? I thought only Sarasota had that bad of water

 

If that's the case, maybe you should just bring the matter to the attention of your LandLord and tell him about the ideas that have been presented here . . . . s/he's the one who might be able to implement one of them.

 

No.
What I was saying in post #3 is that it is bad practice and technically a bad idea to put the sensor and pump on two different sides of any restriction.
If you want to sense pressure downstream of the pump mount everything after the filter.......as bad as it is to filter the inlet side of a pump.

 

Why was the filtration installed in the first place? Why was such a massive system (judging by your reduced flow and pressure) installed?

Filtration is work and since your water system is water powered that energy is coming out of your water in the form of reduced pressure and flow. Without knowing more I suspect you were sold a lot more filtration than was needed or your water system can support.

As has already been said you need to increase the water pressure on the inlet side. You can do this by adjusting your pressure reducing valve (PRV) or by installing a booster pump system. Do NOT install a booster on the downstream side of the filter. Adjusting the PRV is cheap/free so start there. If you consider the cost of a booster pump system then it may be worth considering whatever penalty to terminate your filtration contract.

 

Pilot Dane

The wife wanted it, pure and simple. We were assured there would be no "appreciable" pressure drop. They were wrong. So we said take it out. They countered with a better flow rate filter, and my wife still wanted the filter so they exchanged it, no extra cost. It is better than the old one, but still too much drop.
Getting rid of it is a non-starter.

The city came to check pressure and it was within specs, although at the low end. There is no PRV in the system. Other neighbors also complain about low(ish) pressure but none have a filter.

I know the pump has to be on the inlet side, said so in my OP. But besides the pump and pressure sensor, I wanted to know what else I need, or if there are other ways to increase demand pressure.

jgb-adt

 

If there was no specific or real reason for filtration then you could put the system in bypass or remove the cartridges without your wife knowing. Without a problem for the filtration to fix she's likely to not notice when it's not filtered.

If you want to install a pump you simply need a booster pump. Many come pre-packaged with a pressure/demand switch to turn them on and off. Just look online for "water pressure booster pump".. Other than that you next need to provide it a source of power which may require a dedicated circuit.

 

I wonder if the water piping isn't under-sized, or if it's old galvanized piping (which can fill up with rust on the inside)? Increasing the pipe size (probably not cheap) would increase the volume of water throughout.

 

Copper 5/8 throughout.

Could someone please answer my question, rather than try to explain why the pressure is low? I know why it is low.

The pressure is low to begin with because the city of Toronto keeps it low.
When the city pressure goes up to a "normal" PSI, the problem almost goes away.
From day to day it is up and down like a yo-yo.

My shower trickle flows when another tap is open because the filter can't handle flow to 2+ taps without reducing the pressure to below acceptable.

When I by-pass the filter, water pressure is normal throughout the house, 1, 2, 3 or more taps open. Can shower and flush at the same time!

The solution is to raise the inlet pressure to the filter on demand.
What do I need besides a pump and a pressure switch??

jgb-adt

 

There's really no need to get upset with us. We have answered your question on a few occasions. You'll remember your OP where you only mentioned one filter. It graduated to more and cumbersome equipment, so we're just trying to keep up with you. You have low water pressure from the city, so don't expect a pump to give you appreciably more. It will increase the immediate pressure, but if you override the volume of water being delivered, you will have spent money on an albatross...........not that you don't already have one with all those filters.

 

"What do I need besides a pump and a pressure switch??"

Larger pipe, for one thing. I'm guessing that when you say 5/8" throughout you mean 1/2" ID. There's pressure and there's volume. If you had larger pipe, it could accommodate more fixtures at lower pressure. 1/2" is minimal. Forget about the pump -- it won't work to accomplish what you want w/o causing problems with the filter.

I'd go back to the filter and whoever sold and/or installed it. They should've looked at that before selling you this stuff. If you don't like the fact that we aren't agreeing with your perceived solution, why bother posting? Go ahead & buy a pump and a pressure switch and put them wherever you like. It might even work for a month or two.

 

If that remains true, and you do change the plumbing and install these additional pumps and filters . . . . remember that they are "fixtures" and become part of your LandLord's property. You should expect to leave them intact and in working order when you end your occupancy of the Unit.

 

First; I own the house.

Second; I don't need a larger pipe. With no filter (bypassed) the delivery is normal.

Third: I'm not modifying the filter setup, just plumbing in the stuff in the inlet and outlet pipes. I can do that myself, as I have done all of the plumbing modifications in this house without incident.

Fourth; Nobody has actually answered the question, so far. So to continue seems pointless.

jgb-adt

 

Your question has been answered several times. Since you don't seem to be paying attention I'll post it again.

If you want to install a pump you simply need a booster pump. Many come pre-packaged with a pressure/demand switch to turn them on and off. Just look online for "water pressure booster pump".. Other than that you next need to provide it a source of power which may require a dedicated circuit.

 

Thank you Pilot Dane.

I have been paying attention, but I did miss your previous answer.
Sorry about that.

If they come as a kit, that is the answer I needed. I will look for such a kit.

jgb-adt

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=increase+water+pressure+kits