One well with two lines going to 2 separate bldgs.


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Old 05-16-18, 10:40 AM
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One well with two lines going to 2 separate bldgs.

Need help! We have a water well and recently replaced the pump. From the well, there is one line running to the house. It is connected to a new pressure switch and pressure tank. There is another line running off the main water line to the house located just past where the shoe is. This line runs to our barn, and also feeds a hydrant in our garden. Since we put the new pump and pressure tank in, we have no water at the barn or out of the hydrant when the pressure tank in the house cuts off. Can we put a pressure tank in the barn to control the water there? If so, how do we hook it up without power coming back into the house?
 
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Old 05-16-18, 11:14 AM
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Did everything have water prior to doing this recent work?

It sounds like you replaced the pump and pressure switch and tank at two different times. When did water stop getting to the barn?

"...another line running off the main water line to the house located just past where the shoe is."? What is the shoe you refer to?

When you say you have no water to the barn do you truly mean you have zero water or do you mean you are getting water but there is little pressure?

If you have no water getting to the barn installing a pressure tank there will do nothing. After all there is no water to go into the tank.
 
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Old 05-16-18, 08:11 PM
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We're assuming a submersible pump.
It sounds like there is a check valve at the house. That would keep the house at normal pressure and 0 pressure back to the pump.
 
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Old 05-21-18, 03:11 PM
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when I say “shoe, I think it’s called a pitless adapter.
before the new pump, there was no problem at the barn, now zero water unless we turn on a faucet in the house. There is no check valve in the house, but the pump has a built in check valve. Right after the line comes out of the well heading to the house, it splits off and another line runs to the barn. A friend suggested a wireless relay switch in the barn to turn in the pressure switch in the house. Will this work? Not wanting to trench to the barn because it’s under the driveway and would have to be very deep to avoid freezing (Alberta, Canada)
 
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Old 05-21-18, 06:49 PM
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You need to think this thru. If there is pressure at the house.... there should be pressure everywhere. If there is pressure at the house and not where you should be getting it..... something is blocking it.
 
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Old 05-21-18, 08:31 PM
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Two ideas.


First guess, it seems like you heard somebody mention a shoe valve?
Originally Posted by bergenbonnie
located just past where the shoe is.
A shoe valve diverts water from the well to "house" or to "barn" or shares it to "house +barn"
So, sounds like somebody changed the setting of the shoe valve from "shared" to "house".


Second guess, logic says that a check valve was added somewhere in the house.
Best guess is that the plumber used a combo "ball/check valve" between the well and the pressure switch to prevent backflow. It can look like a normal on/off valve.
 
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Old 05-22-18, 07:25 AM
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There is no shoe valve. Just a pitless adapter. The only check valve is built into the pump. The second line is just a tee off the main line going to the house about 2feet from the pitless adapter. The only thing we can think of is the check valve in the pump. Could it cause this?
We put in a new pressure tank about 15 years ago and everything worked then.
 
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Old 05-22-18, 07:55 AM
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What type of pump do you have? Submersible or is your pump above ground?
 
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Old 05-22-18, 09:18 AM
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Hmm, think we need some photos of things.


Eh, if you had a two-line jet pump in the basement, and the new pump installation inadvertently switched the lines, then the barn would end up hooked to the "jet" line and not the "pump line" and you'd only get pressure in the "jet" line when the pump was running.


Or, if you switched from an in-the-well pump to an in-the-basement pump, then you would no longer have pressure in the line from the house to the well.
 

Last edited by Hal_S; 05-22-18 at 10:59 AM.
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Old 05-22-18, 09:28 AM
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We have a submersible well pump in the well. Can’t really get pics of it, it’s down about 30’ in the well casing.
 
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Old 05-22-18, 10:43 AM
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Not a well expert but if the pressure switch is at the tank but the T to the barn is before the tank then it makes total sense that you would only get pressure at the barn when it thinks the house tank needs more water. There is nothing to tell the pump to start if you are only drawing through the barn since the water in the tank is not touched. Is it possible that the T to the barn was originally after the house pressure tank? If not, you need some kind of switch to tell the pump that you want water when you turn on the tap in the barn.

- Peter
 
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Old 05-22-18, 04:34 PM
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Seems to be a lot of confusion here with this problem. Look at the diagram. IF the only check valve is down at the pump then that means the ENTIRE red line is charged to the same exact pressure. The same pressure would be inside the house and at the barn. If the system pressure is satisfied by the pressure switch in the house...... an extra switch turning the pump on would over-pressurize the system.

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Old 05-22-18, 04:45 PM
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(Well this happens every time. While I’m making my picture someone else posts. PJMax’s picture is much nicer but I think mine is in agreement with his. So I’ll post what I had typed up)

Seems to me there must be some new obstruction between Branch A and the barn. It seems to me that the tank and switch in the house should regulate the barn pressure just as it would the house pressure – unless … someone installed a new Check Valve between Branch A and the Pressure Switch, or Branch A (is a shoe maybe ?) has been modified as suggested in a previous post..

At least that’s the way it seems to me.

(btw – bergen, I’ve stayed in Red Deer when we tested our system at the base in Penhold. It sure gets cold up there. Makes Philly seem like Florida lol)
 
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Old 05-23-18, 04:44 AM
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Zoesdad: I like your diagram but I think the diode is in backwards.
 
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Old 05-23-18, 05:31 AM
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lol - Yea! I knew that was not the best symbol to use.lol or turn it around ... or somthing lol
 
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Old 05-23-18, 01:11 PM
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Where is the garden hydrant relative to the other items in the diagrams?

When the pump is running and you use water at the barn, is the flow normal as in the past, or is it now more feeble or sluggish?

Was anything else new, even a piece of pipe, installed in the house besides the pressure tank and pump switch? We need to see a picture of everything around and under the pressure tank.
 
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Old 03-07-24, 08:19 PM
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Check valve. Remove the check valve that’s in the house.

The new pump probably has a built in check valve and the old pump did not… so the check valve in the house is not allowing the pressure switch to kick on
 
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Old 03-07-24, 08:38 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

There is no check valve in the house
The OP posted that.
We also ask that you check posting dates as this thread is over five years old.
 
 

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