Household Water Systems

Household Water System

Components

Water Source (well, spring, pond, or cistern)

Pump
Pressure Tank
Pressure Switch
Check Valve
Piping
Optional Treatment Equipment
(Softener, Filter, Disinfection Unit, etc)

Typical Shallow-Well Water

System
PUMP POWER
CONTROL BOX

SUPPLY
PIPE TO
HOUSE

SUCTION
PIPE

PRESSURE
TANK

WELL CASING

CHECK
VALVE

PRESSURE
SWITCH
SHALLOW-WELL JET
PUMP

Water Pump Options

Suction Lift
(feet)

Pump Type

0 18

Horizontal Centrifugal

0 28

Shallow-Well Centrifugal Jet

0 200

Deep-Well Centrifugal Jet

0 500+

Multi-stage Submersible

PRESSURE
SWITCH

Pump House
with Shallow

Jet Pump Installations

Shallow-Well
Jet Pump

Deep-Well
Jet Pump
(Two-Pipe System)

To Pressure Tank

Jet Pump
Schematic Diagram
-Increases practical suction
lift by diverting part of the
pump discharge to the
ejector on the lift pipe
-The greater the suction lift,
the greater the percentage
of discharge water must be
diverted
-Maximum practical lift is
limited to approximately
200 feet by economics

Pressure Pipe (Return Flow)

Lift Pipe (Upward Flow)

Jet Ejector (Venturi)

Nozzle

Intake Pipe

Water

Deep-Well Jet Pump Ejector Units

Packer System

Two-Pipe System

Return Flow

Well Cap

Lift Pipe
(w/ Venturi)

Return Pipe

Nozzle
Foot Valve

Lift Pipe
(w/ Venturi)
Nozzle

Packer
Suction Pipe

Foot Valve
Intake Strainer

Submersible Water Pumps

- Good for deep wells
- High efficiency
- Wells as small as 4 diameter

FROST
LINE

Submersible
Pump with

Pressure Switch
Controls water pump
Turns on when system
pressure drops to 20 (30) psi
Turns off when system
pressure rises to 40 (50) psi
Low pressure shut-down in
case well water level drops

Pressure Tank

Is not meant to provide household water storage

Delays pump turn-on and extends pump run time
Eliminates frequent, short On/Off cycles which
can burn up the pump motor
Volume of pre-charged tank should be at least
6
times the delivery of the pump in 1 minute
Volume of uncharged tank should be at least
10 times the delivery of the pump in 1 minute

Pipe Plug
(to be removed when
system is drained to
correct waterlogging)

Pressure Tank
Typical uncharged pressure
tank (no air
bladder/diaphragm) installation

Pressure
Switch

Main Power
Cutoff
Switch

Delivery Pipe
from Pump

Useable Storage Capacity of Pressure Tanks

Over Normal Operating Range
(Not Pre-charged)
Water Level
at
42 gallons
12 gallons

40
lbs
20
lbs

82 gallons

Examples of Pre-charged Pressure Tanks

Effect of Waterlogging on Useable

Pressure Tank Capacity

Waterlogging
To correct waterlogged pressure tanks:
-Turn off power to pump

Pipe Plug
(to be removed when
system is drained to
correct waterlogging)

-Open a faucet to drain system

-Remove pipe plug at top of tank to let
air into tank and finish draining system
-Replace pipe plug (use teflon tape or
pipe compound to seal properly)
-Close faucet
-Turn on power
-Repeat this process whenever the pump
begins starting immediately every time a
faucet is opened

Power
Switch

Controlling Waterlogging
in Pressure Tanks

Submersible Pump Check Valve Cutaway

Water Flow

Household Water Requirement

Typical Usage: 50-100 gallons/person-day
(drinking, bathing, laundry, toilet flushing, dishwashing, cooking,
etc.)

Well Flow Rate Requirement:

Minimum Acceptable Rate:
Preferred Rate:
Minimum Fire Protection Rate:

5 gpm
10 gpm
20 gpm

Household Water Requirements

Use

Flow Rate Volume per

Use (gal.)
(gpm)

Washing Machine

20-35

Dishwasher

6-20

Shower/Bathtub

20-60

Toilet

1.6-5.0

Kitchen Sink

2-4

Water Softener Recharge

50-150

Farmstead Water Requirement

(Flow Rate)
Use

Minimum

Preferred

Stock Auto. Waterers

0.5 gpm

2 gpm

Poultry Auto. Waterers

0.25 gpm

1 gpm

Milkhouse Cleaning

3 gpm

5 gpm

Manure Washdown

5 gpm

10 gpm

Outdoor Hydrant

5 gpm

10 gpm

10 gpm

20 gpm

Outdoor Hydrant (Fire)

Intermediate Water Storage

Improves usability of low-yield wells
Well pump operates at low flow for extended
periods (overnight) to fill storage tank
Pressure pump uses water from storage to supply
immediate household demand
Minimum intermediate storage capacity should be
at least equal to daily household water use
(2-3 days storage capacity preferred)

Intermediate Storage for LowYield Wells

Low Yield Well Water System

Inlet from Well Pump
Intermediate Storage Tank
(filled by submersible well pump)

Pressure Pump
Check Valve
Pressure Tank
Pressure Pump Suction Line
Supply Line to House

Water Treatment Equipment

Disinfection Equipment
Filters
Water Softeners

Water Disinfection Options

-Bacteria & Viruses Chlorination
Shock chlorination
Continuous chlorination
Dry pellet chlorinator
Chlorine solution feed pump
Chlorine solution venturi injector

Ozonation
Ultraviolet Irradiation

Shock Chlorination
Use laundry bleach (5.25%) w/ no additives
Pour 4 pints of bleach into well vent for each
100 gallons of water in system
Recirculate water into well for 20 minutes
Open all outlets until bleach is smelled
Let system stand idle overnight (4 hrs minimum)
Flush system
Re-test for bacteria after 10-14 days of use

Dry Pellet Chlorinators

-Electric powered (110 or 220 volt)
-Controlled by pump controller
-Few moving parts
-Uses calcium hypochlorite tablets
-Treats water in the well
-Longer Cl contact time
-No solutions to mix
-Treats up to 20 gpm

Venturi Solution Injector

Injects any liquid solution
Injection rate proportional
to water flow rate
Adjustable over wide range
of flow and injection rates

Metering Pump
Injects any type of solution
Controlled by water pump
controller
Constant injection rate
Adjusts to wide range of
flow and injection rates

Ultraviolet Disinfection Unit

SIGHT PORT

Water Treatment Options

- Iron or Manganese Shock Chlorination
Continuous Chlorination

Dry pellet chlorinator

Chlorine solution feed pump
Chlorine solution venturi injector

Ozonation
Oxidizing (Greensand) Filter
Ion Exchange Water Softener

Iron Treatment Options

Iron Level
Iron
Clear or Red
Bacteria When Drawn
(mg/l)

pH

Treatment Method

0-5

No

Clear

7+

Softening

0-5

Yes

Clear

7+

Shock Chlorination or
Oxidizing Filter

5-20

No

Clear

7+

Shock Chlorination or
Oxidizing Filter

5-20

Yes

Clear or
Red

7+

Oxidizing Filter, Shock or

Continuous Chlorination

0-20

No

Red

7+

Oxidizing Filter

20-30

No

Clear or
Red

7+

Continuous Chlorination
or Oxidizing Filter

Water Treatment Options

-Corrosion Neutralizing Filter
Limestone chips
Marble chips

Caustic Soda (NaOH) Feeder

metering pump or venturi injector

Soda Ash (Na2CO3) Feeder

Metering pump or venturi injector

Water Treatment Options

-Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Rotten Egg Odor

Activated Carbon Filter

Oxidizing Filter
Shock Chlorination
Continuous Chlorination
Dry pellet chlorinator
Chlorine solution metering pump
Chlorine solution venturi injector

Ozonation

TDS/Mineral Treatment
Reverse Osmosis
Distillation

4-stage Reverse Osmosis Unit with Tank and Faucet

Reverse Osmosis Systems

Reduce mineral concentrations by 90%

15 gallon/day under-sink units: $150-$300
Require pre-softening with hard water
Operate on water system pressure (40 psi)
Wastewater:Treated water ratio 4 or 5:1
Membranes: $70-100 each; 5 year life

Distillation Unit
Condensing
Coil

Gas Vent

Vaporization
Chamber

Raw Water Inlet

Rising Steam
Distilled
Water

Drain
Heating
Element

Countertop Distillers
- initial cost $150-$1000
- 4-8 hours/gallon treatment rate
- 2.75-3.0 kWh/gallon energy consumption
- removes 99.9% of all contaminants
- electric co-ops often subsidize purchase

Carbon Filters
Remove contaminants by adsorption on carbon
particle surface
Hierarchy of contaminant adsorption
Saturated filters can actually increase
concentration of some contaminants
Not effective on nitrate, hardness or bacteria
Filter cold water only
Bigger is better - more surface area

Cartridge Filters
Carbon Cartridge
(taste, odor,
chlorine, organics)
Particle Cartridge
(sand, sediment)

Filter Wrench

Filter Housing

Ion Exchange Water Softeners

Exchange sodium ions for calcium and
magnesium ions in water
Increase EC somewhat
May be dietary hazard - hypertension
(adds 140 mg/l of sodium in Hard water)
Use potassium salt (KCl) for health reasons

Ion exchange softeners replace Ca++ and Mg++ with Na+ ions.
Zeolite medium is recharged with Na+ by NaCl brine when depleted.

Ion Exchange Water

Softener with SensorControlled Recharge

Softener Selection Considerations

Required grain capacity
Daily water use (household population)
Water hardness
Desired regeneration schedule

Initial cost
Water conservation
Other (Iron removal, etc.)

Ion Exchange Water Softener

Capacity
Rated by grains of hardness treated between regenerations
1 grain/gallon (gpg) = 17.1 mg/l
Example:
Water hardness = 200 mg/l = 200/17.1 = 11.7 gpg
Softener Capacity = 30,000 grains
Household Population = 4 persons
Calculate:
Water Use = 4 persons x 50gal./person-day = 200 gal./day
Daily Hardness Treated = 200 gpd x 11.7 gpg = 2339 grains/day
Regeneration Interval = 30,000 grains/ 2339 grains/day = 12.8 days

Recommended Softener Sizes

Pump Capacity Softener Capacity Water Hardness
(gpm)
(grains)
(mg/l)
34

10,000

350

56

15,000

500

78

20,000

850

9 12

30,000

1200

12 20

40,000

1500

Ion Exchange Water Softener

Recharge Control Method
Water
Use

Initial Cost

-Time Clock
-Flow Meter
-Hardness Sensor
+

Typical Programmable Water Softener Controller

Water Softening
Permanent magnet water softeners dont work
Electrostatic and catalytic descalers may
descale water, but dont soften it
Scale will not buildup on pipes, water heater
elements, bathtubs etc.
Sudsing action of soaps is not improved

Private Water System Resources