Manually trigger well cut on/off switch?

[Edward Smith]

My well pump cut on/off switch is set at 40/60psi.

Sometimes, when my ro is turned out (on a timer) the well tank can be running around 45psi and by the time it gets past all the tubing and filters, it can get around 35psi.

Granted, I could get a RO booster pump, but.....if I can trigger the well switch to cut on before the RO turns on, it will keep the pressure I need.

Question: Any way to trigger the cut-on switch at a specific time?

Thanks

 

[Fredfish]

If I understand correctly you want your well pump on continuously while you are running the RO unit.

I would get a booster pump. Your well pump is not designed for continuous use.

 

[Edward Smith]

No, not continuously, I want to "trigger the cut-on switch at a specific time"

For example:
I have a solenoid open at 2am to feed my RO for 5 hours.
I would like my well pump to turn on, regardless of the pressure in the well tank, at 1am and then have it shut off, like it normally would, at 60psi.
This way, when the RO solenoid opens, the well tank will be at its maximum pressure.
Until 1am the next day, I don't want the cutoff switch to go on again, unless it drops below 40psi.

 

[45commando]

Agree with Fredfish.

The well pump has to be able to cycle on/off to prevent blowing out the plumbing.
If your pressure switch is adjustable , you could raise the low pressure from existing 40 PSI to say 50 PSI, but that will cause your pump to cycle on/off more & cause premature wear on the pump & increase your electrical costs.

 

[Edward Smith]

I believe there is a misunderstanding, my apologies if Im not articulating it well.

It is not my intent to run the well pump continuously. Please see my previous post. Only want to trigger the cuton switch once a day, that's it.

 

[45commando]

Sorry My bad. I'm not sure how you can bypass the low pressure switch, to have the pump kick on at a set time regardless of the tank pressure (anything below 60 PSI)

Short of an RO booster pump (still the best option IMO) the only thing I can think of is to add a small pressure tank in line directly before the RO unit. If you install a check valve before the inline tank, you could then inflate the air bladder to somewhere around 50 PSI to give better pressure to the RO unit

 

[Redman88]

It can be done. You need a timer relay and a secondary pressure switch. You would parallel with the existing pressure switch. The relay will switch on power to the pump and latch on till the pressure switch opens at 60 psi or it times out depending on the timer. The pressure switch will keep the well pump from running more then it needs.

 

[Fredfish]

...
This way, when the RO solenoid opens, the well tank will be at its maximum pressure...

Its not going to work that way. Your well pump has a max pressure it cuts off at and a min pressure it turns back on at. Your tank pressure will cycle between those two points.

So, turning on your pump when you turn on your RO will only guarantee you maximum pressure at start up. After that, you will still cycle between 35 and 60 PSI. Triggering the pump at 'cut on' won't do anything for you.

 

[Edward Smith]

I think were on the same page? I only want to well tank to be at full pressure when the RO starts (I'm not making that much water). I recognize the water tank will slowly decrease in pressure and the well pump will not re-engage until it hits 40psi. I just want it to start at the max.

That said, the relay and extra pressure switch sound like more $$ and work then a booster pump? I was just hoping there would be and easy way to trigger the cutoff switch to make it "think" it was below 40psi.

Thanks

 

[mcgyvr]

Why don't you just adjust the switch to 50min/70max or something and forget doing anything.. Enjoy the added pressure through the house and save the money you would have spent on a booster or any other hack..

I don't get why you'd want to do anything else..

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Assuming the existing switch is adjustable I agree, just turn it up.

Otherwise, booster pump.

Also, if you're making water every night and only making a small volume, you may want to rethink your entire strategy. I'm sure you've heard of TDS creep - when a membrane sits, it lets some contaminants through. When you first turn on the water, you wash all those contaminants out with the product water. You don't actually start getting good clean water for at least several gallons.

So, if you only ever make a few gallons at a time, you're always getting that contaminated water. If you have DI, you'll be exhausting it much faster than you should.

The easy way around this is to use a large storage container. If you are currently making 2 gallons a night (as an example), instead set your system up so you make and store 60 gallons once a month, or 30 gallons every other week, or whatever works out based on your storage container. This way, that first few gallons of dirty water are only hitting your system (or exhausting your DI resin) once every month, instead of every night.