Backup weep supply

[Jim L.]

I currently weep with water well water and I would like to have a backup is case I loose power. I’m thinking of tying city water into the weep system using a pressure regulator set at say 10 psi. As long as the well keeps the pressure above 20 psi the city water would not come in play. If the well goes down and the pressure drops to 0, the city water would pressurize the system to 10 psi. Would this work? Would the pressure from the well keep the city water from flowing?

 

[Tpoppa]

Is weeping really that much of a concern in Florida?

 

[MEP001]

It seems like a sound idea, except that I doubt weep at 10 PSI would be enough flow to prevent a freeze. I've set up RO reject recovery systems to do basically the same thing.

 

[sparkey]

Why don't you just tie the city water into your weep system with a normally open solenoid valve held closed with your pump room power. When the power goes out the valve opens.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

We have city water solenoid powered direct from line side of our recycle pump pressure switch--if we loose power or pump breaker trips city valve opens.

That said our weep system "on" time got messed up some how--open only 11 sec at 25 deg instead of 30. The system has MK VII label but we don't have manual to reprogram. Anyone know who MK VII buys their weep timer from--we have call in to them but have not heard back.
Ted

 

[Jim L.]

Tpoppa

Yes it is. This month we had a 23 degree and a 24 degree night…last winter saw some nights that got into the teens.

sparkey

I forgot to say that I wanted the backup supply to cover a well pump going down. I would like the backup to activate with a loss of pressure. I’ll check out using a normally open solenoid with a pressure switch.

MEP

I’ll have to play with weep/well and get a high and low pressure reading when the weep is running. I could then set the regulator to a few psi under the lower reading.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

 

[Robert2181]

Did you look into the freeze guard system?

 

[sparkey]

Just power your normally open solenoid valve from a pressure switch connected to your well pump. When the pressure drops it shuts off power to the solenoid valve allowing city water pressure to your weep system.

 

[MEP001]

Just power your normally open solenoid valve from a pressure switch connected to your well pump. When the pressure drops it shuts off power to the solenoid valve allowing city water pressure to your weep system.

I think what he wants is to have the weep run off the pressurized well system but use the city water as a backup in case the well pump fails. What you've suggested would only make the weep run when the well pump is running.

 

[sparkey]

I think what he wants is to have the weep run off the pressurized well system but use the city water as a backup in case the well pump fails. What you've suggested would only make the weep run when the well pump is running.

Wrong. If the pressure switch is connected to the pressureized well system which is connected to a normally open solenoid valve on the city water line(held closed through the pressure switch of the well when up to pressure) the solenoid valve will open when the pressure switch drops below preset pressure from a well failure. The normally open solenoid valve will also open from a power failure allowing city water to flow into the weep system. The pressure switch would be a seperate pressure switch set at a lower pressure than the pressure switch controlling the well pump. This normally closed solenoid valve is seperate from the actual normally closed solenoid valve on the weep system that controls the flow to the bays. I might not have been specific enough when explaining it the first time.

 

[MEP001]

I see now, I thought you meant to connect the solenoid to the pressure switch that controls the pump.