Adding to Water Lines on Well

[mluck]

We just moved into a neat little farm and it has an existing well which provides water to the home and a separate little guest house. We wanted more storage so we had a 3000 gal. tank set up the hill about 500 feet which is only about 25-30 feet higher than our home. The present well has a submersible pump which pumps into the home surge tank and builds pressure to about 40 psi. I want to run a new line from the well to the new tank so I can provide water to several outbuildings, garden, stock water, etc. It appears to me that when I tap into the pressurized line, and go to the tank that I will lose the pressure unless I install another surge pump at the tank and pressurize the whole system coming back down the hill. This would alleviate the constant demand on the well pump of acting as a pressure pump I believe. Questions: 1. Can I run one line from the well to the tank or do I need to run one line to fill the tank and another to provide water back down the hill to the barn, garden, etc. so I can pressurize the water coming to the whole system? 2. I believe there is a 1" line presently coming out of the wellhead but I'm not sure. Can I tap into it with a T and valve to divert water to the tank without causing unknown problems? 3. To travel the distance to the tank, can I use a 1" line to fill the tank or would it be better to use a larger line for efficiency? 4. If I need to install a second line to return water from the tank, what size would be best for a supply line to provide water to the barn, gardens, Trees, stock, and homes?

 

[phishfood]

What kind of tank is the 3000 gallon unit? Is it a new tank built specifically for this purpose, or is it a generic steel storage tank?

There are lots of water quality safety issues that can come up with this type of system, that might not be apparent, but definitely are real.

 

[mluck]

Tank is a rubberized one built specifically for this purpose and was set by the company that originally drilled the well and installed the surge tank, etc. The tank is about 500 feet from the well at this point.

 

[phishfood]

The more I think about this, the more variables I can think of that would dramatically change the best way to plumb this system. I definitely think that a two pipe system is called for, to prevent the water in the large tank from going stagnant. Offhand, with 500' of run, I would say 1 1/2" minimum, but 2" might not be crazy overkill.

Will the company that supplied the tank do the rest of the work for you? Or at least tell you what needs to be done if you buy everything from them? So many things to think about, I am not sure that you will be happy with the result without some clear and informed instruction.

 

[mluck]

Got a contractor friend looking at it too. Driller said he would be happy to give me some ideas too. Thanks.