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Well Water?

Joe Shark

New member
I was hoping to get some opinions or facts from the members here about well water and pressure washers. If I run well water through my pressure washer, will this cause a problem? I am in south florida so our well water is not the same as up north.

Thanks for your time and help.
 

Ken Fenner

Active member
Hi Sharky (when you get a chance, fill out your signature line so we know what to call you instead of "sharky"). There are a couple of things you may want to consider to protect your pump from well sediment.

The first would be to have a reserve tank. This will allow a couple things. One, you won't run out of water. Well pumps are notorious for getting clogged and offering low flow. Two, you can plumb your unloader bypass into the reserve to keep the pump cool when you are not pulling the trigger. The size of the tank depends upon the gpm of your machine. 10 gallons of reserve tank for every 1 gpm of machine flow is fine for most residential. Of course it also is insurance against anything getting into your pump.

The second thing I recommend is to get a couple of filters in line with your supply. I use a little half round filter right at the spigot. The second is a clear bowl right at your input to the pump. I'll put a couple fo pictures to show you what I mean. make sure you check all of your filters often. Its a good habit to do it at the end of every job, especially on well water.
 

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Jeff Wible

New member
Something else to consider when using well water... (which you may already have)... is what you're cleaning. Well water can vary greatly from place to place. House washing is the first thing that comes to mind, sometimes well water will give a clouded finish on windows and even siding. Also soap can have trouble working it's best in well water because of hardness.

Jeff
 

Ken Fenner

Active member
Great point, Jeff. Well water is often "hard" and requires softening for better rinsing and less spotting. That's why it is a good idea to use a soap containing the right types of surfactants, buffers and agents.
 

GMack

New member
Here in Vermont, many of our homes are on wells.

Two seasons ago with a well as the water source, I burned out a pump while cleaning a cedar sided home in preperation for stain. It was very late in the day and I think I had run the homeowner's well close to dry, in the process starving my own pump. I'm very lucky we didn't burn out theirs.

I've been nervous hooking up to wells since then. Even if you are getting a good water supply, it seems that the endurance of that supply depends a lot on the quality of the well.
 

Ken Fenner

Active member
GMack, two ways most of us avoid that are to test the flow on a spigot (if it seems low, measure the time to fill a 5-gallon a pail) and using a buffer tank.

PS: When you get a chance, fill in your signature line by clicking on the USER CP.
 

GMack

New member
Thanks Ken. So on the endurance issue, as you see the level in the buffer tank begin to drop, you know you're probably pushing the well to its safe limits?
 

topcoat

Contributing Member
GM

I think in our area a well needs to be able to produce at least 5 gpm, so if it took more than a minute to fill a bucket it would be a big red flag.
 

GMack

New member
GM

I think in our area a well needs to be able to produce at least 5 gpm, so if it took more than a minute to fill a bucket it would be a big red flag.

On this particular job (this is the one right up the road from me), there was very obviously plenty of flow in the morning. I believe we just ran it low throughout the day to a point where it could no longer keep up with even 4 gpm. That day, I actually stopped because the spray pattern was starting to get weak and uneven. When I started again, my pressure was gone (along with my day).
 

topcoat

Contributing Member
On this particular job (this is the one right up the road from me), there was very obviously plenty of flow in the morning. I believe we just ran it low throughout the day to a point where it could no longer keep up with even 4 gpm. That day, I actually stopped because the spray pattern was starting to get weak and uneven. When I started again, my pressure was gone (along with my day).


I think these guys are onto something with carrying their own water.
 

James Foley

New member
Sometimes you have to check the filter in the house also because that will get clogged with well water systems ( has happened to me). Best to have a reserve tank and when the water start to darken and slow down stop. 4 to 5 gallon a minute machines work ok on wells but if you have a big strip job you have to haul water . I have a big strip job coming up with well water thanks for the remind.
 

GMack

New member
Sometimes you have to check the filter in the house also because that will get clogged with well water systems ( has happened to me). Best to have a reserve tank and when the water start to darken and slow down stop. 4 to 5 gallon a minute machines work ok on wells but if you have a big strip job you have to haul water . I have a big strip job coming up with well water thanks for the remind.

That's very true. We're on a well at our house and, if I don't change that filter often enough, pressure at the faucets gets noticeably lower.
 
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