We bought the house with an existing well pump system that had been installed in June of 2000. It was still working fine in February of 2025. However we had plugged in the circuit breaker incorrectly so that it was only on one 120v leg. Since I had power at the well circuit box, I thought it was just fine for power but we had no water pressure and I could not get the lever on the pressure switch to restore water to the pressure tank. So we called the number on the well tank and asked for service.
The company that had originally installed the system had been bought by another but luckily the phone number still contacted a well company in Boulder/Longmont. After some preliminary diagnosis they found the misinstalled circuit breaker and moved it. But they confirmed that the well pump had been installed in 2000 and it had never been replaced according to the state records. I asked if we should replace it before it wore out and they offered a new type of system run by a Grundfos pump.
I did some research on the new system and read about constant pressure systems. It is more efficient that the old variable pressure systems. “Grundfos SQE constant pressure pump is uniquely designed with an intelligent built-in variable speed motor which can speed up or slow down depending upon the amount of water consumed. As more water is required, the pump will increase its speed and likewise as less water is required, will slow down. This allows the home owner to comfortably use for example, the shower, washing machine and irrigation sprinklers all at the same time, and unlike conventional pumps, there will be no loss of water pressure.”
This new system is the same horsepower but runs constantly when the water is running. The pressure tank is constantly refilled instead of filling to a certain pressure and then using the stored water until the pressure drops as in the old system. The benefit of the large tank was that if the power went off the pressure in the tank would hold for some use before we were out of water. That is not true of the new system. However, having solar battery backup should help with any power outages we experience.
As usual watching the installation was interesting. The truck they brought had a large crane extension that allowed them to pull the pvc well pipe out in full 20 foot sections. The pipe runs the entire 300 ft down the well. They just used two large pipe wrenches to separate the pipe sections. After the first pipe was pulled the second and third were stained brown with the iron and manganese in our well water. That staining shows how well our filter system works.
The inside installation just consisted of a new shut off switch, a new controller, and the small pressure tank. The rest of our system was hooked to that. They also installed a new well cap, redid the wire all the way to the pump and added a new outdoor spigot. Our old spigot stopped working about a year ago so having outdoor water again will be great.
Indoors we added space to the utility room but not enough space to add another big tank if we needed one for a different hot water heating system. That was kind of a disappointment. But one of the installers said we could always use the garage. I guess if we could figure out how the pipe from the tank would get to the utility room that would be true. From the old well pipe to the new pressure tank, they used 1″ Pex with an expansion type of connector. The water is routed to the MangOx filter, then to the whole house filter, then to the pressure tank and on to our house systems. The new pressure is quite a bit higher than we had in the house with the old system. We are surprised by how the faucets deliver water now, especially the shower. Wow!
Although we gained space, the old space seemed to store just as much stuff as the new! I set up a new shelf system and bought wire baskets for the new and the old shelving systems. I just had to take down the old shoe storage for cleaning supplies and move them to the new shelves. It really does look organized now though.
