Providing a country house with a water supply system has become a prerequisite for a comfortable life. If the site has its own well or well, a pumping station for cottages is a reasonable and effective solution. Its presence is a guarantee of the supply of water in the required quantity to any home water point. To choose the most optimal version of the unit for your home, you should get acquainted with its device and the principle of operation.
Unit design and purpose
In the suburban area, domestic pumping stations are used for the sole purpose of providing a residential building and the surrounding area with water from sources of any kind: artificial (well, well) or natural (river, pond). Water is supplied either to special storage tanks, for example, for watering beds or garden trees, or directly to the traditional points of drawdown - taps, faucets, toilets, geysers, washing machines.
Medium power stations are capable of pumping 3 m³ / h. This amount of clean water is enough to provide a family of 3 or 4 people. Powerful units are able to pass 7-8 m³ / h. The power comes from the mains (~ 220 V) in manual or automatic mode. Some devices are electronically controlled.
The composition of the pumping station: 1 - expansion tank; 2 - pump; 3 - pressure gauge;
4 - pressure switch; 5 - anti-vibration hose
If you need an installation that can operate without human intervention, an automatic pumping station with an expansion (hydropneumatic) tank is suitable. Its composition looks like this:
- hydro-pneumatic tank (tank capacity on average from 18 l to 100 l);
- surface type pump with electric motor;
- pressure switch;
- hose connecting pump and tank;
- electric power cable;
- water filter;
- pressure gauge;
- check valve.
The last three devices are optional.
Installation diagram of a pumping station for a country house, provided that the water source (well, well) is located next to the building
Many summer residents prefer pumping stations because of their simple installation and complete readiness for work. Protection of mechanisms from the human factor also plays a significant role. Before choosing a pumping station, let us consider in more detail the mechanisms on whose operation its operation depends - the pump and the hydropneumatic tank, as well as the possibility of electronic control.
Types of pumps
The design of pumping stations for village and country houses involves the use of surface pumps that differ in the type of ejector - built-in or remote. This choice is based on the location of the axis of the device relative to the surface of the water. The pump power can be different - from 0.8 kW to 3 kW.
The choice of surface pump model depends on the depth of the water mirror in the well
Models with integrated ejector
If the depth at which the surface of the water does not exceed 7-8 meters, you should stop on a model with a built-in ejector. Water supply pumping stations with such a device are capable of pumping water containing mineral salts, air, foreign elements with a diameter of up to 2 mm. In addition to a low threshold of sensitivity, they have a large head (40 m or more).
Marina CAM 40-22 pumping station equipped with a surface pump with integrated ejector
Water is supplied through a plastic rigid tube or reinforced hose, the diameter of which is set by the manufacturer. The end immersed in water is equipped with a check valve. The filter eliminates the presence of large particles in the water. The first start-up of the pump should be carried out according to the instructions. Part of the hose to the non-return valve and the internal cavities of the pump are filled with water, poured through a special hole with a plug.
The most popular models with a built-in ejector: Grundfos Hydrojet, Jumbo from the company Gileks, Wilo-Jet HWJ, CAM (Marina).
Remote ejector devices
For wells and wells, the water mirror of which is located below the level of 9 meters (and up to 45 m), water pumping stations equipped with devices with external ejectors are suitable. The minimum borehole diameter is 100 mm. The connecting elements are two pipes.
Pump station Aquario ADP-255A, equipped with a surface pump with a remote ejector
Installations of this type require particularly careful installation, as well as a careful attitude: water with an excess of impurities or a breakdown of the strainer provokes blockage and equipment failure. But they have one advantage - they are recommended to be installed if the pumping station is far from the well, for example, in a boiler room or in an additional extension near the house.
To protect the pumping station, it is installed in the utility room or in a heated room on the territory of the house
Many characteristics of the pump - durability, noise level, price, stability - depend on the material of its body, which happens:
- steel - a stainless steel looks beautiful, retains the properties of water unchanged, but has a high noise level, in addition, the cost of such a device is higher;
- cast iron - pleases with a moderate level of noise; the only negative is the possibility of rust formation, therefore, when choosing, you should pay attention to the presence of a protective layer;
- plastic - pluses: low noise, lack of rust in the water, inexpensive cost; the disadvantage is a shorter service life than metal cases.
Installation diagram of a pumping station equipped with a surface pump with a remote ejector
Hydropneumatic tank selection
When compiling a rating of pumping stations for your own cottage, you should remember the volume of the expansion tank, which performs several important functions. It helps regulate the pressure in the water supply. When one or several taps are turned on, the amount of water in the system decreases, the pressure drops, and when it reaches the lower mark (approximately 1.5 bar), the pump will automatically turn on and begin to replenish the water supply. This will happen until the pressure returns to normal (reaches 3 bar). The relay responds to pressure stabilization and turns off the pump.
In private homes, the volume of expansion tanks for pumping stations depends on the amount of water consumed in the system. The greater the water consumption, the greater the volume of the tank. If the tank has a sufficient volume, and water is rarely turned on, respectively, the pump will also turn on rarely. Volumetric tanks are also used as storage tanks for water during a power outage. The most popular models with parameters of 18-50 liters. The minimum amount is needed when one person lives in the country, and all possible points of water intake are in the bathroom (toilet, shower) and in the kitchen (faucet).
Electronic control: double protection
Does it make sense to install electronically controlled equipment? To accurately answer this question, you need to consider the advantages of such stations.
The ESPA TECNOPRES electronically controlled pump station has an additional degree of protection
Functions controlled by the electronic unit:
- prevention of “dry running” - when the water level drops in the well, the pump automatically stops working;
- the pump responds to the operation of the water taps - turns on or off;
- pump function indication;
- prevention of frequent switching on.
A number of models after the dry run protection function are restarted in standby mode for water. The restart intervals are different: from 15 minutes to 1 hour.
A useful feature is a gradual change in the speed of the electric motor, which is performed using an electronic speed converter. Thanks to this function, the plumbing system does not suffer from water hammer, and this saves energy.
The only negative of electronically controlled models is the high cost, so such equipment is not available to all summer residents.
Before choosing the most suitable pumping station, you should carefully study the technical characteristics of the pump, expansion tank, as well as the installation conditions of the equipment - and then the water supply system will work properly and efficiently.
