Help...water pump questions!

I just moved into a new home in Baan San Sa-Ran, and the water pressure is really low to the point where the faucets go completely dry at times. I discovered the wall switch for the water pump, so now I get a fairly good flow. The problem is....now the pump seems to run constantly. My wife says that the purpose of the pump is to pump water from the main water line to the tank, so when we use water in the house the pump runs to replenish the supply in the tank. She says it has nothing to do with forcing water from the tank into the house. So, I'm confused! When the pump is running, is it pushing water into the house, or is it pushing water into the tank to replace water that we have just used in the house?

Most evenings the water is running for hours to fill the tank, and the pump is on the entire time (the only major water use is to water the grounds every morning). I'm scared to death to see my electric bill this month. Can anyone answer my questions or give me advice on the matter.

All the best!

The normal set up is that the pump fills the tank & then the tank gravity feeds the house, on demand.
It could be connected differently if, for some reason the tank was below the level of the house, but I would wonder why anyone would build like that, I must admit.
However as you take water from the tank the pump should come on, automatically, to refill the tank with the water you are using.
I am totally unsure as to why the pump should be running for long periods. I have always found them pretty efficient at refilling - as long as you have plenty of water coming towards it that is...

The way mine works is the pump pumps the water into the house. You should be able to tell by where the pump is located. Is it before or after the tank. If the pump is running the may be a leak in the house water line. A toilet is running or the spray value is leaking

go outside and take a look. there should be a float in the tank. when you use water from the tank the float drops and the pump kicks in and refills the tank as you use it. generally the pressure from the line will fill the tank and you use the pump to bring the water from the tank to the house. usually you will have on off valves around the take for other options. stare at your tank and figure out plans A, B and C

same as the other two posts the pump is to get the water into the house. when our storage tank is filling the water can be heard coming into the tank, would suggest when pump is running see if you can hear the water, if not open the hatch and have a look inside.i know nothing about these type of pumps so this a guess if the water is coming in correctly then the automatic shut is not working.give your garden a good watering once a week .

I have found that when the there is a power cut the mains water goes off, when the power returns the mains water will not come back on for quite awhile, also get low presure and will not feed it into the house.

So we brought a big 1000lt tank, well my wife did when I was back ion the UK. Has made all the concrete sink its so heavy.

But I have found that after a power cut or low water presure the tank is not refilling, and the pump will then continue to run, I think it is because the pump is treating it like an open tap so keeps running. Would think that is what yours is doing, you have low water in the tank. Would think that there would be a non return value in there some where.

My pump also makes a very loud clicking noise, and will not stop until I pull the plug, any one have an idea why that is.

malc123

If the tank is overfilling than the float value is worn out. shut off the water and take the float and value to Global House. There is only one float at GH but you known Murphy you could have the one odd one.

I had the same problem. I think the pump looses its prime - no water. Unplugging seems to allow the pump to reset.

I would suggest you seek the help of a local tradesman who knows what he's doing.

I've come across a variety of different "configurations" in terms of how the pump is set up in the system.

In one, due to lack of mains pressure, the pump was set up to "pull" the water from the mains and fill the tank. (Though with the risk that if there wasn't water in the mains then the pump would suck on air and eventually burn out).

In the other more usual situation, the pump was set up to pump water from the tank to the house. The tank then (slowly) re-filled from the mains. That's the norm.

With the latter situation (or possibly with either), if the wrong valves were opened or closed, the pump would run continually, simply recycling the water from the tank and and back into the tank again.

Thus I suggest if you are not sure, or your pump runs continuously, then unless you can work it out by checking the pipe run and valves, that you seek the advice of someone who knows..

the pump works on pressure so it will keep pumping until pressure builds up (ie tap is closed) the pump should then shut itself off if the pump is running constantly you either have a major leak somewhere or the pump is not receiving enough water dont leave it running or it will get very hot and s**t itself. You should have the pump set up to pump water from the tank to your house this way the pump always has enough water. The mains water feeds into the tank which should have a floating stop cock just like your toilet so when mains pressure is good it will fill your tank and when the pressure drops you will still have 1000 lts to keep you going until the mains pressure improves.

arjay wrote:I would suggest you seek the help of a local tradesman who knows what he's doing.

I agree.
Save yourself the headache of trying to fix it yourself. Labor is cheap here.
One thing I do know is these pumps are not designed to run continuously. It will burn itself out and you'll be buying a new pump.

It would appear that the basic problem is the pressure that the mains has when it gets to your house.
if as you say the house is fed by a tank 1000/1500/2000 litres and the pressure at your shower head is sufficient then there is no problem between the tank and your house.
Having said that, you should check to see that if all taps etc are turned off then there is no water usage at all, any indication that you are losing water could be part of the problem.

When you come to the main feed into the house /tank then often one does need a pump to assist , which enables the water to rise up the inlet pipe into a tank, and again a good float switch should ensure no overfilling.

If one does suffer low pressure then a one way valve between the road and your pump should cancel out the pump hunting for water to pump, another idea maybe to put the pump on a timer switch so it works between Midnight and 6.00 am when the water pressure is at its best due to the fact that 90% of the town is asleep.

Using a local contractor can help but I have found they are a tad slap dash. I have in my garden three large tanks and 8 smaller ones to maintain my garden and house with two sources of supply and not a Thai in sight to fit and it works after 8 years with only minor probs like taps wearing out and the time the dog chewed a pipe.

it never ceases to amaze me, for a country rich in water the Thais really have no idea how to manage it.

my two cents worth thought I think its already been covered..
it should be mains/tank/pump/house, unless you are drawing from a well or bore..
if it is such a configuration, and I would look, just so you get to know your house system,

I would hazard a guess that its either the float switch is faulty, and the ball cock is not reseating properly ( if there is one), or the tank is not filling up as fast as you are using water., or someone else is hooked into your line....also the size of the pump can be a factor..if you are watering gardens and have a small pump, then it will take time to refilll the tank back up to the float cutoff switch...if the pump is between the tank and house then you should not have any pressure problem at all, unless their is a hole in the water line after the pump and between the house...you really need to start off with a full tank to test things, fill up some water cans for cooking purposes or washing dishes and leave the house system alone for half a day, taps, shower, everything, if the pump comes on you have a leak somewhere

if the pump is between the mains and the tank, then when the mains are out of water like they do all the time, then this may create an air blockage of sorts with the pump, then it may run continuously because it cannot draw any water..

Hi
Re water pump,
I recently fitted a tank and pump to my house in Baan hansa as i weas fed up with no water in my upstairs ensuite 1st thing in the morning.
As many of the other posts have said, there is a variety of setups out there, and as you have probably established Thai workmen will never admit they dont know how to do something (face and all that b.s!) You could have any combination of setups.
You say you have a tank, then this is usually to store water if either you dont have a street supply or your well is dry! I would assume you have a street supply. To establish what your pump is doing you can turn off the water at the meter, then open a tap or faucet as you would call it if you get a flow and your pump runs, you have the normal tank setup, i.e your street supply feeds the tank then your pump is fed from the tank to the house. There should be a number of valves or taps around the pump and tank, it is vital the right ones are closed and open etc. With a bit of detective work you should be able to work out which does what.
In a normal set up there will be a street feed pipe coming to the tank which may be a 't' connection to the house feed, normally the house feed will be split with a valve that enables the water flow to come straight from the street to the house, missing out the tank and pump. Your tank should have a connection to the pump, again with a valve. The pump output should connect to the house in feed wit a valve!
The normal flow circuit for the water should be ; Street, Tank, pump, house. The tank will have a float valve in the top but if this is faulty it will not cause the pump to run, but the tank will over fill.
The pump switching is controlled by a simple diaphragm and microswitch arangement which stops the pump when all faucets are closed and the pressure builds in the line.
The only time a pump is used before the tank is on a well system, where it pulls the water up to the tank.
I hope this is of some help, Iam in uk at mo, but please 'pm' me if you need any help with exsplanation
Regards Tony

maaka wrote:my two cents worth thought I think its already been covered..
it should be mains/tank/pump/house, unless you are drawing from a well or bore..
if it is such a configuration, and I would look, just so you get to know your house system,

Same as our house. When water is turned somewhere in the house the pump kicks on. Water off, pump is idle.