Hi everyone,
This is my first post on here, so please be gentle.
I have a problem with my domestic water system. My house is in rural Italy and the water supply is from a large underground cistern (no mains water). Water is pumped from the cistern to the house on demand, using a submersible pump and a pressure switch. The pressure switch cuts in when pressure drops below 1 bar, and off when it reaches 2.2 bar.
The system has worked fine for the last couple of years but over the last month the pump behaviour and the water pressure has become erratic. The pump is cutting in more and more frequently for shorter spells (a toilet flush now takes about 10 short 'whirrs' of the pump rather than 3 longer ones previously). From the pressure gauge it seems that the pressure shoots up to 2.2 bar and then immediately falls back to about 1.3 bar, which then falls back to 1 bar as the tap runs, causing the pump to kick in again.
My suspicion is that one of two things have gone wrong:
1. The expansion vessel has worn out (someone ages ago told me they only normally last a year or two)
2. There's a problem with a check valve somewhere
Any advice would be most welcome. My electricity consumption has rocketed, and I suspect the situation isn't helping the old pump.
Many thanks,
Jeremy.
This is my first post on here, so please be gentle.
I have a problem with my domestic water system. My house is in rural Italy and the water supply is from a large underground cistern (no mains water). Water is pumped from the cistern to the house on demand, using a submersible pump and a pressure switch. The pressure switch cuts in when pressure drops below 1 bar, and off when it reaches 2.2 bar.
The system has worked fine for the last couple of years but over the last month the pump behaviour and the water pressure has become erratic. The pump is cutting in more and more frequently for shorter spells (a toilet flush now takes about 10 short 'whirrs' of the pump rather than 3 longer ones previously). From the pressure gauge it seems that the pressure shoots up to 2.2 bar and then immediately falls back to about 1.3 bar, which then falls back to 1 bar as the tap runs, causing the pump to kick in again.
My suspicion is that one of two things have gone wrong:
1. The expansion vessel has worn out (someone ages ago told me they only normally last a year or two)
2. There's a problem with a check valve somewhere
Any advice would be most welcome. My electricity consumption has rocketed, and I suspect the situation isn't helping the old pump.
Many thanks,
Jeremy.
