If your irrigation system uses a pressure tank, then yes. A check valve is necessary when pumping into any pressurized system. Pressure is required to propel the water, even in drip irrigation. If there is enough pressure to push water out, there is enough pressure to push back when you release the pump lever. This is what the check valve prevents. If you are using a gravity-fed irrigation system, a check valve would be needed if you are pumping to a tank more than 20 feet above the well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the Simple Pump with my low yield well?
With a low yield (low recovery rate) well, you could draw down the water and end up sucking air. Pumping air for any length of time can void our lifetime warranty.
For a well with a low recovery rate but with a tall column of water, the best remedy is to locate the Simple Pump further than usual below the water’s surface. If the water does stop flowing, just stop pumping. Wait for your well to fill back up before pumping again.
Do we need a check valve for irrigation?
Will the Simple Pump drop pipes install in my pump house?
The Simple Pump drop pipe lengths are 9 feet but the roof to where my well is shorter than that. Are the pipes flexible enough to bend a little? The roof is about 8 feet.
No. The drop pipes are not flexible enough. Schedule 80 PVC tubing has thick walls relative to the diameter of the tube. You will need to buy half-length drop pipes or cut a hatch in the roof.
Can I drive the Simple Pump motor with wind power?
This is physically possible but is NOT SUPPORTED by Simple Pump Co. There are pumps designed specifically for this purpose; the Simple Pump is not one. Such an installation will void all warranty.
We cannot offer a warranty when the Simple Pump is being driven by a very powerful mechanical device of someone else’s construction. In addition, you have no power when the wind isn’t blowing. Not a great option when you want a secure, reliable water supply. The recommended and supported use of a windmill is to drive a generator that charges batteries to then power our motor.
Can the Simple Pump motors be used with solar power?
Yes, the Simple Pump motors can be used in a solar power setup.
Our DC Motor is designed to be frugal in its use of power and is ideal for use with solar power. Provided the site is arranged so that the PV panels have a good year-round line of sight to the sun, only one or two panels are required, along with batteries and other components.
You can buy a complete solar motor system from us, or supply the motor and electronics yourself.
Benefits of using batteries rather than direct connection with linear current booster
- Not limited to sunlight periods of the day for pump operation.
- Stored power in the batteries allows operation over multiple days when sunlight is less than ideal.
- Batteries handle the amperage draw spike better than the linear current booster.
Can the Simple Pump be installed on my 7″ diameter casing?
Water well casings with 7″ INSIDE diameter are very unusual, but they do exist. Here’s what you need to know to make sure the diameter is accurate.
The water well industry standard is to specify diameter using INSIDE DIAMETER (ID). So, in your case, if you have a standard 7″ pipe, the inner diameter (ID, measured from the inside edges of the pipe, viewed in cross section) would be 7″. The outer diameter (OD, measured from outside edges of the pipe, in cross section) would be 7 5/8 (7.625) inches.
If you meant 7″ OUTSIDE diameter, that is typically a 6.25″ INSIDE diameter.
We have well caps for either size.
Where can I get my well information?
Accurate well specifications are important so we can give you a quote with the correct configuration for your specific well configuration and an accurate system price. In the extreme, providing inaccurate information may mean the difference between the installation of the Simple Pump being possible or not.
Some of the details required in the Simple Pump quote form are easier to get directly from measuring your well.
For other information:
- You can get the information from your well report which is typically recorded in your state's documents.
- You can get the information from the company who drilled the well.
- You can get a copy of the well report from your state.
State Resources for information on your water well.
Can the Simple Pump be installed on my buried tank?
“I have a 550-gallon tank buried underground, not a well, would I be able to use your pump for this type of installation?”
Yes. You would be able to use our pump for this type of installation.
To make our pump work with an underground tank, it needs to anchor to a (cylindrical) well casing (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 inches diameter). Specifically, the pump head is attached to the cap, and the cap is affixed to a casing.
The well casing must be vertical from the top (ground level) to the tank, terminating at the top of the tank, or within it. The series of lift rods connecting the top (pump head) to the bottom (pump cylinder) would extend into the tank, terminating very near its bottom, and ending with the pump cylinder.
Can the Simple Pump work with my existing pipes and pitless?
The pipe from the submersible is a typical plumbing pipe like pvc. The submersible pushes water up. When it reaches the pitless, it does a right-angle bend and goes out through the side of the casing. Then runs underground to your house. The pitless is, essentially, just a joint that redirects the water ninety degrees and fastens securely to the side of the casing.
The Simple Pump is a completely separate system, alongside your submersible. We can't, somehow, use the submersible pipe because our pipe is not JUST a hollow pipe - it contains a series of rods that connect the lever arm at the top to the pump piston and a cylinder at the bottom.
There needs to be some way to get the water in the Simple Pump drop pipe out through the side of the casing. That way is our specially engineered pitless adaptor which allows pumping from the top while diverting the water sideways.
Once the pipe is taken sideways outside the well casing, the pipe can then easily be joined up with a T junction and with the pipe coming from the submersible, so one pipe continues underground to your house. Each branch of the T has a one-way check valve, so the operating pump doesn't pump water down the other branch to the other pump.
Can I run the Simple Pump motor on AC power?
Whatever the source of electricity, we recommend using batteries between the source and the motor. So if you want to use AC, we recommend using the AC to charge batteries and using those to drive the motor.
If you run direct, the converter you use must have an output no less than 20 amps 12VDC. This amperage, higher than you might have expected, is due to uncertainty over internal inefficiencies with the converter. The converter must be able to deal with the amperage draw spike from the motor during the work portion of the operating cycle. Batteries handle this draw spike with no problem.
Batteries, of course, also the advantage of giving you reserve power when there is an outage.
If you run out of power — Hand-operation and motor operation are easily and quickly interchangeable, giving you even greater convenience and security for your water supply. The Simple Pump is actually unique in this regard.