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Photo of a well pump pressure switchWater Pump Pressure Control Switch Location

Where to install the pressure switch

Water pump switch installation or replacement:

How to Replace a Water Pressure Control Switch that Sticks "ON" or "OFF" or is irregular.

Well pump & water tank pressure control switch repair or replacement procedures & wiring.

This article describes how to replace a water pressure control switch which is not working properly or perhaps is not working at all. We describe and illustrate how to find the pump switch, then we detail how to identify, remove, and replace the water pump pressure control switch for both above-ground pump and submersible well pump systems.

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- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Water Pump Pressure Control Switch Location

Pressure switch mounted on the water pump (C) Daniel FriedmanWhere on the plumbing system should the pressure control switch be located & mounted?

Locate & mount the water pump pressure control switch close to or on the water pressure tank

Except for special installations such as constant pressure water pump systems in-well systems that do not use a conventional water pressure tank or water storage tank, the pressure control switch should be located as close to the pressure tank as possible.

Failure to do so can result in a pressure control that does not function properly in response to water use, possibly causing surging or switch damage.

Typical pressure control switch locations include the following placements on the water supply system.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Photo: the gray pressure control switch is mounted on a galvanized pipe nipple and street-ell that is in turn screwed into the water pump body at a tapping provided by the manufacturer.

Photo below: the pressure control switch is supported on a bracket and a plastic tube connects the pressure switch sensing port to the pump body at a tapping provided by the pump manufacturer.

Pressure control switch on bracket, tubing to pump (C) Daniel Friedman

  1. On the jet pump itself or at the pump, supported by a separate bracket or supported by a short pipe nipple screwed into the pump's body where the nipple can sense the pump's outlet water pressure - suitable for 1-line and 2-line jet pumps located themselves at or close to the water pressure tank.

Bladderless water tank showing location of pressure control switch (C) Daniel Friedman

  1. On a water tank tee at the bottom of the water pressure/storage tank outlet. Photo above: the pressure switch is mounted on a pipe nipple at the tank tee that is in turn installed at the water pressure tank.

    The tank tee may provide connections for the pressure control switch , for a water pressure gauge, for a pressure relief valve, and for connections to incoming water from the pump, water inlet to the water pressure tank, and water outlet to the building.
  2. On the water tank itself, at a tapping provided for that purpose by the manufacturer.

Pressure control switch on water piping near the pressure tank - submersible pump system (C) Daniel Friedman

  1. On water piping close to the water pressure tank: as illustrated in our photo above, this is a common location for pressure control switches serving a submersible well pump system.

Question: is it ok to place the pressure switch near the top of the pressure tank

2018/06/21 Russ said:

My plumber installed a new Pentair AW42T bladerless tank for our well pump 2 mo’s ago. He put the pressure switch directly on the tank near the top.not on the water line feeding the tank. Is this okay?

This Q&A were posted originally

at WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL

Reply: yes

l think that's fine, Russ since both the air and water in the tank will always be at the same pressure.

It's of course true that air is more-compressible than water (by far) but in a closed pressurised container (like a water pressure tank) the air pressure and water pressure will always be the same.

However if you note the model number of your Pentair tank you can check with Pentair, the water pressure tank's manufacturer to see if they anticipate an issue. I'm doubtful.

Reader follow-up:

2018/06/22 Russ said:

Thanks, that’s what he told me but everyone else I talked to said it wasn’t right.this is not a tank with a bladder so I think that is what is confusing.

In the manual it suggests the switch be installed on the inlet line to the tank.this all started because we noticed the pump would run continuesly when taking a shower.

He noticed the switch was set to high (65). He did the draw down test & all our pump will produce is 4 gpm. Says our pump is getting weak. He installed it 8 years ago & claims that is about average. 8 to 10 years?? So that’s why I was wondering if something else caused the pump to wear out.

Reply:

Right, Pentair and other water pressure tank manufacturers (cited below) typically suggest a "standard" installation in which a tank tee or "tank cross" is connected to the bottom of the water pressure tank.

When that fitting is installed, because it provides a tapping for the pressure control switch, that's a correct and easy place to mount the control. I show an example in my photo below.

Bladderless water tank showing location of pressure control switch (C) Daniel Friedman

OPINION: But it makes no difference to the pressure control switch whether it's on a tank using an internal bladder or not. The switch simply responds to pressure sensed at its sensor port.

At WATER PUMP PRESSURE SWITCH INSTALL / REPLACE we include instructions on pressure control switch installation or replacement .

And at WATER PUMP PRESSURE SWITCH MANUALS you'll find links to PDF files giving pressure control switch installation instructions from the switch manufacturers.

A review the manufacturer's instructions to see if they raise any question about pump switch mounting location to date shows that the switch needs to be mounted as close to the pressure tank as possible rather than remote from it. But none of the instructions we found said a word about where on the pressure tank the switch should or should not be mounted.

A water pump pressure control switch can last 30 years or longer, or fail in a few months. Early "failures" are usually due to

1. debris clogging the pressure switch sensor port opening - the switch fails to respond to changes in pressure

2. arc burning - due to excessive short cycling due usually to a waterlogged pressure tank

References for this Pump Control Placement / Location Q&A

Pentair ProSource horizontal water pressure tank - adapted from Pentair IO manual cited in detail in this article (C) InspectApedia.com

Illustration: a horizontal Pentair Pro-Source® water pressure tank showing the pressure control switch mounted on the pump and connected by tubing to a pressure port on the pump assembly / regulator. Other pressure sensor port connections are possible.

This pressure tank combined with a two-line jet pump uses an AVC - air volume control to maintain the air charge in the tank.

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2021-06-13 by (mod) - pump protection switch & dug well sanitation warnings

Burcam shallow well jet pump # 506518SS with pressure control switch mounted on pump - cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com@Anonymous,

Certainly there are well pump protection controls of various types that can be added to a system to protect against "running dry" damage.

Examples are at WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH

Watch out: There is absolutely no chance that your basement dug-well can provide safe, sanitary drinking water:

1. dug wells are not protected against surface water contaminants

2. your dug well is in a basement that floods seasonally

You can not drink that water safely without also providing a water treatment system that includes at the very least, disinfection.

When a well can be contaminated by surface waters, other surface contaminants such as pesticides, fertilizer, etc. also may be present.

It would make sense to have some very thorough testing done of that water and also to know the history of usage of the property to have an idea what contaminants should be monitored-for.

Take a look at

DUG WELL POTABILITY TEST

DUG WELL SANITATION PROTECTION

Incidentally the Burcam 506518SS - as shown in our photo from an online vendor (Lowes) looks as if it's using the standard Square-D pressure control switch that appears in many of our pressure control swith articles in this series.

Watch out: As the pump comes with a switch I'd expect to use that one; however it if the distance between pump and water pressure tank is more than a few feet we might want to re-consider that pressure switch location - as you'll read in the article above on this page - and which may be why your discussion appeared here in the first place.

Finally: to estimate the volume of water available in your dug well - before considering its slow recovery rate,

see VOLUME of WATER IN a CYLINDER - CALCULATION

On 2021-06-13 by Anonymous - Burcam pump not protected from damage if well runs dry

@inspectapedia.com.moderator, Thanks, the help is much appreciated. In answer to a couple of the points made, my pump is the 506518SS which doesn't come with the attached tank, so the plan was to use my existing tank.

Our house was built in 1887, and according to the elderly people from across the street, the well was dug somewhere around 1900. It's about 4 feet in diameter and 18 feet deep.

Right now it has about a 2 foot head. After the snow melt, if my sump pump fails, my basement is under about 2 feet of water (found that out the hard way.) By end of August it's usually down to about a 3 or 4 foot head depending on how dry the year has been. I've drained it nearly completely dry, and it refilled in about 24 hours.

My one concern is that if the well does run dry or some reason, this pump doesn't have a safety to shut it down. Again, thanks for the help.

On 2021-06-12 by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod) - switching to a shallow-well pump - what to do with old pressure-control & tank

Burcam Pumps 506227P - 18 GPM 3/4 HP Thermoplastic Shallow Well Jet Pump w/ 7 Gallon Tank discussed at InspectApedia.com @Anonymous, / Marc:

OK so options for that old, now "OFF" pressure switch for the deep well:

1. Leave it alone just turn off electrical power to it.

Use the switch that came with your Burcam shallow well pump to control that pump. It's new, already integrated with the pump, and should be in good working order.

I don't see any advantage to trying to use the old pressure control.

In any event your new pump is going to feed water to the existing pressure tank and to the building.

2. If you plan to abandon the deep well then you'll want to see

WELL ABANDONMENT PROCEDURE inspectapedia.com/water/Well_Abandonment_Procedure.php

and you could remove wiring to the old pressure control and then remove the control itself entirely, using a suitably-sized NPT pipe plug to close the pipe tee opening where it was mounted.

3. IF your Burcam pump is like the one shown below, (
Hover to zoom
Burcam Pumps 506227P - 18 GPM 3/4 HP Thermoplastic Shallow Well Jet Pump w/ 7 Gallon Tank (115/230V)) it includes its own water pressure tank; in that case you can still feed output into your existing water system - the existing tank will give a little bit more water storage.

But

Watch out: from your description I can't say that it sounds as if that shallow well is going to provide sufficient water quantity for a working occupied household.

You might still be able to live with it by installing a much larger water storage tank than what I am guessing is your present water pressure tank; that approach allows the system to pump and store water at a slow-enough rate and to pump water during times of no water use - avoiding exhausting the well but giving enough reserve to have a functional water system.

In that case the new large water storage system would replace that old pressure tank.

On 2021-06-12 by Anonymous

Yeah I know I leave the deep well pump turned off. My explanations might be a bit confusing. I have a new Burcam shallow well jet pump that has a pressure switch on it that I have installed right beside my shallow well which is about 20 feet from my tank. The tank is still connected to the deep well pump but I'm going to disconnect that pump, and hook up the Burcam to my tank.

The problem is that the pressure switch for the deep well pump is on a tee right at the tank, so what I've trying to figure out is do I use the pressure switch that is part of my Burcam shallow well pump, or use the one on the tee at the water tank. If I use the one one on my shallow well, I assume I can just leave the switch at the tank installed, but just not connect it.

If I use the switch at the water tank, I assume I have to electrically bypass the one on my shallow well pump, but assume I don't have to actually remove it.
Thanks again for the info.

On 2021-06-12 by (mod)

@Anonymous,

Ok. Thanks for that added information.

You would leave power turned off to the pump that is in the well that is not working.

On 2021-06-12 by (mod)

@Anonymous,

In general, yes, but check the install instructions for your specific switch

On 2021-06-12 by Anonymous

Ack, thanks...so I just bypass the pressure switch on my Burcam?

I've had 3 different people come drop a camera down the deep well, and they've all agreed that an insert in our case has a pretty low chance of success, and that we'd more than likely be spending like $3000 to find out that we need a new well dug anyway.

On 2021-06-12 by (mod)

Your pressure switch can run the new pump.

You might also look into having the well casing repaired by an insert instead of replacing the entire casing.

On 2021-06-11 by Marc

My deep well casing split, and we can't afford to dig a new deep well for a couple of years. We have an old shallow well in our basement, and I've tested the water and it's good. The well refill rate is about 21 hours from pretty much empty to full. My question, I have a shallow well jet pump that I'm installing, that has a pressure switch on the pump itself.

The pressure switch for the deep well pump is at my water tank. do I remove that one at the tank, or can I just leave it there, and wire up the pressure switch on the jet pump?
Thanks

On 2020-08-22 5 by Anonymous

Can u put the preasure switch on a well laying sideways

On 2020-06-06 by (mod)

Doug

Pressure control switches like the Square D unit shown on this page can be mounted horizontally or vertically.

See WATER PUMP PRESSURE SWITCH MANUALS
https://inspectapedia.com/water/Water-Pump-Control-Switch-Manuals.php

to find the installation instructions for your specific switch and you can confirm the permitted mounting positions.

On 2020-06-05 by Doug

Is it ok to install the pump pressure switch in a horizontal orientation vs the normal vertical orientation? In other words, instead of mounting it straight above the tank tee, use an elbow and additional nipple si the connecting nipple is horizontal instead of vertical.

On 2020-04-19 by (mod)

Yes Raymond

The pressure control switch can be on the inlet line to the tank - take a look at the page top photo where there is a standard water tank inlet tee showing fittings for various devices including the switch.

Take care: there should be no shutoff valve between the pressure switch and the pump nor between the switch and the pressure tank.

On 2020-04-19 by Raymond Teed

Can pressure switch be on tank inlet line

Question: add a switch to protect water pump from damage?

(Apr 25, 2012) Ernie Parsons said:

I live in the North (Nunavut) and our water is supplied by truck and held in a 700 gal. tank. Sometimes when it storms and the trucks fall behind schedule and we run out of water.

The problem is when this happens the pump continues to run and if we don't catch it quickly it heats up and ruins the impeller centre or the bearing. My question: is there a shut off I can install on the pump or water line that will shut the pump off when the tank is empty.

Reply:

Certainly, Ernie. Take a look at the controls described at WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH

Question: what's the right air charge for a bladderless water pressure tank?

(June 14, 2012) Mack said:

Replacing pressure switch on bladder-less tank. After I drain tank and replace switch, should I add some pressure to the the tank a few pounds below cut in (28 for a 30)as one would do with bladder tank or is this unnecessary? Thanks

Reply:

Mack, for a bladderless water tank if you empty the tank completely of water then most likely you won't have to add more pressure for the tank to work just fine when the pump is turned back on.

Question: pump won't come on

Aug 21, 2012) Dawn said:

When I turn on the watering system the pump does not come on but the relay switch box clicks and it clicks when I turn it off as well. I was told it could be this. New to this so I just wanted your opinion

(Jan 15, 2013) Stacy V. said:

I replaced the switch and rewired everything correct. I can't get any spark or anything. I have power coming to the switch, but still nothing??? HELP!!! I have no water...

Reply:

Dawn and Stacey V:

take a look at WATER PUMP DIAGNOSTIC TABLE and let us know if that doesn't solve the problem you describe.

 


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