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Pressure Control Valve

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Mudman

New Member

Posts: 3

1

Tuesday, January 21st 2014, 4:56pm

Pressure Control Valve

What pressure control valve have people found to be effective? I have a Goulds 2 hp pump which has a maximum pressure of about 55 psi (128 ft head). My main concern is assuring I don't damage the pump if I inadvertently run it with all valves closed. What pressure do you recommend I set the PCV at?
Thanks,
Mudman

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

2

Wednesday, January 22nd 2014, 3:29pm

Assuming your pump is a single-stage centrifugal, like the Irri-Gator from Goulds, you will be lacking the "brute force" pressure that deep-well submersible pumps possess, that allow them to fully open a standard pressure relief valve. It might be more rewarding to use a small pressure tank and pressure switch, to make something like a self-contained water supply out of your pump.

More work, and more money, but certainty has its price.

Mudman

New Member

Posts: 3

3

Wednesday, January 22nd 2014, 9:25pm

Thanks Wet_Boots. I'll give the tank and pressure switch some more thought. Mudman

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

4

Monday, January 27th 2014, 2:32pm

The difficulty with protecting a centrifugal pump with a pressure relief valve, is that valves like these don't snap open fully at a set point. They begin to open at a pressure maybe 10 psi or more below the pressure that it takes for them to be fully open, and that creates a problem when you want to be running a centrifugal pump at an operating pressure that is close to its maximum output pressure. A pressure switch provides absolute on-off control, albeit at the need to add a pressure tank (even a baby water heater expansion tank is enough for proper switch operation)

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