SUMMARY: Decent pump but didn’t meet advertised performance. (See NOTE in review)
BACKGROUND: We have a backyard well that is 40 feet deep with a water level 10 feet below ground level. We have tried several pumps to get more than 4-5 gallons per minute (gpm) of flow. Our current pump is a booster pump that produces 3.33 gpm. The Everbilt J200A3 advertised 8 gpm so we decided to try it.
NOTE: This pump did not perform to the stated level for the lift required from our well. However, NO PUMP has performed to specs on our well, even with 30 feet of well pipe below the water line. I mention this because it is possible the suction line is restricted somewhere down-well and that is affecting performance.
FIT AND FINISH: The pump is at the same standard of materials and workmanship of other types of light-duty pumps. The pump casing is fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic which offers strength and lighter weight than cast iron. The motor is smallish for ¾ hp but probably reflects motor design and construction improvements, or a desire to use the least material possible. The capacitor and pressure switch boxes are metal and plastic which is also commonly used. I did notice the pressure tube from the pump casing to the pressure switch is a clear vinyl-type material. This concerns me because the pump is located outside in a minimally sheltered location. Time will tell how the plastic components withstand the sun and elements.
FEATURES: From the product page, with my comments as appropriate.
• Safeguarded by an auto reset thermal overload protector to prevent overheating.
o Standard on almost every motor I’ve ever owned.
• The pump comes ready to install.
o It took me very little time from cutting the tape to a finished installation, even including the time to uninstall the old pump.
• Designed to pump water from a shallow well up to 25" deep
o As our well has a 10-foot lift this is well withing the parameters for proper operation.
• Self-priming after pump housing is initially filled
o The pump was easy to fill and primed quickly. We have a check valve in the suction line within 18 inches of the pump suction, so there is minimal lift required between cycles.
• Lightweight construction of fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic is corrosion-resistant and convenient for moving and installing the pump
o Already mentioned in FIT AND FINISH section.
• Built-in switch easily converts the power supply from 230V to 115V
o All our recent pump purchases have included this very handy feature. Much better than swapping leads or re-tying wires.
• Fan-cooled motor extends the life of the pump
o This motor is Totally Enclose Fan Cooled (TEFC) which is weather resistant.
• Certified to both NSF/ANSI CAN 61 Standard for Safe Drinking Water and NSF/ANSI 372 Lead-Free Standard
o We don’t drink our well water, but we do water the vegetable gardens, so this is nice to know.
• Comes with a 30/50 pressure switch and pre-installed pressure gauge
o The switch on this pump cut off about 42psi, which is fine for our watering application. The adjustment for cut-off pressure is a threaded adjustment in the pressure switch housing.
• 1" NPT Suction and Discharge
o This is incorrect. The suction is 1 ¼ FNPT. The discharge is 1” FNPT.
• Typical Applications: homes, cabins or farms on private wells; low-flow, small-scale sprinkler systems.
o I had hoped to increase our irrigation loop size but will not be able to do it with this pump based on its lack-luster performance.
INSTALLATION: I was fortunate that the intake and discharge were the same as my old pump and the intake height was the same as well. I drained the pressure tank, disconnected the electrical and water, removed the old pump, reconnected everything and was done. I did have to move the electrical to the opposite side from the old pump, but when I initially ran my electrical, I included extra liquidtite conduit to allow for future pump replacements.
OPERATION: Once connected and primed it was just a matter of turning the power back on. The pump primed, charged the pressure tank, and turned off.
PERFORMANCE: As I mentioned before, the pump did not perform to the specification in the owner’s manual. Before I disconnected the old (Booster) pump, I did a flow test using a ½in ball valve through a short piece of plastic pipe. I repeated the test after I installed the new pump.
The (old) Booster Pump produced at 3.33 gpm, or 200 gph.
The (new) Jet Pump produced 3.14 gpm, or 188 gph.
This was not the 8gmp in the specs, but was close enough to the old pump I decided to leave it in place and keep the old pump for a backup.
SUMMARY: Nice pump but didn’t perform as expected.
26 авг 2024
