The fill level of the water tank on top of the ridge, the one Ian and I depend upon for all things wet, has proven quite variable in the week or so in which I’ve been monitoring system operation. I wasn’t aware of this before, and no doubt it’s been like this for months or even years. For one guy living alone, no garden or large livestock, it doesn’t make any difference which would be why I never noticed. If water consumption increased greatly, which it well might as Ian expands his fruit tree plantation, it could possibly become a problem in the future. But I’ll point it out to you, for the benefit of anybody who thinks he/she might want to build an off-grid water system someday.
Any cistern contains an electrical switch that tells the pump circuitry when the cistern is full. These come in two varieties. The switch can be at the hinge of a rigid metal rod with a float at the other end, just like a toilet tank float. This is a solid, reliable design, not at all like the one we’ve got.
The other design, the one we’ve got, places the switch inside the floating ball, which is placed at the end of a flexible waterproof cable. This design is a pain in the ass. The switch’s favorite trick used to be to get wedged in one of the stiffening creases in the plastic tank, so that it didn’t turn the pump off even when it was far under water and the tank was cheerily overflowing all over the landscape – which it washed downhill as it slowly undermined the tank. I fixed that last year, by the simple expedient of tying a string between the float and the top of the tank so the float couldn’t reach the walls of the tank.
But what I’m finding now is that as the level in the tank slowly drops, the little metal ball inside the float isn’t reliably rolling forward and completing the circuit. It eventually does, turning on the pump and filling the tank, but it can take days. During those days a perplexed old guy trudges up the hill every morning, measures the dropping water level with increasing concern, and frets over the performance of a water pump that in itself seems to be working just fine.
I’m assuming you folks have at least toyed with the idea of replacing the float mechanism with the simpler, more reliable one… 🙂
Toyed with it, yes…
These things are always so obvious
-after you’ve done the hard work that is…
I know exactly what type of float you are talking about, we have some where I work and I totally agree, they are a pain in the ass.
Multiple floats in one tank and the damn things get stuck just like you said and it overflows.
Miserable sonsabitches anyway.
Not an improvement over the old ball on a stick and mechanical valve by any stretch of the imagination.
If it were me, I would retro fit that thing yesterday.
Wow. As the son of a Master Plumber, Joel, you had my interest in this issue from the get-go. I am glad you figured it out; saves me the trouble of figuring it out if it ever happens to me. Ha. Does that stupid floating ball have a mercury tilt switch in it? I’ve seen a few sump pumps with that floater-thingy and I immediately distrusted the arranngement due to nothing more than gut feeling. Looks like I should listen to my gut more except when it tells me to have yet another helping of whatever is in front of me. Good on you for fixing it yourself; it gives hope to the rest of us.
The change in level between “shutoff” and “fill” indications can be adjusted by tethering the flexible cable to a pipe or other vertical support in the center of the tank. Shorten the length of free flexible cable to reduce the difference between the two levels.
Are you certain there are no leaks? You’ve learned something about how the system works, but from what you’ve written I can’t be sure there aren’t also leaks at work.
Just a little something to brighten your day!
Oh, I never said there aren’t any leaks. I’m pretty sure the return valve is leaking, and haven’t been able to eliminate anything else. Still working on it.
Hopefully you’ve fixed this since! Otherwise I’d agree with others in replacing the mechanism so it actually does it’s job properly so you’re not worried otherwise. At least it’s “working” just not to your standards, and the problem isn’t necessarily causing you to replace everything at least! Hope all is well!