Thanks. The well guy said that the tank is the problem - 60 years of sediment build up is what's causing this big problem. The water is also very dirty from the massive amount of rain we got in a short period of time. I'm planning on replacing the tank, of course, and want to get something better than the permanent filter in the tank (that we're washing out every few weeks right now) and the whole house filter in the pump house. We have ozone, but every time we need a bulb, I have to call the well guy out (he won't sell us spares). He's currently so busy with the damage last winter did to the local water systems that he's scheduling 2-4 weeks out. The well is fine - it's very old (still has the skeleton of the hand crank bolted to the floor). The well guy just wanted to swap the tank out, but I think we need a better system- especially if the pressure pump won't power the sprinkler system. Does anyone know what the pressure needs to be to power fire sprinklers? Fortunately we haven't had a fire (the original house did burn down).

Okay... the real answer to your question about pump sizing is that you need to have this designed by someone who knows the ins and outs. For round numbers I believe you are required to be able to operate 2 heads at the same time. You can google it, but I've included a link to Fresno Cal handout. You need to look at not only the pump, but the pressure tank and size of the pipe from the well to the house.

I have a question about how the silt is getting into the well. The well should be capped and sediment shouldn't be able to get in. Sediment means not only that there are filter issues, but also that the well is being contaminated.

I think you need a solid well person who can sort all those issues out for you instead of just putting out fires - which is what your current well guy is doing.

The well is located in a pump house (it's got its own shed). The well is VERY old and is a non-standard diameter. It has a wooden board over the well, which I guess serves as its cap, but it needs to be properly capped with a custom fabricated cap. The water is very hard and typical of the area - high in iron, mostly with some sulphur and fluoride mixed in. I've heard from other people that the water is very churned up from the 4x normal rain we received in such a short time. If this is the cause, then we'll likely see this settle down. We know we need to replace the tank, but we also are wondering if we need to upgrade other items as well. The well guy told me our pump wasn't enough to power the sprinklers, but the pump is as old as the current house, so we know this passed building inspection. After our current pump went out and we had no water, I purchased an exact replacement for the current pump (except of course, the new pump is much more energy efficient). The well guy didn't call us back for 2 weeks (long after my husband cleaned out the old pump and got the water back on). I've spoken to 2 well guys and I'm not impressed with either of them. What is a pressure tank? I only have the big storage tank. The water supply to the house is standard and I'm definitely not digging up the driveway to replace it. I believe the sediment is coming from the redwood tank and not the well since there is only screening around the top 1 ft or so (it has a plywood 'cap' which is also on its last legs). Inside the pump house I have a jerry rigged mess of pvc and stainless pipes. It looks like patchwork has been done for many decades. We're in process of getting a permit to renovate and add on to the house and I'm trying to get a budget and an idea of what needs to be done. So far, no dice on finding a decent well guy, but I'll keep trying.

Ok, so in the well setups I'm familiar with the submersible pump pumps water up to a closed metal tank with a bladder (pressure tank - see below). It sounds as if you have an open storage tank that is gravity feed -- or how does that work?

The entire system should be closed so you aren't getting contaminates in your water.

The pump should be able to provide 2 sprinkler heads - I noticed the literature mentioned 30 gpm - but I'm going to be very clear that I'm out of my depth... and that this is a life-safety system. In addition, I think that I don't have an accurate picture of your current setup.

Never mind, I do have a pressure tank and it appears to be the correct size. I'm exempt from having to comply with the fire sprinkler code since this house was built in '87 - it just would be nice to have the sprinkler system that exists, work in the event of a fire. Right now, I'm not convinced our pump wouldn't power the sprinklers.

Yes I have a big blue tank- about 4.5 feet tall. Like the big one in the back of the picture.

The main storage tank is the one that needs replacing - it holds about 7,500 gallons. Current code is 10k gallons, but I would have to install 2 5k tanks and I don't have the space for a second tank.