# Adding a booster pump for irrigation?



## truelight (Apr 3, 2021)

I have a 1/2 acre of berries planted. My drip irrigation requires 23GPM (drip tube GPM/100' is .9 and I have 2550'). My well pumps about 10 GPM. I was considering installing a booster pump that pumps 30GPM but did not know if it was possible seeing how my well pump pumps less. What happens if you place a higher volume booster pump after a lesser volume well pump?

Thank you Thank you Thank you


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

@truelight this can be accomplished but can be a bit tricky/finicky.

Here is a link to some info provided by irrigation tutorials.

https://www.irrigationtutorials.com/adding-a-booster-pump-with-a-well-pump/#:~:text=You%20can%20add%20a%20booster,if%20it%20is%20a%20submersible.

Depending on your well, casing, and draw capabilities you may be better off increasing the size of your current pump. With your gpm you could also divide your current setup into multiple stations and have adequate output.


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## thebmrust (Jun 29, 2020)

Is it possible to make a pond or reservoir that can hold enough excess water for your irrigation sessions?

I suck at math so bear with me...
If you need 400 gallons to water your yard, the main pump will fill the reservoir before your irrigation pump will kick on. Then it runs from the reservoir and not the main well.

After it's off the main pump fills the reservoir again. Could be a tank or tanks or open like a pond.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

thebmrust said:


> ...If you need 400 gallons to water your yard...


I think you're probably underestimating the amount of water needed to water a lawn. One inch of rainfall or irrigation over 1 acre is 27,154 gallons. That's about 623 gallons per thousand square feet.


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## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

I think a first question is what is the yield of the well. A bigger pump can just pump it dry faster if it can't produce at the rate you want to pump at. A well company can test it and give you the numbers - they also generally have local knowledge of the aquifers and what you might expect over the long haul (like what happens in dryer years so what might be a typical "safe" draw). If you don't want to go that route, Wiley's suggestion to create multiple zones seems like the way to go.


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## thebmrust (Jun 29, 2020)

Ware said:


> thebmrust said:
> 
> 
> > ...If you need 400 gallons to water your yard...
> ...


I used 400 as an example. I wasn't in any way going to attempt to do the actual math.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

truelight said:



> I have a 1/2 acre of berries planted. My drip irrigation requires 23GPM (drip tube GPM/100' is .9 and I have 2550'). My well pumps about 10 GPM. I was considering installing a booster pump that pumps 30GPM but did not know if it was possible seeing how my well pump pumps less. What happens if you place a higher volume booster pump after a lesser volume well pump?
> 
> Thank you Thank you Thank you


Have you considered splitting your drip tube into 3 different zones to stay under the flow rate of the well pump?


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