What Pump and Tank Companies Don't Want You to Know
Until the early 1970's, submersible pumps and motors that were being sold for homeowners were designed to last. Before that time it was usual for pumps and motors to last 20 to 30 years because they were designed strong enough to handle the abuse of cycling on and off. Since the 70's, companies have continually shortened the length of motors and replaced lifetime ball bearings with short-lived bushings. Pumps have been changed from having heavy-duty brass impellers to all plastic. These changes were not made for the better, but rather to shorten the expected life of pumps and motors. This "planned obsolescence" is how pumps and motors are now designed, instead of building in the quality needed for a longer service life.
The average life of most pumps and motors that are being built today is about seven years. This means that some will last 14 years and others only last two years. For the average homeowner it is usually the number of times the pump cycles on and off that determines how long the pump and motor will last. Normally the larger the pressure tank and the less water being used will cause less cycling on and off and lengthen the years of service from pumps and motors. The smaller the pressure tank and the more water used, the shorter the life of pumps and motors.
A Cycle Stop Valve or CSV is a simple device that drastically reduces the number of times a pump is cycled on and off. The Cycle Stop Valve can be used with very small pressure tanks and still double or triple the life of any pump or motor. The CSV controls the amount of water being pumped to exactly match the amount of water being used. This means the CSV can be used with very small pressure tanks because there is no extra water being pumped to cause the tank to fill. Pumping more water than is being used is what causes the pump to cycle on and off repeatedly. Cycling on and off repeatedly causes the pump, motor, controls, and bladder pressure tank to wear out prematurely.
The Cycle Stop Valve does this by supplying water for the homeowner at a constant pressure. Pressure in the house remains steady while a single shower is running. When additional water is needed for a second shower, washing machine, pressure washer, irrigation sprinkler, etc., the Cycle Stop Valve opens more to supply the extra water needed. The person in the shower will never see a change in pressure or be scalded by hot water when additional water is used elsewhere in the home.
Many other devices such as variable speed pumps are being sold to try and accomplish this same constant pressure control. However, these variable speed controls are being manufactured by the same companies who have built in the seven year planned obsolescence into their pumps and motors. Variable speed controls are complicated, expensive, computerized, electronic devices that are also designed for short life expectancies. These devices last no longer and are no more repairable than any laptop computer, which is basically their electronic cousin. Many of these variable speed controllers spin pumps and motors at many times the standard RPM. Although variable speed controls reduce the number of starts and stops, the increased RPM also reduces the life span of a pump or motor and keeps everything in line with their planned obsolescence of about seven years. Variable speed controls are promoted as an energy saving device. In reality variable speed pumps do not save any more energy than a Cycle Stop Valve on a standard pump. Variable speed pumps can certainly never save enough energy to pay for their own added expense.
The Cycle Stop Valve is a simple and inexpensive way to supply water at a constant pressure to your home. Designed to reduce cycling and increase the life of pump systems, the Cycle Stop Valve is also a good way to beat big corporations at their own game. By making standard, cheaply designed pumps last three times their planned obsolescence, and by using much smaller than normal pressure tanks, a Cycle Stop Valve can be a great asset to your home water system. Since their beginning in 1993, hundreds of thousands of Cycle Stop Valves have been installed without causing a single pump or motor failure. Everyone deserves constant pressure. You and your pump deserve a Cycle Stop Valve.