Replies

1. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Dec 08, 2017 04:17am | #1

   Calum,
   A little web surfing provides mixed reviews for this product. Full disclosure: I have no experience with cycle stop valves.

   http://forums.finehomebuilding.com/breaktime/general-discussion/cycle-stop-valves
   "A cycle stop valve works by creating artificial head against the pump. The heat I mentioned is not generated by the pump, but rather the electric motor driving the pump. Yes, it is in water but it relies on that water flowing past it to cool it. In the case of a flow restriction, water is not flowing past fast enough to provide adequate cooling. This is where the cooling sleeve comes in. By installing a 4 inch pump and motor in a 4 inch cooling sleeve, the velocity of the water is increased so that even in low flow conditions, the motor remains cool."

   http://www.plumbingzone.com/f2/cycle-stop-valves-15455/
   "Cycle stop valves are a crock and most of what is on that web site is misleading information with little or no actual facts to back any of the claims up. Cycle stop valves have been around for a very long time now. The concept is nothing new at all and you have to ask yourself why 99% if well and pump installers are not using this so called miracle valve? I'll tell you why. With a cycle stop valve in place any time someone cracks a faucet or runs any small amount of water which is pretty normal in most homes. Like getting a glass of water for instance. With the cycle stop valve the pump will run every time a faucet uses more than about a half a gallon of water. So where is this thing reducing cycle times? How about a full out draw on the system, say a couple of hoses running? Well, with a cycle stop valve the pump runs the entire time the hoses are running. With a standard tank system the pump also runs the entire time the hoses are running. The scam artists that promote this thing do so because probably 80% of well tank systems are installed using a tank that is too small for the pump which will cause problems with cycling but had the installer properly sized the tank a tank system will outperform a CSV any day of the week. Also try and find a single pump or tank manufacturer that endorses them or is offering them in their product lines. It's old and dated technology at best and a scam at worst."

2. 
   Jon_R | Dec 08, 2017 12:27pm | #2

   It is true that a centrifugal pump uses less energy (but not less energy per gallon) when throttled.

   I think that most residences are best off with a properly selected pump and pressure tank.