big well problems

I am new to this forum. I have a goulds 1/2 hp submersible pump.static water level 32 ft. below ground surface,pumping level 52 ft., pitless adapter(what ever that is) 20" above ground, pump depth102ft. drop pipe 100 ft. Our home is 17 years old and we have had on going problems.It started with our water shutting off on occasion . I would have to go into our garage and pull up on this metal lever behind a box next to our bladder tank.than our water would come back on.Our water would turn black. It would clear up over night . Than I couldn't run our hose the water would shut off.Now I can't run our washing machine ,the water shuts off. When I try to pull that metal lever it takes a half hour or better to get the water back on and sometimes it shuts right back off.I thought we might replace our blatter tankAny ideas as to what the problem could be?? Thanks!

Depending on how long you want to deal with this problem the speedy thing to do would be to call a well man and get him out to diagnose the problem.

If you want to wait, there will be some one here who may or may not be able to help. You may have a bad pump, switch, or the well may be going dry which is my guess, but I am not a well expert.

The lever you speak of is a low pressure safety on the pump switch so when the water level drops low and there is no water it cuts off the pump so it doesn't run without water and burn out the pump.

Kimmar,
did you mean 20" below gorund because pitless adapters sit below the ground surface. Anway,your problem could be a few things. You might have a low yielding well where the pump removes more water than well can produce. When this happens the pump draws in some air,causes the pressure to drop to the low water cut off pressure on your switch,the contacts on the switch open up,and you have no water. You could have a faulty motor that is drawing high amps and causing the motor to go into thermal overload. When this happens the motor stops spinning causing the pressure to drop and activating the low water cut off switch.The other problem might just be the pressure switch itsself. If the contacts are worn it wont get power to the pump,your system pressure again will drop activating the low water cut out.That black in the water could either be from the well being overpumped,form the tank draining out,or both.I would first check to see what the pump is drawing for amps.

SAM

Thanks for the replies!
Could the screen on our pump be plugged? We have had this problem ever since the well was first dug. It has just gotten worse over the years.We have clay in our yard and is it possible the clay is seeping into our water supply? The tank to our toilet gets full of this black grime and I have to clean it every so often or it will weight down the ball and the toilet will run.I am trying to send a picture but not sure how to do that.I can only imagine the gunk on the pump. We had a well guy here last year but without even putting a camera down the well he said that he knew the area and said it was a bad area for wells and if we drilled for a new well we wouldn't have any guarantee's that we wouldn't have the same problem.

sorry picture came out pretty big.KImmar686

Do you lose your water after using the water for a good period of time or does it happen whenever. That looks like it could be real fine silt. You need to determine if losing your water intermittently is a mechanical issue or a problem with a low yielding well.It sounds like it could be a low yielding well. You should have a well guy come out and do a pump test to see how quickly your water is drawing down and the recovery rate. In order to do this you need a water level meter that any local well company should have.

SAM

Sam, it happens whenever.

I would call a reputable well company to come and take a closer look. If they tell you its the pump and you are fairly handy we can walk you through changing it out. If you have an amp meter handy check for high amps to determine if the motor is in fact giving you problems. The pump could be getting bound up with silt periodically causing the motor to kick out.If thats the issue you would need to focus on the well itself. Is this a screened well or a rock well? Is the casing steel or pvc plastic?

SAM

this is a rock well and the casing is steel.

I think that your well could be producing silt or it has possibly collapsed. You could be getting surface water intrusion coming in from where the casing is seated in the rock. I have worked on a a lot of wells that have collapsed and the people notice exactly what you have. Again, to confirm this you need a water well spe******t there to take a closer look. I would start calling around and find a good reputable well company. Where do you live?

SAM

That stuff in the toilet looks like sulphur to me. It builds up on your plumbing over the years. When your pressure goes to zero, it shakes this sulphur loose and turns the water black. I was going to suggest the screen in your well may be plugging, but you said you have a rock well so that's out.

I agree with Sam, get a local opinion, those guys know the wells in their area better than anyone else.

bob...

thanks for the info! Guess I will be calling our well guy. Kimmar686