Submersible pump murky water all of a sudden

[Descent101]

I've got a 24 year old Red Jacket submersible pump and a few days ago the water coming out became black and murky some of the time and was clear other times.

The pressure switch is a 30/50 and I noticed that when it pumps up it get to 46 PSI then the pump cuts off. Once the pump is off the pressure drops over around 10-20 seconds to 40 PSI then sits at 40 for a minute then jumps down to a little over 30 and slowly drops to 30 and the pump kicks back in.

I know there isn't a leak inside since it does this with the water to the house shut off.

What could this be? A broken pump? Dry well? I'm not sure what to do.

[speedbump]

Whatever it is, it's either down the well or the pipe between the house and the well. My bet is it's in the well. Either the Check Valve in the Pump or the Droppipe in the well has a hole. This running back and forth of the water is stirring things up. This is why your water is getting dirty looking. Get a Pumpman out to check it out.

With a Pump that old, your probably looking at a new Pump, Droppipe and Wire at least.

bob...

[Descent101]

Any estimate on how much this will end up costing?

Right now I've got the pump turned off and no water until I can get someone out here..... should I just turn the pump back on and not worry about wearing it out since it's gonna get replaced anyway?

[speedbump]

It's not good for any Pump to cycle off and on, so if your not using water, I would leave it off. If you need a shower, just turn it on for that, then back off.

Call a Well Driller or Pumpman that is familiar with your area.

bob...