new sprinkler system and not enough pressure from the well

Hi,i just installed a sprinkler system and now the well does not produce enough water i only have 4 heads with 1.5 gpm nozzles in all of them.The system starts off good and in about 5 minutes the pressure goes down to about 8 psi and the heads dont move.i have a shallow well with the pump and tank in the garage,Where should i begin?or do i just need to put a new well in?I read the sticky about putting in a new well and dont think it would be a problem.but i dont want this to happen again.i live in forked river new jersey,sandy soil what size pipe and what point should i use?thanks in advance for the help. Ted

Is the old well old? Did you test pump it before you put in the sprinklers? What size is the original well? Does it have a screen (point)? What size pump are you using? What brand pump? Do the sprinklers go to 8 psi once the tank drains or does it take longer?

bob...

speedbump said:

Is the old well old? Did you test pump it before you put in the sprinklers? What size is the original well? Does it have a screen (point)? What size pump are you using? What brand pump? Do the sprinklers go to 8 psi once the tank drains or does it take longer?

bob...

Click to expand...

The well is approximately 25years old.my dad had it cleaned or whatever you call it maybe in 1991.not sure if it has a point it has a jet pump with 3/4 "black polly pipe coming from the crawl space not sure what they used for the well .my dad said it was like 12' down ,he dug the hole so they could treat the well.i will get the other info tomorrow,tank does not work anymore the well goes on as soon as i turn the hose on.it takes approx 5 minutes for the pressure to get to 8 psi.how do i know if the well has points?thanks for your help.if i do put a well in how do i know how far i have to go down?

If he had it cleaned, it probably is a screened well. I don't know what takes it that long to drop in pressure unless there is still some reserve in the tank.

To learn about putting in wells, read this sticky:

https://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22546

bob...

well

If the water stopped flowing it would be because the well went dry. As long as the water continues to flow at the lower volume it is a pump problem, or a plugged strainer allowing just that amount of water through it. The water in the tank gives you the initial volume.