Hopefully someone here can help me with this problem I'm having with my Gould BF03S balanced flow pump. The pump is used for supplying water at home from a 400 gallon water tank. Note that this pump is very old, about 30 years or so, but I am hesitant to replace it as it worked flawlessly for the first 20 year so so.
When the pump was working perfectly, I had the cut-in set at 40psi and the cut-off at 50psi. Back then , the pump would turn on almost immediately after opening a faucet and turn off just as fast when the faucet was closed. For a fews years well the pump can just barely reach 35psi. I have a valve on the discharge line just after the discharge outlet. Even with this valve closed, the pump can hardly build up to 35psi, so I know it's not the rest of the plumbing.
A few years aback, I changed everything inside the pump, the impella (which was cracked), the impella housing, venturi, nozzle, AVC line and valves and the AVC float. Even though I followed the guidelines for installing the AVC line and valves, the pump still could not build the 50psi or even reach 40psi. I followed the troubleshooting tips in the users manual but that did not help.
Well, I've found myself in the predicament of having to replace everything again in the hope of solving this long standing problem with this really fantastic pump. This time I now need to replace the bearings for the motor also, which have failed after 30+years of service. This is why I am so hesitant on dumping this old pump and buying the new ones made by ITT. You just cannot get that type of quality anymore.
So my question is this: Why can't the pump generate 50psi or even 40psi anymore? Back in the days, the pump's suction line was level with the water tank's discharge line. Since then, the pump has been raised about 9"-12". Honestly, I can't remeber whether or not the problem started when this was done. I will undo this only if I it is absolutely the cause of the problem.
Please can anyone help me.
Tanks.
When the pump was working perfectly, I had the cut-in set at 40psi and the cut-off at 50psi. Back then , the pump would turn on almost immediately after opening a faucet and turn off just as fast when the faucet was closed. For a fews years well the pump can just barely reach 35psi. I have a valve on the discharge line just after the discharge outlet. Even with this valve closed, the pump can hardly build up to 35psi, so I know it's not the rest of the plumbing.
A few years aback, I changed everything inside the pump, the impella (which was cracked), the impella housing, venturi, nozzle, AVC line and valves and the AVC float. Even though I followed the guidelines for installing the AVC line and valves, the pump still could not build the 50psi or even reach 40psi. I followed the troubleshooting tips in the users manual but that did not help.
Well, I've found myself in the predicament of having to replace everything again in the hope of solving this long standing problem with this really fantastic pump. This time I now need to replace the bearings for the motor also, which have failed after 30+years of service. This is why I am so hesitant on dumping this old pump and buying the new ones made by ITT. You just cannot get that type of quality anymore.
So my question is this: Why can't the pump generate 50psi or even 40psi anymore? Back in the days, the pump's suction line was level with the water tank's discharge line. Since then, the pump has been raised about 9"-12". Honestly, I can't remeber whether or not the problem started when this was done. I will undo this only if I it is absolutely the cause of the problem.
Please can anyone help me.
Tanks.