Can flow control valves fail?

[Valveman]

The pumptec was not working if you heard the pump running but no water was coming out. Pumptecs have a hard time working with Dole valves, because the low amps created by the Dole valve are very close to the slightly lower amps that happen when the pump is sucking air. You may need something more sensitive like the Cycle Sensor.

The well manager works like a cistern storage tank with a booster pump, they just don't have to use as large a storage tank because of the way it is controlled. But it is not going to be any better than what you already have.

I think the pumptec is not doing its job, the pump is running dry until the overlaod trips. Then is stays off for a while until the overload re-sets. so the pump is staying off longer than it should, and the cistern is not getting full.

 

[Rod McKnight]

The pumptec was not working if you heard the pump running but no water was coming out. Pumptecs have a hard time working with Dole valves, because the low amps created by the Dole valve are very close to the slightly lower amps that happen when the pump is sucking air. You may need something more sensitive like the Cycle Sensor.

The well manager works like a cistern storage tank with a booster pump, they just don't have to use as large a storage tank because of the way it is controlled. But it is not going to be any better than what you already have.

I think the pumptec is not doing its job, the pump is running dry until the overlaod trips. Then is stays off for a while until the overload re-sets. so the pump is staying off longer than it should, and the cistern is not getting full.

The well tech stop by yesterday morning and replaced the Pumptec that was going on 4 years old and now the pump is kicking off when it starts catching air. The new Pumptec is working but for some reason, I have no LED indications to what it is going on unlike the previously installed one. I am thinking the thing is now wired wrong so when the float kicks the power off to the pump it also is shutting power down to the Pumptech. Thoughts???

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I am thinking the thing is now wired wrong so when the float kicks the power off to the pump it also is shutting power down to the Pumptech. Thoughts???

Oddly, http://franklinwater.com/media/116265/225468103_M1502_Pumptec_Manual_R0_1-14_web.pdf page 3 schematics says that either way of wiring is OK.

 

[Rod McKnight]

Oddly, http://franklinwater.com/media/116265/225468103_M1502_Pumptec_Manual_R0_1-14_web.pdf page 3 schematics says that either way of wiring is OK.

That is quite odd especially since it takes away of visually monitoring the system. Doesn't really matter to me, especially since those damn lights used to bring great anxiety to me when the old one was still wired in. Every morning when I would leave the house for work, I could see that Pumptec as I was leaving my driveway. If it was yellow, I worried about it all day until I could get home to check things out just to find out it was just doing its job of protecting my pump and the cistern was full so no worries.
On another note, if this well does not recover over a period of time I will be looking to drill approximately 1500' away on another lot I own. I am going to have the rural electric company set me a meter on that lot just for this pump so I do not have to run power that far. So if power is good now I need to figure out how to control that pump via the float sitting in my cistern close to my house. I have heard that there are wireless controllers that can do the job but I am not sure how well these works. The lot that my house is on is a lot higher than the lot we are going to drill this new well on and there would be no trees to imped the signal. Just not sure if this method has its drawbacks or not. The system I am looking at can be seen at the below link.

http://www.electrodepot.com/8002.htm

 

[PumpMd]

When you were seeing the pumptec having the yellow light on it, It was pumping your well off but the dole valve was keeping it from tripping the pump off but enough for it to trip the yellow light to let you know this problem.

I have seen this from when you can pump a well off but the well can still produce enough water to keep the pump running where it didn't drop enough amps for the pumptec to trip off but it was enough for it trip the yellow light, adjustment to the sensitivity fixed the yellow light.

It should be wired from the breaker to the pumptec first, other ways it will still work but you won't have your LED lights or they could act funny.

 

[Reach4]

On another note, if this well does not recover over a period of time I will be looking to drill approximately 1500' away on another lot I own.

You would be burying 1500 ft of pipe in that case. If this pipe goes into a trench, I think you could run some low power signal wires in the trench with the pipe. I suspect http://www.deanbennett.com/bw-5200-hf2-solid-state-relay.htm is expensive. While I would consider home-brewing a DC control system, there must be a simple and cheap enough commercial system such as a simple sensitive electromagnetic relay controlled by DC.

I hope you don't need to get the new well.

 

[Valveman]

Radio controls and long wires underground are susceptible to many failures. I would use a Pside-kick kit with a pressure switch at the well. Then the float switch just needs to open and close a sprinkler solenoid valve at the tank. No wires and no radios.

 

[PumpMd]

Discussing your pumptec life and pumps, here in my area I don't see a low producing dole valve being used with a pumptec. They use a pumptec and no dole valve to do the work and we see long life out of the pump and the pumptec. Here goes one yesterday that I showed up on that is still working. Pumptec came out in September/October of 1988, I came across a 1991 Pumptec that just quit last year on a cistern setup that was producing less than 1gpm to where it worked the pumptec/pump around the clock 24/7.