Pressure issue confounding me

[Aaron987]

Hello, I have used this forum as a resource for quite some time but never posted before, everything I needed to know I have always found by searching here. I am having an issue with my well that I can't figure out so I hope that those more knowledgeable than myself might have some ideas.

When I turn on the water in my home or at any spigot on my property, water flow is normal for 10 seconds or so, and then drops quickly to zero. After 40+ seconds or so, the pump kicks on and pressure returns to normal for the duration of use.

If I go to my well and check my pressure gauge while waiting for the pump to kick in, the gauge is dropping very slowly to the kick in point of 40 psi. At the the kick in point, the pressure switch activates as it should and builds pressure back up to normal levels. It is a 40/60 switch.

I thought that sediment might have blocked both the pressure switch and the gauge, so I installed a new pressure switch but no change. There was a lot of extremely fine, finer than talk, red sediment in the branch of pipe that runs to the pressure gauge and pressure switch, I think clay of some sort. It's so fine I can't even feel it in my fingers but it is there when the water dries up. I removed this section and cleaned everything out when I replaced the pressure switch. I also checked the pressure in the pressure tank while everything was apart and it was fine. I attached a pic of some of the sediment, it looks like rust but it's not, I have no steel piping left in my system. It didn't seem to be blocking the pressure switch or the gauge since everything functioned the same after replacement and cleaning.

I have a shallow well, about 36 feet to the bottom, 9 feet or so down to the top of the water column, and a 1 hp jet pump with a cycle stop valve installed, as can be seen in the pic below. I installed this pump/pressure tank and cycle stop valve and re-plumbed everything from the pump to the house about 5 years ago and it has been working great until this last week.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Valveman]

I would have thought the nipple to the pressure switch was blocked as well from your description. Leave the cover to the pressure switch off and see if the points click together when the pressure drops to 40 and see if the pump comes on instantly. If the points click but the pump takes a while to come on, you may have a bad start capacitor or start switch in the motor.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Aaron987]

Ok, tried that and the pump comes on immediately when the contacts close.

I started taking things apart again as it seems to me that there must be an obstruction upstream of the pressure switch for things to be going the way they are.

I had this piece upstream of the pressure gauge and the pressure switch, installed into the side of the CSV. It had a bunch of sediment in it as well and even after cleaning it I can't blow through it. The way it is machined, it doesn't go straight through. It must be a volume reducer or something? Maybe to protect the gauge? I can't remember why I put it in there. I think this piece is the problem though.

**Ok, I found it on the sidekick install instructions. It's the gauge snubber. It seems totally blocked, even after cleaning it with a small bottle type brush I can't blow or suck through it in either direction.

How important do you think it is to have this piece? I'm worried it will clog again if I replace it. The gauge would be easier to replace as it screws right up off the tee and I wouldn't have to remove anything else, but I don't want to set myself up for a bigger failure if I don't have the snubber.

 

[Bannerman]

Suggest reinstalling the pressure gauge and switch without the snubber.

The snubber's purpose is to dampen pulsations from the pump. You need to get your water system working and if there are pulsations observed on the guage needle, you can then install a new snubber when you have the opportunity.

 

[Aaron987]

Thanks! That's what I wound up doing because I couldn't find a new snubber locally this late. I'll keep an eye on it and see how it goes.

It's working great again so far!

 

[Valveman]

Yes just remove the snubber. It is just to keep the pressure gauge from flickering anyway.

 

[Aaron987]

Thanks Cary. My pump must provide pretty steady pressure because the gauge doesn't flicker.

So the pressure spike from the pump turning on won't damage the gauge? That was my concern.

 

[Valveman]

The area in the CSV1A where the line to the gauge and switch attach has lots of turbulence and causes the gauge to flicker. However, with a jet pump there isn't enough pressure differential to cause much turbulence in the CSV, so you don't see the gauge flicker as much. A jet pump cannot even spike enough pressure to hurt a gauge on pump start, but constant flickering will wear out a gauge and annoys the crap out of me, which is why we supply a snubber. Probably TMI. Lol!

 

[Aaron987]

No way! I love learning about things from people who really understand them. Thanks for the detailed explanation.