Pump/Well Help

[Moondawg550]

I'm hoping someone can help me out.
We have a small rental home that in June the water stopped working. I went up and checked what I could and then called the plumber who replaced the well pump 2 years before (5 year warranty). First, he said it was the Pressure Tank, so I bought a new pressure tank and pressure gauge and installed it. Still no water. So he came back and replaced wiring leading to the tank (less than $400 so I thought the wasn't bad, even though I paid a few hundred for a pressure tank I probably didn't need). That seemed to fix the problem.. until yesterday. No water again. On the phone he said that something must have caused the tank to fail and I'd have to pay labor to replace the tank. Ok, well I asked him to come and take a look so I know what I'm dealing with. He got there a bit before me and was digging up the well pump. He said all the wiring needed to be replace because it was all shorting out, and the well needed to be replaced also. Since the well pump is under warranty, he said that is not in the cost. He also claimed he'd be replacing it with a better one.
I guess I don't know whether to trust this guy or not. I feel like he was diagnosing it without seeing it. Is it usual to be charged labor when the tank is under warranty? It wasn't our fault the pump was faulty ,though it wasn't his fault either.. so I don't know.
I don't want to have to pay $1000 every couple of years to have the well pump replaced even when it's under warranty.
Any help or advise would be really appreciated.​

 

[Valveman]

Even with 5 year warranty the labor is usually only warrantied for a year. Time to do some research and figure out what kind of pump you have and how to make it last. Starting with a good pump that is sized correctly for your well is best. Keeping it from cycling on and off or running dry are ways to make it last a long time.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

You did not go through the symptoms for us to check if the pressure tank was at fault. A typ

But assuming it is, I would avoid pressure tanks that don't have diaphragms. Bladders tend to fail quicker.

Tanks with bladders ("vinyl air/water separators") include pressure tanks branded as Diamond, Flotec, Simer, Berkley, Myers, and Pro-Source.

Also, if not using a CSV, your pressure tank gallons should probably be about 4x or more the gpm of the pump. Bigger pressure tanks are in short supply now. The State and Water Worker tanks at Menards are probably pretty good IMO. https://www.menards.com/main/plumbing/pumps-tanks/well-pumps-well-tanks/c-1489153238829.htm AO Smith pressure tanks at Loews look good to me. I am not a pro.

 

[Moondawg550]

I can see I don't have the knowledge to even ask the correct questions
All I really know about the pump is that it's a .5 hp submersible water pump (it's a small house) I'm not sure of the brand, only that it's warranty is 5 years. And I don't know whether it has a bladder or diaphragm. There is a cycle stop valve.
The pressure tank is an A.O Smith 52 gallon vertical tank. I installed that with a friend in June, with a new ss pressure gauge. When the plumber came back after we installed it, because there still wasn't any water (none at all, no hot, no cold), he checked the installation and said it was fine. Then found that some wiring leading to the pump was bad and replaced it.

Anyway... I felt I didn't have a choice since the tenants needed water. He replaced the pump and the wiring (again) and I paid the $1000.
I guess I should learn more about the water pump since I can't afford to keep doing this

Thank you for your help

 

[Reach4]

The pressure tank is an A.O Smith 52 gallon vertical tank. I installed that with a friend in June, with a new ss pressure gauge. When the plumber came back after we installed it, because there still wasn't any water (none at all, no hot, no cold), he checked the installation and said it was fine. Then found that some wiring leading to the pump was bad and replaced it.

That has a diaphragm, and should be working fine. You should set the air precharge to 2 psi below the pressure that the pressure switch turns on at.

For future troubleshooting, a voltmeter on the pressure switch is helpful.

If you had 240 across terminals 1 and 4 normally, and did not when you checked, the next thing to check is the breaker.

Suppose you have a 230 volt pump. This diagram represents what is under the cover of a common Pumptrol pressure switch. If wired this way, the voltage from terminal 1 to 4 would be about 240 VAC at all times. The voltage from terminal 2 to 3 would be zero if the pressure switch is off and 240 VAC if the pressure has dropped and the pump should be on. If, with the help of a friend found 240 from terminal 1 to 4 and much less from terminal 2 to 3 while the water pressure is zero, a new pressure switch is a cheap and easy fix. The problem is liable to be more than that.

So anyway, it is good to take voltage readings while things are working.

If you have a 115 volt pump, then the pressure switch will probably be wired differently. 1/2 hp pumps are commonly available as 115 volt pumps, fed by a single-pole breaker, and 230 volt pumps are fed by a 2-pole breaker.

Further troubleshooting would be available if you had a multimeter with a clamp-around ammeter. That can measure current when you put the clamp around ONE hot wire.

 

[Moondawg550]

That has a diaphragm, and should be working fine. You should set the air precharge to 2 psi below the pressure that the pressure switch turns on at.

For future troubleshooting, a voltmeter on the pressure switch is helpful.

If you had 240 across terminals 1 and 4 normally, and did not when you checked, the next thing to check is the breaker.

Suppose you have a 230 volt pump. This diagram represents what is under the cover of a common Pumptrol pressure switch. If wired this way, the voltage from terminal 1 to 4 would be about 240 VAC at all times. The voltage from terminal 2 to 3 would be zero if the pressure switch is off and 240 VAC if the pressure has dropped and the pump should be on. If, with the help of a friend found 240 from terminal 1 to 4 and much less from terminal 2 to 3 while the water pressure is zero, a new pressure switch is a cheap and easy fix. The problem is liable to be more than that.

So anyway, it is good to take voltage readings while things are working.

If you have a 115 volt pump, then the pressure switch will probably be wired differently. 1/2 hp pumps are commonly available as 115 volt pumps, fed by a single-pole breaker, and 230 volt pumps are fed by a 2-pole breaker.

Further troubleshooting would be available if you had a multimeter with a clamp-around ammeter. That can measure current when you put the clamp around ONE hot wire.

If I had found this forum earlier it may have saved me $1000.
He replaced the .5 hp pump with a 3/4 one.
Hopefully with a better pump, and the pressure tank is also better than the one I replaced, new wiring, and bookmarking this page, I don't have a problem for a while. At least not one that needs a plumber.

Thank you all again. It's really appreciated.

 

[Fitter30]

For the type of tank just google the brand and model. Most bladder tanks will have a tire valve at the top of the tank.
A bladder tank with a compromised bladder will not stop the pump from delivering water it will be erratic since theres no air cushion and pressurized water.

 

[Reach4]

He replaced the .5 hp pump with a 3/4 one.

I am glad it is up and working nicely. I wondered if the well changed, or the pump failed, since it worked fine for over a year. Still, sounds like you were dealing with a good plumber who knows wells.

Do you know what pump was put in, or the gpm rating? Using only HP to specify a pump does not really tell the story.

 

[2stupid2fixit]

im in the poconos also, what are you close to? there are really reputable drillers and well guys out here and then there are some guys that call them selves plumbers that dont know air dick one about wells, but they wing it. I decided to learn on my own because I couldnt afford to be taken for a $300 joyride each time they came to my house to tell me that it was the horizontal hold or sunspots causing my issue.
Are you closer to Tobyhanna or closer to Jim Thorpe?

I'm hoping someone can help me out.
We have a small rental home that in June the water stopped working. I went up and checked what I could and then called the plumber who replaced the well pump 2 years before (5 year warranty). First, he said it was the Pressure Tank, so I bought a new pressure tank and pressure gauge and installed it. Still no water. So he came back and replaced wiring leading to the tank (less than $400 so I thought the wasn't bad, even though I paid a few hundred for a pressure tank I probably didn't need). That seemed to fix the problem.. until yesterday. No water again. On the phone he said that something must have caused the tank to fail and I'd have to pay labor to replace the tank. Ok, well I asked him to come and take a look so I know what I'm dealing with. He got there a bit before me and was digging up the well pump. He said all the wiring needed to be replace because it was all shorting out, and the well needed to be replaced also. Since the well pump is under warranty, he said that is not in the cost. He also claimed he'd be replacing it with a better one.
I guess I don't know whether to trust this guy or not. I feel like he was diagnosing it without seeing it. Is it usual to be charged labor when the tank is under warranty? It wasn't our fault the pump was faulty ,though it wasn't his fault either.. so I don't know.
I don't want to have to pay $1000 every couple of years to have the well pump replaced even when it's under warranty.
Any help or advise would be really appreciated.​

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