Great forum. Learning so much here. I recently have had some issues with my well. It's a older 1/3 hp Franklin submersible. I have changed the starter panel,pressure switch and checked tank pressure while empty. So far everything checks fine. Had a plumber come out and his conclusion is well motor is fine and it's possible the well is going dry. I find that suspicious cause there is water visible in the hole and it does not drop much while pump is on. I have disassembled all the pipes associated with the tank and pressure switch to check for debris and found none. Pressure in the house is fine until the low pressure switch kicks on. Than I lose water pressure and after a few minutes the water returns and all is fine. I'm starting to think it's the check valve on the well pump itself. I know it's a lot to read sorry. Just looking for some input. Thanks Phil
Well pump kicks on and pressure drops to zero.
- Thread starter Phil loch
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If you can see that the water level is above the pump, then you are not pumping the well dry. Do a bucket test to see how much the pump is supplying. Wire around the pressure switch or get someone to hold the lever on the side to keep the pump running. Then measure in a bucket how much is coming out of the faucet. Check the water level in the well after the bucket test and while the hose is still running. It maybe that the well still makes plenty of water, but the pressure is low because of a worn pump or a hole in the pipe.
Check valve could be broken and plugging the line but not likely. Check valves only work when the pump is off. And if they hold water when the pump is off, they probably won't be broken and plugging the line.
Check valve could be broken and plugging the line but not likely. Check valves only work when the pump is off. And if they hold water when the pump is off, they probably won't be broken and plugging the line.
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I tried something similar this weekend. I bought a few feet of 1" plastic well pipe and lengthened the feed to out side the house. I tried to turn the switch on and it's just ran for a second and stopped. Tried that a few times and got frustrated and put it all back together. I thought by putting switch on it would turn pump on but it didn't. Once I put it back together I was able to get water and build enough pressure to shut off pressure switch. It did however take longer than I remember to achieve shut off pressure tho.
You will have to hold the little lever on the pressure switch while you are doing the bucket test. Or you can wire around the switch or replace the switch with a standard pressure switch that doesn't have the M4 feature and the lever on the side.
Figured I wasn't holding it long enough. I was really hoping to find it plugged with sediment when I took it apart. But it wasn't so while dejected I tried to run the pump but lost motivation and put it back together. I still have the pipes contraption so I will try it again. Thanks
Little update. Came home to no water. Changed pressure gauge cause old one was shot. After holding switch to get running it stayed on and took a while to shut off at 50 psi. I am going to check the current next time it runs. No excessive air in line when pressure returned.
Ordered a new pump which came today. So I pulled the old one. Not surprised to see it was from 1981. It had a goulds pump and Franklin motor. The screen was also 90% clogged and the check valve on the pump was shot. New one is in and working perfectly. Makes me wonder what the service tech saw when he came here and told me my well was dry.
A clogged screen on the pump acts just like a dry well or a clogged screen on the well. The only way to know the difference is if you can measure or see how much water is in the well. If you can see or measure that the water is above the pump, then yoou know it is a pump problem. But if you can't tell the water level, a clogged pump screen acts just like a dry well.
Ballvalve
General Engineering Contractor
What the NO-service tech saw was a chunk of your money on a new well, or he was just a dolt. Maybe a bit of both. Lucky you didn't give in as many would have. Great life on that pump! What kind of pressure tank did it have?
When I was 18, I dropped in at a friends house. They had a serviceman in the basement for the furnace, and I was near when he made the proclamation that a new motor was needed. I looked at the motor and asked if he had checked the start capacitor. The cap was blown, and he with a red face replaced it. I had been working in HVAC for the past 2 years, service and bending iron. My uncle owned the company, and we were instructed to perform such tricks as often as possible. Nicest guy you ever met! Rolling in money. Even put some of the pulled motors back in other furnaces as "rebuilt" - double your money!
I was at work when the pump guy stopped by. I spoke to him on the phone and informed him that water is visible in the hole and doesn't run dry when the pump turns on. He also tried to get me to let him pull the pump up a few feet to check the flow. At 225/hour. But he said it wouldn't take long. Lol I told him he can go. He's done enough.
There are a few good pump installers left, but not many. You did good to do a little research. It helps make it easier to spot the bad ones.
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