Well Pump electric use skyrocketing

[scottvalley]

I have noticed over the past 4+ months that the Kilo watt hours have doubled or even tripled compared to the same time frame last year on my domestic well. Other than perhaps a drippy faucet nothing has changed as far as water use habits.
When I shut off the water main coming to the house and yard the electric meter continued to keep spinning. There are no visible wet spots or lush green spots between the well and shut off valve.
Could this continuous running well pump be the result of a leaky bladder in the pressure tank? Or what else? The ohms tested normal but the amp draw was a little high.
MC

[valveman]

A leaky bladder in the tank will not allow the pump to run all the time. A leaky faucet and a bad bladder tank can cause your pump to cycle on and off enough to cause a high electric bill. It really sounds like you have a hole in the drop pipe down in the well. This will cause the pump to run all the time, use a lot more electricity, and can then cause many other problems. It needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

[Mike Swearingen]

Unless you have EVERYTHING off or unplugged in your home (appliances, water heater, electronics, TVs, nite lights, etc., etc., an electric meter is going to turn.
Mike

[scottvalley]

This well is on it's own power meter. I stood next to the well and could hear it running non stop prior to a local pump company coming out to diagnose. There has been no cycle stop valve (CSV) or any other work done on this well for several years.
I'm told by the local pump and well company that the cause is a leaky bladder in the tank, but this alone just doesn't make sense to me. It took two guys three hours to figure this out. Does that seem excessive? They adjusted the pressure switch (?) so it would not run constantly. The next day while I was looking at the pressure guage I saw that it was at 55psi. Ten minutes later it was at 50psi, the pump kicked on, then shut off at 75psi.
MC

[Wet_Boots]

Any check valves you can see between your pressure tank and the pump? A hole in the drop pipe won't be showing itself if a check valve is holding the tank pressure.

[Lee Roy]

I have a well system in my house for more than 15 years. I have had a tank with a bad bladder, does not cause the unit to cycle on an off. I believe the two causes would be a water leak, and the second which has happened to me is the one way check valve that is usually located between the water supply inlet and the holding tank. When the check valve goes bad the pump will cycle on and off. Changed mine problem went away.

[speedbump]

Lee Roy, you only half fixed your problem. You should remove the check valve that is masking the real problem and replace the bad tank before you need a new pump.

bob...