bad foot valve?

[dotsnider]

my pressure switch keeps clicking on and off. my water pressure is good and the tank is a couple of years old. i had a plumber out to check it out and he said that i had a leak in my water line somewhere between my well and the tank. when we aren't using the water we turn off the pump so the pressure switch doesn't burn out. when we turn off the water you can hear the water drain out of the house. maybe someone has an idea what's going on?

[Gary Slusser]

The plumber is correct but what do you think is the cause of the problem?

If you have a jet pump, in the house or above ground, you are running the risk of losing prime because you are shutting off the pump. If that happens you probably will not be able to reprime the pump and will be out of water until you fix the leak. It may be the foot valve for a jet pump, or the check valve on a submersible pump, in the well on the end of the drop pipe in the well.

Call a pump guy or well driller or only a plumber that is capable of pulling the drop pipe or pump out of the well to check where the leak is.

[dotsnider]

i have a shallow well submersible pump. unknown age, house was built in early 60's. would it cost alot to pull the pump out and replace it?

[Gary Slusser]

It will be a few hundred dollars and it will vary based on your area and how deep the pump is and what type of drop pipe material you have. Galvanized pipe will be the most expensive, PE pipe the least expensive. Other than that, prices vary by area etc..

[speedbump]

Can you tell us how often it comes on and off and what the time intervals are? Like how long does it take to fill the tank once started and how long to restart.

Just because the tank is new, doesn't mean it's good. We change out Big Box store tanks all the time that haven't made it to two years.

bob...

[dotsnider]

Bob, it turns on and off about 17 seconds. I and my husband think it's the foot valve, but we're not plumbers. Could I put a anti-syphon valve between the well and the tank.

[speedbump]

Ok, but the different time periods are what's important. How long does it take to go off after it comes back on. I assume it takes 17 seconds to come back on.

I also need to know what kind of pump you have. Is it a submersible or a jet? Submersible is in the well and the jet is up top.

bob...

[dotsnider]

Bob, yes that's right. It's about 17 seconds. I have a shallow well and a submerible pump.

[speedbump]

That tells me that the water is going back as fast as it's being put into the tank. How big is the tank? What is the model number?

bob...