Can a jet pump cavitate?

[mikecan]

We have a jet pump in the basement with a horizontal line that runs to the well casing. There is a bladder tank near the pump. The pump has a 30/50 switch that hasn't been touched. Recently the water taps in the house have been ejecting a blast of air along with spurts of water. I thought that the air was coming from a damaged bladder in the pressure tank so I drained the system and removed all the pressure. The tank was very light as if it was empty and I took a tire pressure gauge and measured 27 psi in the tank. The pump takes a long time to fill the system and hesitates at approximately 35-40 psi. It eventually fills the system and gets to the 50 psi cutoff but there is a ton of air in the pipes. The well also has an old fashioned well pump on top and I can get water from the well with just a few strokes of the handle so I believe there is water in the well. Any comments? Where can I check next?

[speedbump]

Start with the Pitcher Pump. The jet could be drawing air through it's check valve and plunger. There should be a valve under the Pitcher Pump and it should be shut off when your using the Jet Pump. It should be a ball valve so that it doesn't have packing that could also leak air under vacuum.

bob...