Well head hissing when pump is on??

I was down at the well house when the pump kicked on and I noticed a new noise coming from the well head. It was a sucking air noise which was coming from where the wires go down in the casing. I removed the plastic threaded nipple with cap on the other side to see if that did anything and it stopped. Does the well head need an air vent?? the pump was replaced two months ago and until now everything seemed fairly the same although there is a new girggling noise at the well head along with the usual light rattle at the check valve. The drop pipe comes up then 90's to the check then another 90 To the tank all within a foot so I figure there is a bit turbulence here.

well 800'
pump at 772'
3 hp berkley pump/franklin motor
1-1/4"galv. drop pipe

This hissing is normal. It's air going into the well caused by the pump drawing the water level down in the well. If the well recovers quickly, you should be able to feel air coming back up out of the well when the pump turns off.

The gurgling could be anything, not sure what to say about that.

If you have a check valve up top, does it have a schrader valve screwed into the pump side of it? If so, you have an air making system. That could explain one noise which would be air going into the tank when the pump first kicks on.

You need a good screened vent on the well head. You don't want that sucking sound to draw in bugs, lint, dirt, or anything else down the well. If you plug it off where it can't vent, it will keep the casing under a vacuum, which could draw in contamination from below ground through any crack that may develop. And cracks and leaks do develop easier when under a vacuum.

thanks for the help. I can handle that.

As a quick fix I took the 1/2" pvc nipple (6") with cap out of the well head and drilled numerous 1/4"holes into it and then wrapped it with tight mesh (screen door material) using some tie wraps to afix it. Seems to do the trick. My static water level is as high as it has ever been, roughly 200 feet down in an 800 foot well. I wonder if the fact there is less air space than usual in the top of the well is why I hear the noise. Never seemed to be an issue before but the new pump may be working better than the old. Everything seems to be doing its job

One more thing as I was reading the posts. I do have a check valve up top but no schrader valve on it. There is a valve? on the top of the drop pipe above where the supply goes to the tanks. I always thought this was a pressure relief valve since it kinda looks that way. Is that what it is?

Rutherfordman said:

There is a valve? on the top of the drop pipe above where the supply goes to the tanks. I always thought this was a pressure relief valve since it kinda looks that way. Is that what it is?

Click to expand...

Probably is a pressure relief valve. The screen on the casing should work. However, here we must point the screen down. We use a double elbow and the screen faces downward.

Drillers did the downware screen thing in Michigan 35+ years ago. Then it kind of want away. No difference. Bacteria can go through a much smaller hole than you have in a door screen. It will keep bugs out though.

When the well seal is tightened properly, it's not air tight, but it's pretty water tight and in my opinion, a good producing well won't drop enough to warrant a vent.

If you well is 800' and the water level drops from 200' to 800' it will make a lot of vacuum. I would want a good screened vent.