Tank Pressure at Zero, Pump Short Cycling

3 weeks ago I had a pipe burst out above the well in the yard. The pipes freeze every year so I didn't discover it immediately. I was waiting out the weather. When it rose above freezing I still had no water and discovered the broken pipe gushing water all over the ground. It was a PVC pipe so I replaced it myself and everything started working and has worked since then.

Fast forward to Christmas.... It's about freezing here, but not cold enough to freeze pipes. I had water in the morning. Then a couple hours later no water.

The pressure gauge on the tank says 0. Checking w/ tire gauge it barely registers so I feel the gauge is correct. The pump is cycling on and off. 5 seconds on, 30 seconds off. It has a Red Jacket control box. I took off the cover because I noticed some dripping from the box. It had a lot of condensation inside. I've never noticed this before so I'm not sure why it occurred but it has been cold here and it's now kind of thawing out so it could just be that. I turned off the power and dried everything off with a space heater. No luck. I have taken off the pressure switch and checked for clogs in the nipple, but it's perfectly clear.

I did not adjust the pressure switch because it didn't make sense to me that it should be improperly adjusted when nothing has changed with it (the switch) since it was installed. I didn't want to screw it up further so I left it as is.

Any ideas? Did the pump burn up from pumping water w/ a broken pipe? Could the tank be bad? Is the pressure switch bad? Is the big black pillar thing inside the control box some sort of fuse I may need to replace?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

What kind of tank do you have. If galvanized it's probably waterlogged and needs to be drained down and air added. If it's a bladder tank, the bladder may be no good. You may be able to add a temporary air charge to the tank. The moisture in the control box may be due to a blown capacitor from the pump short cycling. I would check the well tank, and then plan on getting a new control box cover to start with.

Because the pump comes on and runs for like 5 seconds, you have a pump problem and need to do electrical checks to see what is wrong. I believe it is over heating and the thermal overload opens to shut it off, it cools and comes on again and then off again. etc.. That will kill the motor real quick.

Get the right air pressure in the tank, 1-2 psi less than the turn the pump on switch setting, and then start here;
http://www.franklin-electric.com/business/WaterSystems/service/AIM/page-13.aspx

With the limited information you give I would say the bladder in the tank is bad. You may have to replace the tank. Do you have water?

If you have to replace the tank you may want to search
google for a "Pside Kick". It includes everything including a new tank and a Cycle Stop Valve. The Cycle Stop Valve prevents the pump from cycling and gives you a constant pressure at the faucet like city water pressure. You can purchase it from your local well supplier (not big box stores) or by contacting www.cyclestopvalves.com.

It could be the overload switch in the control box kicking in and out but I doubt it. That would indicate other problems!

Porky Cutter, MGWC
Master Ground Water Consultant
www.dci-inc.us)

Pretty elementary, Watson. First, you have a leak if everything in the house is OFF. Second, 5 seconds on means that the tank is shot or at least needs some air.

Therefore: shut off all stuff you use. Does pump still cycle 5 on 30 off? You have a leak. Add some air or get a new tank. Does pump now run 1 minute on and 5 minutes off? {with all known stuff OFF} GO FIND THE LEAK!

If moisture in the control box was from a blown capacitor it would be oily and the pump would not run at all.

Finally, fix the pipes so they do not freeze on a pre-determined schedule!