Major vibration

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mggraphix

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Hi All,

I am a homeowner not a plumber but I could really use some guidance. Submersible pump. I had a ruptured line in the well about 4 years ago, called a local plumbing outfit to check it out. Leak was about 10 ft down. Told them to change out the entire line and put a new pump in. The pump was about 12 years old. I figured hell, it's out may as well swap it out. Water at about 20 feet well is at 125 feet they said they placed the pump at 110 ft. Water was cloudy, as I would expect it to be, after a couple weeks I am still getting "sand" in my sinks, tubs, etc. Had to change out all my shower heads and clean screens yadda, yadda, yadda. I called the plumbing co back and they offered me a new state of the art filtration system, at my expense. I asked about double checking the pump depth but they insisted it was correct. I asked about possible pump damage but they stated the pumps are designed to withstand these types of elements. ( I don't believe it but I am not a professional plumber ) I installed an inline sediment filter to handle the "sand". Now to my issue. The first winter I started getting a vibration in the pipes. It started as the cold weather set in. The vibration ONLY happened immediately after the pump reached max (about 55 psi) and only lasted about 4 seconds. This went on until spring. (New York) During the spring, summer and fall I never heard a thing. Cut to now...This past summer I did hear it on occasion and now that fall is here it is happening every time the pump cycles. Now it does not happen "after" the pump shuts off, now it is starting about 10 psi "before" the pump shuts off and continues after for a bit. The vibration now is lasting a minimum of 10 seconds and is quite loud. I can hear it through the entire house. the water pressure in the house is holding fine. The pump does not cycle excessively. Water pressure in the house does not fluctuate. I installed a bypass around my sediment filter when I installed it so I have removed that from the circuit and the problem is still there. I originally was thinking check valve but after watching my gauges and the current vibration happening "before" the pump shuts off, I have changed my mind. However, I am a heavy equipment mechanic not a plumber so maybe I am way off with my train of thought. The other thing that baffles me is why only in the winter. Obviously there is a perfectly good reason which again is why I am asking for your assistance. I still plan on having a plumber take care of the problem but I really would like to be better educated and prepared this time. I hope I offered enough info to base some sort of educated guess on. I'm sure most of you had this figured out by the second sentence.
Thanks for your patience,
Gene
 

ghetterly

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You mentioned a check valve. This wouldn't happen to be a Conbraco Dual Check? If it is, then any vibrating or "buzzing" sound is certainly from that valve. The springs inside it get weak and the valve chatters as it closes. I have been to hundreds of houses with these crappy valves vibrating away. Throw that junk away and install a Watts.

Junk:
conbraco_dualcheck.jpg

Not junk:
810_small.jpg
 

LLigetfa

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If you have more than one checkvalve, remove it. There should only be one on the pump. When the pump is at or near the max pressure, the flow reduces so that is when a checkvalve might chatter. As for Summer versus WInter, the water table may vary with the seasons and the lower water table means the flow reduces sooner.
 

mggraphix

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Thanks Ghetterly, I do have the "not junk" version installed. As far as I can tell there is only one. LLigetfa, I have a pond that generally dictates the water table. Its about 100 feet from the well. I have seen it fluctuate 3 to 4 feet. Would that have that much of an effect if the pump is set 80 to 90 feet in water?
Thanks for the quick responses and thanks for the help.
 

LLigetfa

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As far as I can tell there is only one.
Normally there is one built into the top of the pump. Are you saying you have a second one and if so where is it installed? As for the height of the water table, one foot equals .43 PSI so 4 feet would be 1.72 PSI difference in pressure applied to the aquifer you are pumping through. Depending on the well recovery rate, the water level most likely falls by the end of a pump cycle and 1.72 PSI of difference could be all it needs to chatter or not chatter.
 

mggraphix

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I have a check valve on the inlet side of the house plumbing. In other words it is at the end of the line that feeds the house mounted to a manifold that "after" it goes through the check reaches the house plumbing. Here is my attempt at a primitive diagram. I will pull the model of the pump to get more info on it. Is the check generally built into the pump or is it added to the pump when it is installed? "not talking about the one in my house"
Thanks again and thanks for explaining the pressure drop.

pump.gif
 
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