pump problems after adding a restrictor? Help

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samiam4

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I had a well which would not develop enough volume. It's 110 ft deep and had a 3/4 hp motor.

The well company came out, chemically cleaned the roots out of the well, added a booster pump and 1500 gallon res. THe well pump was 6 months old. Now, it is non-functional.

They put some sort of choke or DOle valve into the line so it wouldn't cavitate. 4-5 gpm max. I'm wondering if the restriction was so much that it killed the well pump? It just seems conicidental that a new pump fails 2nd use after all this work was done.


Michael
 
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Ballvalve

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that sounds correct. what they forgot was the franklin pumptek that would have shut it off when you lost water altogether. Or a cheap low pressure cut off switch.
 

Valveman

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It wasn’t restricting the pump that caused a problem. More likely it was not restricted enough. Those pumps will run fine restricted to as little as 1 GPM even when running 24/7. But if it is not restricted enough, and pumps the well dry, you need some kind of Dry Well protection to keep from melting the pump down.

There are two ways to control a pump in a weak well. You can restrict it with a Dole valve to at or below the amount the well will produce (even 1 GPM), and let it run 24//7 if needed to fill the cistern.

Or you can let it run without being restricted and use a Dry Well protector like a Cycle Sensor to turn it off when the well is dry, and set it to wait 30 min or an hour before it does it again.
 

samiam4

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Thanks guys,

I guess maybe the controller didn't match the pump(pump sure didn't last long.. ). The crew came out and pulled the pump. No serial # on the pump(strange).. but the serial number etc is on the receipt from July. So good note is the current crew will warrentee the pump the other guy installed(it had a 5yr transferable warrentee). They found substandard wiring spliced in 10 ft bellow the well head. And then there were 2 sets of splices and this is only 100 ft well.

Good note is it's running today with a new franklin pump. Bad news.. don't know what the Bill will be. They sure spent a lot of time out there before they realized it was a bad pump and wiring.

Michael
 

Ballvalve

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It wasn’t restricting the pump that caused a problem. More likely it was not restricted enough. Those pumps will run fine restricted to as little as 1 GPM even when running 24/7. But if it is not restricted enough, and pumps the well dry, you need some kind of Dry Well protection to keep from melting the pump down.

There are two ways to control a pump in a weak well. You can restrict it with a Dole valve to at or below the amount the well will produce (even 1 GPM), and let it run 24//7 if needed to fill the cistern.

Or you can let it run without being restricted and use a Dry Well protector like a Cycle Sensor to turn it off when the well is dry, and set it to wait 30 min or an hour before it does it again.


I have a lousy well, but I certainly do not want my 1.5 HP pump running full time [deep hole LONG run] So I pump up a pressure tank with about 45 gallons of water and then "dole" it out to the big tank at about a gallon a minute. A cheap low pressure switch alerts me to any over pumping.
 

Valveman

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I have a lousy well, but I certainly do not want my 1.5 HP pump running full time [deep hole LONG run] So I pump up a pressure tank with about 45 gallons of water and then "dole" it out to the big tank at about a gallon a minute. A cheap low pressure switch alerts me to any over pumping.

Sorry, I forgot about Ballvalves way. A Dry Well protector like a Cycle Sensor would make your life easier though. If easy was what you wanted. :)
 

Ballvalve

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By pumping a "set" amount of water i am not pulling down the water table to the pump in order to trigger the sensor or the franklin. My well makes clay slime and dropping the 200' column to the pump makes for big troubles.

Easy it is as I thought in the beginning I had a good well and set it up accordingly. I might pull the pump and put in a high stage 1/2 hp that just dribbles into the tank.
 
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