Pump replacement. Best course of action...?

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DIYordie

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Hi all, first time posting and with what is sure to a long winded question

We've known we were dealing with a pretty low output pump since we moved in two years ago, but it finally came to a head when we would run the pressure tank down then only get about 1/2 gallon per minute from the well. Turns out the pump wasn't bad, just clogged above the check valve with what appears to be iron bacteria slime and/or clay particles. It wasn't much, just really packed in there. We would have put the old pump back in had we not punched a hole in the top getting it dislodged from the rusty weld it got stuck on halfway up. The old pump was a 1/3 horse, 8 GPM. We went to the pump store and they said 1/3rd's are hard to come by and they sold us a 1/2 hp, 10 gpm pump. It is a Pentair 2NFL52-12-P4-01, 2-wire, 1 phase. We get it in there and with the use of a ball valve per initial startup instructions, choked down with a ball valve, we find that if we draw at any higher than 4.5 GPM, it draws the water level down and starts sucking air (we shut it off quickly). At FULL OPEN valve (unrestricted out into the yard), it draws down from static level to pump level in about a minute. At that rate (once hooked up to the more restrictive household plumbing), we can deplete the pressure tank once or twice in a short period, but I'm afraid to see what happens when we water the garden a little too long or use too many fixtures at once and the thing starts sucking air because we simply used too much water in a short period of time. I figured we would just leave the ball valve on indefinitely as a solution, since it seemed to be working pretty well. That is until I took it off to put tef tape on some threads and realized that the ball orfice is about 95% closed. I put an extra 75psi relief valve between the valve and pump and it blew the instant we turned the pump back on. From what I have read on here a little extra backpressure is good for a pump, but is having a 10 GPM, 1/2 horse choked down to 4 GPM too much reduction? I am going to try to find a pressure gauge today so I can see what psi we are dealing with between the pump and valve. What is an acceptable pressure to have in the system at that point? I'm not too worried because it has run like this for several hours and the flex pipe hasn't blown off yet. Also, we are satisfied with 4 GPM. After the pressure tank runs down, 4 gpm is adequate to feed two fixtures in the house. Plus this way, the pump does not have to cycle as much as if it were unrestricted.

Other details:
43 yr old well - SWL 40 ft at time of drilling, appears to be a bit higher now, about 30 ft.
24-hr drawdown test when drilled = 8 GPM, no drawdown
75 ft deep, 5 ft screen in gravel
Screen is 003 galv.? (not totally legible on report)
1" flex pipe between pump and well head. Pump set at 45-50'

My big question is- what is the best way to proceed. Here are my options in order of simplicity and low cost:

1) leave ball valve in place, ensure pressure is not too high between pump and valve. Check on it every couple of months.

2) Remove ball valve, install pumptek or other similar device (would result in more cycling for pump).

3) Remove pump, try NuWell tabs or other cleaning method and see if recharge rate improves.

4) Buy a new, 5gpm pump or outfit the current motor with a new pump end.

5) Lower pump (really not an option unless we get the well cleaned - we tried this but it began to get stuck in the 4" casing). It is now hanging on about 45 feet of downpipe (15 feet or so below the SWL)


Would appreciate thoughts or advice. Like I said, I would like to just leave the ball valve in place provided the pressure on the pump side is not high enough to hurt the pump or cause failure of the flex pipe.

Thanks
 

Valveman

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A pump can run at 1 GPM forever without overheating. But it can only run a few minutes at 0 GPM before it melts down. Restricting the flow with anything to 4 GPM won’t hurt, until the restriction becomes clogged with iron and is not letting through at least 1 GPM.

Have you looked at the Sulfur Eliminator? It might solve a lot of your problems. Because if the well use to make 8 GPM and now barely makes 4 GPM, the perforations in your well casing are probably also clogged up.
 

LLigetfa

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I don't know what wells cost in Ohio but punching down a new well may be your best option. If you have mineral encrustations preventing the pump from lowering and breaking the pump when pulling it, go to a 6 inch if drillers in your area offer that option. Also, your screen is likely to be clogged with the encrustation.

When I last pulled my pump it was encrusted with a 1/4" to 1/2" of manganese. My well has no screen, just an open bottom. If it did have a screen I'm sure the manganese would have clogged it.

Instead of a dole valve, consider a CSV and a Cycle Sensor for run dry protection. I don't know if you stated the size of your tank, but a large tank represents an additional load on the well. Better IMHO to have the extra capacity in the well casing than in the tank.
 

DIYordie

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I don't know what wells cost in Ohio but punching down a new well may be your best option. If you have mineral encrustations preventing the pump from lowering and breaking the pump when pulling it, go to a 6 inch if drillers in your area offer that option. Also, your screen is likely to be clogged with the encrustation.

When I last pulled my pump it was encrusted with a 1/4" to 1/2" of manganese. My well has no screen, just an open bottom. If it did have a screen I'm sure the manganese would have clogged it.

Instead of a dole valve, consider a CSV and a Cycle Sensor for run dry protection. I don't know if you stated the size of your tank, but a large tank represents an additional load on the well. Better IMHO to have the extra capacity in the well casing than in the tank.


A new well will be out of the question cost wise for at least another year. What prevented the pump from coming out was actually a rusty weld that we were able to shave off slightly with iron pipe with a tee on the end. The encrustation really only start just below where the pump is hanging now. No encrustations on the pump, just iron bacteria slime (which we are going to hopefully get under control with a shock chlorination regimen). The tank is 20 gallons.
 

DIYordie

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A pump can run at 1 GPM forever without overheating. But it can only run a few minutes at 0 GPM before it melts down. Restricting the flow with anything to 4 GPM won’t hurt, until the restriction becomes clogged with iron and is not letting through at least 1 GPM.

Have you looked at the Sulfur Eliminator? It might solve a lot of your problems. Because if the well use to make 8 GPM and now barely makes 4 GPM, the perforations in your well casing are probably also clogged up.

We do have a slight sulfur smell that seems to fluctuate at different points in the year, Is it likely sulfur or sulfur bacteria that are clogging the screen or minerals? Should we try a chemical cleaner like NuWell? Do these typically increase the yield by a few GPM? also, what about the .22 bullet shot into the bottom trick to loosen the deposits? I could have that done today :)
 

DIYordie

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UPDATE: I hooked up a pressure gauge and am getting about 90 psi when I choke the ball valve down to where it needs to be (4gpm). I suspect that the 45 feet of flex hose is fully capable of handling this pressure? 20131014_191052.jpg
 

Valveman

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Most 1/2 HP, 10 GPM pumps can only build a maximum of 96 PSI, so that sounds right. Plugged screens usually won't reduce the pressure a pump can build, just the volume it can pump.
 
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