Well pump to pressure tank fitting warped and started leaking

Users who are viewing this thread

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
Hello I bought this house last year and I messed with the pressure switch shortly after I moved in to increase pressure. Well I am not sure if I caused the pump to not shut off and overheat or it just did it on its own. Anyway its an above ground craftsman pump 30\50.........It seems like the pump doesnt fill the tank very fast with no faucets open...it also wont fill to the 50 spot, even if I adjust the switch to make it stay on. It will peter off at a little over 41 lbs......so either my installed guage is off or the pump is struggleing to get past 41......what should I do since I had to replace another pump to pressure tank fitting because it must have got hot again and warped and started leaking again today......I can adjust the pressure switch to start and stop where I want it to, but it must not be the switch since even when its on, it isnt able to get enough pressure to reach 50.
Someone suggested at home depot that I have a leak somewhere in the line. I am mechanically inclined and am tempted to "pull the line to see where its leaking but not sure if I know what to look for......plus I am afraid of how much parts cost for a line replacement or if I wil damage something due to age.......this house was built in 1909 so I cant imagine the well has lasted that long.......someone must have updated it.........just not sure where to start..........the pump I believe was installed in 1996 so I dont think its the pump. Plus I have been told pumps either work or dont work........no such thing as a weak pump?
 

Bob NH

In the Trades
Messages
3,310
Reaction score
9
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
If something got hot enough to warp a fitting, then the pump may be damaged because the only source of heat in the water is the pump impeller.

You should check the pressure/flow specifications on your pump to see if it should get to 50 psi. Most shallow well jets in new condition will do 50 psi with 25 ft of lift, barely. If you get some degradation or air in the pipe the flow will stop and all that motor energy gets converted to heat in the impeller area. Goodby pump.

Something stuck in the throat of the jet nozzle will reduce the pressure capability.

If you want to get to 50 psi reliably, get a 60 psi pump and make sure you have no air leaks on the suction side. Also, be sure the well doesn't run out of water.
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
well it says 30\50 right on the side of it....How long shoud it take from the 30 psi kick on to stop at 50, or 41 in my case. Should the pump make the same sound from the time it turns on till the time it turns off?...........it almost sounds like there is air getting in somewhere because it makes an airish shound until its almost time to shut off................not really sure what to do now
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
I noticed you mentioned about something stuck in the jet nozzle........can I check this, where is this at?
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
Ok a thought here.....should I just leave it at a 40 psi shut off as long as It seems to work...................also I am not sure how much a 60 psi jet pump will cost or how to determine if a 60 psi pump will work with my well...........would it be suggested to A, check the jet nozzle, and B try to pull the line out of the well to check for problems?...I just went down and checked the pump specs and it is craftsman 30/50 1\2 horse running on 220 volts it even says shallow well.
 

Bob NH

In the Trades
Messages
3,310
Reaction score
9
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
I don't know where to find the parts list for your Craftsman pump, but you might have it around or maybe can find it on line. The link below is to a Goulds site. You will find nozzles and venturi tubes in the pictures. You will also see the impeller, which could have been damaged if things got hot.

Depending on the configuration of the pump casing and assembly, you might be able to see the nozzle through the inlet or a plugged hole on the centerline of the pump.

When you take a pump apart, you must be careful not to damage the gaskets or seals, or you will be out of luck until you replace them.

In each diagram the picture is below the parts list.

http://www.goulds.com/pdf/RJETSUB.pdf
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
Hello, the craftsman pump........model number is390.252151. and beneath that it says code 1g960...........and I timed the turn off ........it takes 1 minute 40 seconds to shut off when it kicks on at 30 pounds psi to 41 psi with no water faucets on.........somehow I dont think thats good.
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
I do have another question too as to the cause of this thing not reaching 50 psi........could the line into the well be bad or plugged........I fixed the line where it attached to the pump from the well.......it is a hard plastic pipe........well I noticed that where it was clamped had a split....so I cut it off and re attached it..........didnt seem to make a difference......so should I take out the well line..........it seems like all I have to do is lift the line out. I pulled it up about 2 or 3 feet so my guess is its easy to take out....only question is the line is hard plastic and its only 2 or 3 feet to the ceiling above the line so so I just wrestle the thing out or will I break the line bending it sideways..............even if I did decide to take apart the pump that means I could destroy gaskets and seals,........would the damaged parts be obvious if there are any bad parts?
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
another question........if the pump did over heat as welll I do know it did because of the warped hose barb to female 1 inch pipe thread........what would also be damaged inside.?..........the impeller, diffuser, nozzle, venturi, tank back half, tank front half?..there are at least 7 things that could be warped also.....not to mention what caused this to screw up in the first place
 

Speedbump

Active Member
Messages
4,511
Reaction score
12
Points
38
Location
Riverview, Fl.
If you have the plastic version of the Craftsman pump, they were famous for the nozzle plate warping with heat. That will surely drop it's pressure capabilities. I have always said plastic pumps work great for swimming pools because of the chlorine. But I don't like them for well pumps that require the higher pressures.

The other problem you may be experiencing is; this time of year water levels in a lot of places are the lowest due to lack of rain. Your shallow well jet pump can only lift water 25 feet and the closer the level gets to that depth the less pressure you can expect from that pump. Horse power does not mean much in this regard. What pressure is written on the side of the pump motor has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the pumps capabilities at different water tables. It only means it came with a pressure switch set at that pressure. It's called advertising.

bob...
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
I ran 2 faucets on full today for 15 minutes.....didnt run out of water......pressure stayed at 30..........so do I buy the warped nozzle, impeller, and whatever else or just save up and get a good metal pump........and If metal, then what pump is a good one.......lowes and home depot sell pumps but dont know if they are good
 

fumplet

New Member
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
canton, Ohio
Hello I am wondering what pressure pump to get and all the factors the apply to getting one for my needs...........as in will the 2 to 3 parts iron in the water affect the pump life, what dictates what kind of pump pressure I need or desire, what horsepower should I get, ok so myers are good but I dont see one of those dealers near me so,...........good qualities of a pump are?.....cast iron, anything else?............since craftsman says the pump is for 20 feet max...then I could assume its a shallow well.............also says for shallow wells on side of craftsman pressure/bladder tank
 

Speedbump

Active Member
Messages
4,511
Reaction score
12
Points
38
Location
Riverview, Fl.
If you like good strong pressure, go with the one horsepower. My pump would be the HJ100S.

Unless you have a phobia about internet sales, I also sell them. You won't need a local dealer.

The iron is going to be a problem for any pump and all fixtures unless you install an iron filter. The pump can and will become coated with iron over time internally.

bob...
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks