Well pump runs continuously, has been replaced TWICE in 24 months--please help!

I will make this as abbreviated as possible.

I don't have a deep knowledge of well pumps and systems so I will do my best.

Our home was built in 2002. The well pump is at 530 feet and the well is 600 feet deep. We live on the plains of Colorado where water is plentiful from the Ogallala Resevoir that runs under us. We ave livestock and when filling water tanks when we first moved here in 2004, the pump couldn't keep up and the pressure switch wouldn't open to keep things going. We'd have to manually go under the house and trip the pressure switch. In February of 2006, the 1 1/2 HP, 7 GPM pump died and had to be replaced. The following were replaced
1 1/2 HP 7 GPM pump
3 check valves
Pressure Switch

In June 0f 2008, I noticed the well pump was running continuosly. This is a whole other story, but the pump had been running continuosly since it was installed. Our power bills were sky high and I attributed this to the installion of our air conditioning unit in March of 2006. The pressure in the tank was set for 50 lbs, but the pump could only get it up to 40 lbs. so the pressure switch was always open and the pump always ran.

Just 2 weeks after the installion of our 2nd new well pump in just over 2 years, the pump is once again running continuosly. WHAT IS GOING ON!? There is not a leak in our home or in our outdoor piping (it is shut off at the source under the house unless we are using it) The pressure tank is set to 50 lbs. and as far as I can tell it is reaching 50 lbs, but the pump continues to run.

How do I know it is running continuously...
By watching my power meter. If I turn the breaker to the well pump off, it stops spinning. When the new pump was first installed, we could watch the meter and see it shut off within a couple minutes of turning the water off, so things were going fine at first.

There is water at 300 feet in our well, we are not running out of water.

If I have missed anything, I will be glad to answer any questions to help find out what is going on here. We have paid well over $5,000 to this company, plus an extra $75 a month in power bills for 2 years. Now, they have not returned my calls over the last 2 days.

I just don't understand how the pump could wear out in 2 years, even if it was running continously. It was submerged and kept cool the entire time.

Any insight would be appreciated to help us understand this situation better.

The Applegates in Colorado

It is possible that you have one of two problems, and maybe another that I haven't thought of.

It may be that the pump doesn't deliver enough pressure and therefore can't get to shutoff pressure. That could occur at drawdown when you are using a lot of water.

It could be that you have run out of water and the pump was damaged so it can't deliver the pressure you need.

You are spending enough money that it will probably be worth getting a clamp-on ammeter to be able to check the pump when it is running. I think you can get one (I saw a selection at a local Lowe's a few weeks ago) for around $70. I don't remember the model.

The clamp-on ammeter clamps around ONE of the wires to the pump (not the whole cable) and measures the current. A characteristic of submersible pumps is that they draw maximum current when they are pumping the most water. If it is a 3-wire motor you must pick one of the run windings; not the start winding. Better yet, check the wires going TO the control box. You can check the expected current in the pump manual. http://www.goulds.com/pdf/IM096.pdf One caution about the current measurements; Goulds has changed motor manufacturers and the current might be different from what you will have on what is probably a Franklin motor. That is especially the case if you have a 2-wire motor.

If the pump is drawing maximum current but not delivering water, then there is a break in the pipe somewhere; probably down in the well.

If the pump is drawing significantly less than maximum current then it isn't pumping much water, either because something is restricting the flow, or it doesn't deliver enough pressure to fill the tank, or because the pump impellers have failed. The latter could be caused by not having enough pressure capability to pump to your tank.

If the pump is running out of water (not really consistent with the good aquifer) you could install a Pumptec or other pump protection device. They sense the low current condition described above and shut off the pump; then restart after a set time.

You might consider setting the pump deeper in the well the next time you pull it.

You didn't mention depth to water but if it is as far as 500 ft down you might have a marginal pump.

I looked at the curve for the Goulds 7GS15 7 GPM 1.5 HP pump and it will delive 4.9 GPM from 500 ft down to a 50 psi tank. If I were replacing the pump I would select the 7GS20 or put a 5 GPM head on the 1.5 HP motor. The 5GS15 deilvers 4.8 GPM from 500 ft to 50 psi but it has a lot more margin if the water goes down. http://www.goulds.com/pdf/7310.pdf

You didn't mention if you have a cycle stop valve on the pump. Do you have anything like that?

You said " The pressure IN the tank was set for 50 psi." The way I read this is you may have too much air in your tank if you mean the air charge is set to 50 psi. If you are running a 30/50 psi pressure SWITCH then you only need 28 psi in the tank. I can also see where you may be referring to your cut/out pressure as 50psi and that the tank is set accordingly(28psi) but sometimes wording is everything. Sometimes the simpliest of things are actually our "fix" for our problems.

I would quit calling that guy and find a better Pumpman.

The Pump must match the well and without the water level in your well and the production rate. It would be hard for us to size a Pump for you.

Obviously something is not right with the installation. If this Well is a Low Yield Well, you should have already had a Cycle Sensor or a Pumptec on the system to protect the Pump.

bob...

Some additional information and thanks for responding

Thanks for all of your advice.

To answer some of the additional questions, that I can answer

-The well is not running out of water. Water is at about 400 feet, the pump is set at 530 and the well is 600 feet deep

-This pump is less than 2 weeks old, and is behaving exactly the same as the prior pump.

-prd283- The little gauge for the pressure is set to shut off at 50. I don't anything about the actual pressure tank or what it is set at. On the previous pump when I discovered the problem, our neighbor came over and turned pressure down to 35, and the pump was acting properly. The water pressure in our house wasn't great, but I am less concerned about that and more concerned about my power bills and the life off my well pump.

-All the PVC piping has been pulled up 3 times in the last 24 months and there is no issue with a leak between the piping and the tank.

-Water is being constantly delivered, there is no problem with that. The water pressure fluctuates slightly.

-I am leaning towards our pump is not strong enough HP wise and we need slightly more HP to maintain the pressure, or the pressure needs to be adjusted to accomodate the pump. I know this is as simple as turning something on the pressure switch, but I don't want to mess with it.

-I do believe our well would be considered low yield....but I am not sure what qualifies. I believe when everything was installed in 2006, some sort of protection device was put in. I did not really understand the logistics of what I was being told.

If these folks every call me back, I will see what lip service they give me. Otherwise I guess I'll have to call out a fresh set of eyes and see what I can find out.

Thanks for all the responses!

Can you find and tell us the make and model of the pump? Also, make and model of the original pump.

Before pulling the pump again I would try to run a pressure/flow test as installed. You could run water through a hose or two hoses so the pressure stabilizes. Then measure the flow with a timer/watch and bucket. Repeat at another flow rate.

Be certain that the pressure gauge is accurate.

Hasn't the Ogallala aquifer been getting lower for a few generations? Yesteryear's correct pump might be today's weak sister. Better to live with 35 psi than to have to keep replacing pumps.

A 1.5 HP 7 GPM pump should be able to deliver 64 PSI, even if the water level is pulled down to 530. As long as the water level is higher than 530', the pump should be able to shut itself off when no water is being used. you would have to be running or leaking about 3 GPM for that pump not to be able to shut itself off.

It could be something as simple as the little line going to the pressure switch is clogged.

If the pump is what you think it is, and where you think it is, then it there are only a few things that could cause the problem.

Measure and record the running current and the pump flow at a couple of pressure levels and with an open pipe (no pressure). You can measure on one of the power lines to the controller if it is a 3-wire pump.

Measure the pressure and and current as you close the valve down. Stop when it gets down to about 1 GPM.

If the open-pipe flow is low then you have a failed pipe or a bad pump or low water.

If the current at 5 to 7 GPM is higher than table value for the motor then there is almost certainly a leak in the pipe.

If the current is low and you can't get to 7 GPM then it is likely that one of the following is the problem:
1. Running out of water at the pump
2. Damaged pump
3. Pump isn't what you think it is

New Info

HI Folks,

I just thought I'd update you on the ever grueling task of figuring out what is wrong with this system.

Our pressure switch is a 30/50 (someone has asked that before)

We just tinkered with the pressure switch for a few hours the other night and found where the pump can run comfortably...

We have the shut off pressure at 38 PSI and the swing pressure at 20 PSI and everything is working fine. However, it still takes about 5 minutes from when the swing kicks in to rebuild the pressure to 38 PSI.

We did this last Wednesday and the pump is still working properly.

The company that has done the work on this says that the only plausible explanation is that there is a leak between the well and the house (about 10 feet) since all of the other piping has been checked several times when the pump has been pulled up. Seems plausible, except we live in the very dry plains of eastern colorado and if we were leaking to that degree I would think we would have a wet spot. They tried to explain to me over the phone how to test for a leak but I am not equipped to do so and they wanted to charge me alot of money to do this.

I am hoping to run across a friend who can help us with this sometime soon so I don't have to shell out more money.

Leak in pipe

When your pump reaches cutoff pressure & cuts off , the needle on the pressure gauge should not drop back unless you are running water or have a leak somewhere . If you have all faucets , ect , closed & the pressure gauge
drops back & the pump comes on , you have a leak somewhere .