Should I be worried about my well pump?

About a year ago I bought a house with a well water system, and that is exactly how much experience I have with well water systems.

After using water (faucet/shower turned off, toilet stops filling, dishwasher or washing machine stops running and so on), I have learned it is typical to hear a short noise that my wife and I have guessed is probably the well pump turning on and off to replenish the water in the pressure tank. It's kind of like a groaning noise; I'm not sure how else to describe it. It's not very loud but it can be heard throughout the house, particularly after using the reverse osmosis filter tap on the kitchen sink.

Lately, the length of time that we hear this noise has increased from about 1-2 seconds after shutting water off to about 3-4 seconds. My wife says that on occasion the noise gets a lot louder than usual and lasts for a much longer time; I have been home once when this happened (after I flushed the toilet) and I agreed that it seemed like something to be concerned about. When I checked the pressure tank immediately after this happened it read 42 PSI. Normally this same pressure gauge has hovered somewhere between 50 and 60 PSI, and it was back up in that range the last time I checked it.

Almost everything in the well system was replaced by the previous homeowners and is pretty new. Any well-related equipment in the basement (pressure tank, salt tank, softener, R/O filter equipment) has manufacturing labels indicating they were made in 2008. The only thing I am unsure of is the well pump; I do not know if it was replaced. A label on my circuit breaker panel indicates a "Gould's Submersible Pump" installed in 1989 (the year our house was built), however, I have no way of knowing if the well pump was replaced at the same time as the rest of the well equipment. It's a 250 foot well, and I'd rather not dig up my yard unnecessarily to see how new or old the pump looks.

I had a separate well and septic system inspection done at the time of the home inspection with a 3 hour well yield test. The inspector said that the water pressure was "amazing" and "the best I've seen in this area in a long time." The inspector quickly went over with me how a well system works, but at the time it was an overload of information ("this is a pressure tank, this is a salt tank, keep the salt covering the water, this is an R/O filter, yada yada"); I've learned more from living in the house for almost a year, but I'm still not sure that I absorbed everything I need to know.

I've noticed no drop in water pressure recently. Typically the only time I've noticed a drop in pressure is if there is a lot of demand for water -- if I'm doing a load of laundry, the dishwasher is running, and I try and take a shower all at the same time -- unusually heavy demand even for a home on a public water supply.

My next-door neighbor's house was built at the same time by the same builder. He is the original owner of that home, and claims to have had to replace his well pump 3 times since the house was built. This worries me a little as I think I have the original well pump, which, since we had the same builder, likely would have been the same brand, model, and kind of pump.

What is the typical life expectancy of a well pump? Should I be worried about this noise? Is our well pump beginning to fail, and should I start saving money for a replacement? If not, how will I know when the pump is starting to fail?

Thanks

The moaning is probably the bladder in the tank. Turn the pump off, drain all the water from the tank, leave the faucet open, and check the air pressure in the tank. Should be around 35 PSI.

valveman,

As far as I know, there is only one pressure gauge in the system. I assume this is a water pressure gauge. It's attached to the pipe between the pressure tank and the sediment filter. Would that gauge measure air pressure if there's no water in the tank? Would there (or should there) be a gauge elsewhere for air pressure?

The pump has to be off, the tank drained of water, a faucet left open, then check the air pressure in the tank with a car tire like gauge.

>>What is the typical life expectancy of a well pump? Should I be worried about this noise?

15 years seems to be about all you get on a pump these days. If you get the full 15 years be happy. If you only get 7 don't be too surprised. Also some fail MUCH sooner. As to whether you should be worried about the new noise I personally would want to know what it was. If you have a neighbor who is handy have him stop by and listen. He may know right away if its something to worry about or not. Based on your description I have absolutely no idea what you are hearing.

>>Is our well pump beginning to fail, and should I start saving money for a replacement?

Its probably ok however when you own a house its a good idea to have a rainy day fund. You never know when something will decide to die.

>>If not, how will I know when the pump is starting to fail?

Odds are 50% or better you will get no warning. Most likely you will be standing in the shower rinsing you hair when suddenly there will be no water. Other times you do get a warning like short cycling of the pump (less than 30 seconds off between the on times). This is usually a sign of a failed pressure tank, but if ignored will also lead to a dead pump. Other signs are if the circuit breaker trips repeatedly or the pump takes a longer time than in the past to reach the 60psi cutoff (or might just be a clogged screen on the pump) or is unable to build pressure to reach the 60 psi cutoff.

Oh and your pressure switch is set to 40 pump on and 60 pump off. The pump should come on when it hits 40psi, build pressure to 60psi and turn off.

-rick

tckma said:

It's kind of like a groaning noise; I'm not sure how else to describe it. It's not very loud but it can be heard throughout the house, particularly after using the reverse osmosis filter tap on the kitchen sink.

Click to expand...

My RO filter will make a groaning noise. Heat traps in my HWT do as well. Any sort of valve or regulator can make groaning noises. Sound has a habit of getting telegraphed through the plumbing, just like a two tin cans and a string make a rudimentary telephone. The sound can even create a resonance in the plumbing far from the actual source. You need to try to reproduce the sound and track down its source.

The noise is indeed the pressure tank bladder. The pump seems fine; I've determined that it turns on when the pressure tank gauge reads 38 psi and turns off when the gauge is at 62 psi. There is a loud click from the pressure switch when the pump turns on and off. The louder bladder noise seems to have been a few isolated incidents over about two week's time, and I haven't noticed it lately. I'll certainly keep watch.