New pump pressure switch well pumping out faster then replenishing and shutting off

[Swetmo]

We have a 148 ft deep drilled well with a a 4 inch casing. The original pump was a gould 3/4 hp and was placed in 1994.

We lost water over a week ago well company came said pump was bad. They pulled up all the pipe and replaced the pump with a gould 3/4 hp put on a new torque arrestor. He also got into the crawl space and replaced the pressure tank gauge and put on a new pressure switch. My old switch was a 30/50 and he replaced it with a 40/60 and adjusted the pressure tank.

Immediately our water was dark red/brown and they told us to let the water run off and on until it was clear and that could take several days.

Three days later as we were still trying to clear our water the water went out again. It came back on a few minutes later.

Fast forward to today....a week later...we still have dirty water I cannot water our animals from or do laundry. I called the well company back out and now they tell me I have a dry well and that since the new pump is working so well it's pumping more water faster then it can replenish it and I said then if that's the case wouldn't it have done the same when the original new pump was put in and I was told no I asked if upping the pressure to the 40/60 was pumping my water out faster and would it help to go back to a 30/50 and again I was told no. I have so much water pressure now it put a pinhole in my garden hose.

I am now $2k into this and cannot use my water.

Should I put a 30/50 back on and see if this makes a difference or am I just sol

 

[Reach4]

I called the well company back out and now they tell me I have a dry well and that since the new pump is working so well it's pumping more water faster then it can replenish it and I said then if that's the case wouldn't it have done the same when the original new pump was put in and I was told no

What causes them to think your well is being pumped dry? I am not saying your well is not being pumped dry, and if it is, let the well rest for maybe an hour. Then pump it dry, and shut the pump down for another hour.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Swetmo]

He said it is dry because after running about 50 gallons into the horse trough we lose all water pressure and it turns off but then we get water back within minutes. He had me turn my outside spigot on while he was in the crawlspace and he said that it was getting lower amps?? While I was running that sigot. I did not ever experience this problem until after the new pump and pressure switch install. Before the new installation I could run 220 gallons into the horse trough

Also after it does this we let it set for hours and if you run that spigot it does the same thing...it will also do it if you run a faucet inside house with the hosebib on the back of the house

What causes them to think your well is being pumped dry? I am not saying your well is not being pumped dry, and if it is, let the well rest for maybe an hour. Then pump it dry, and shut the pump down for another hour

 

[Valveman]

Was the new pump set any shallower than the old pump? Wells always get stirred up when replacing the pump. You may just need to restrict the flow so the pump will stay running and let it run long enough to clean up the well. It is hard to pump a well clean when the well doesn't make much water. There is a lot of waiting for the well to replenish so you can turn the pump back on.

 

[Swetmo]

Was the new pump set any shallower than the old pump? Wells always get stirred up when replacing the pump. You may just need to restrict the flow so the pump will stay running and let it run long enough to clean up the well. It is hard to pump a well clean when the well doesn't make much water. There is a lot of waiting for the well to replenish so you can turn the pump back on.

They said they set the pump back exactly where it was...the only thing different is they changed my pressure switch from a 30/50 to a 40/60.....the pressure coming out of my hose from the spigot is crazy it popped a pin hole in the hose.....should I try switching back to a 30/50 and see if it still drains the well?

 

[Reach4]

1. 100 psi should not pop a hole in a garden hose. It was ready to go.
2. Rather than running at a lower gpm, it would be better to wait until the pressure drops to 37. Then rest the well and resume later. There are devices that can monitor for run-dry. That would automate the procedure.

You might be able to set up a timer to let you cycle automatically for a while.

3. The water sediment should not be harmful. You could add a sediment filter in line. It will fill up sooner before the sediment gets settled, but would be a nice addition for later too.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/APEC-Wa...leated-Sediment-Filter-CB1-SED20-BB/206496795 looks like a handy kit, although I would tend toward Pentek brand. With a cartridge filter, there is an O-ring. That can expand eventually and you then you cannot reuse the old O-ring. In that case, you would at least want to have a spare O-ring on hand, but a bypass valve arrangement would be nicer. The O-ring should be very lightly lubricated with suitable silicone grease. I am partial to Molykote 111 for this. I wear nitrile gloves for applying the grease, tho the grease is not harmful. It just makes cleanup easier. I am not a pro.

4. If you are going to sanitize your well, this might be a good time. Overlap with the "developing", which is what this operation is called in the case of a new well. It is normal to have sediment kicked up when you change out a submersible pump. When I do my recirculation for sanitizing, I run the recirculating water through a cartridge filter similar to the one I named above. When recirculating, you will not run out of water. You could try 1/2 recirculating and 1/2 of the water dumped. The well may keep up with that.

 

[Valveman]

They said they set the pump back exactly where it was...the only thing different is they changed my pressure switch from a 30/50 to a 40/60.....the pressure coming out of my hose from the spigot is crazy it popped a pin hole in the hose.....should I try switching back to a 30/50 and see if it still drains the well?

The pump actually delivers less water at 40/60 than 30/50. 40/60 should be best for a weak producing well. 3/4HP is 7 amps when pumping water, and drops to about half that when the well goes dry. A clip around AC amp meter is the best way to figure this out.