JohnFN00fq
New Member
Hello: I'm trying to troubleshoot well pump issue. Here is some history on the system.
The Well: It is 250' deep. The submersible is a 3/4 HP 2 wire, with ground. I do not recall the make of the pump but I am 95% sure it's neither a Wayne or a Myers pump. The pump was installed in 1996 and sets at 230'+/-. The power is supplied with #10 Cu wire. I estimate the top of the water column to be at about 90' BGL. In fall of last year, the top of the water column was at 30'BGL using a water level indicator. Breaker is double pole 20'. The supply line from the pump into the house is 1.25"; underground portion of supply line running through Schedule 80 to prevent accidental breakage (cheap insurance from my stand point). Casing is 6" for 20' and 4" perforated to the bottom of the well.
Note:
From the well head down to the pump, all items are from 1996. In 2012, my home burned to the ground.
Storage system:
Well Mate 1.75 year old Well Mate WM-6. Just last week, I had to drain the system because bladder somehow lost it's charge. I purged all water between the well side shut off and the house supply side shut off. I closed off the valve used to drain system and saw "0" PSI. I inflated the bladder to 4# under start pressure, about 26 according to the gauge. I filled the tank and turned water back into the house. After some tinkering, I have pump on at 26 and off at 56 since the compressor gauge, the water gauge at tank and the tiregage did not agree. I do have a one-way valve on the interior of the house.
Here's info for all my potable water use (sinks kitchen/bath, shower, tub). All these fixtures release less than 2 gals per minute. My only device that draw 2+ are the washing machine and the garden house. If I am using anything other then the garden hose or the washing machine, I have no start/stop issues. With the water house, I turn the supply valve about 1/2 to 5/8 ON. I have to do something similar with the clothes washer.
My problem:
I had my wife do laundry and I manned the tank while she stayed at the washer. After I assured the tank was at full pressure (56#) I had her start the washer. The pressure dropped to 36# and the contact switch closed the circuit but there was about a 3-4 second pause before I could hear water coursing through the supply pipe entering the house and hear the noise as the tank fills. While the washer was still running, the pump was just able to slowly rise until it reached 50# at which time the water stopped coming from the well.
The washer is still taking water from the tank even you the pump is not running. I manually disengaged the contacts and just at about 40# I allowed the circuit to close. No water arrived. I let it go down to 30 # and had my wife turn off washer while I killed the power. I opened the circuit then again supplied power. I had to manually hold the little lever on the side of the pressure gauge. After 3-4 seconds, water came at 36# I could release the little lever and the pressure was sufficient to keep the circuit closed and the water running until it reached it's 56# shut off pressure.
MY NEXT TEST:
I had my wife take my place at the tank and assured that I had 56#. I advised her to turn on the water when I radioed to her to turn it on. I went up, pushed the washing machine ON and ran to the well head. I radioed to wife to turn ON the valve and advise me when the pressure switch clicked on to start pump. She let me know the pump was on. I used a strong light to view down the well. there did not appear to be any water leakage on the visible portion of the plastic pipe or the pitless adaptor. While wife was at tank, she said the pump shut off at 50# but the switch did not disengage.
Temporary solution:
If I shut off the laundry supply line in that wall mounted box to 1/2 open, I seem to not experience that problem.
Possible problems:
Since there is a 34-second pause fro the time the pressure switches closes the circuit to the time water begins to enter, may my problem be a faulty foot valve in the pump itself? Would a faulty foot valve cause my issue. Since I don’t believe I am experiencing a lack of water, might the pump just be going bad, it was 20 years in service July.
Advice on pumps:
Should I just upgrade? What brand? Two or three wire? Anything else I'm missing.
Thank you.
John Salsgiver/ Ford City, Pa.
The Well: It is 250' deep. The submersible is a 3/4 HP 2 wire, with ground. I do not recall the make of the pump but I am 95% sure it's neither a Wayne or a Myers pump. The pump was installed in 1996 and sets at 230'+/-. The power is supplied with #10 Cu wire. I estimate the top of the water column to be at about 90' BGL. In fall of last year, the top of the water column was at 30'BGL using a water level indicator. Breaker is double pole 20'. The supply line from the pump into the house is 1.25"; underground portion of supply line running through Schedule 80 to prevent accidental breakage (cheap insurance from my stand point). Casing is 6" for 20' and 4" perforated to the bottom of the well.
Note:
From the well head down to the pump, all items are from 1996. In 2012, my home burned to the ground.
Storage system:
Well Mate 1.75 year old Well Mate WM-6. Just last week, I had to drain the system because bladder somehow lost it's charge. I purged all water between the well side shut off and the house supply side shut off. I closed off the valve used to drain system and saw "0" PSI. I inflated the bladder to 4# under start pressure, about 26 according to the gauge. I filled the tank and turned water back into the house. After some tinkering, I have pump on at 26 and off at 56 since the compressor gauge, the water gauge at tank and the tiregage did not agree. I do have a one-way valve on the interior of the house.
Here's info for all my potable water use (sinks kitchen/bath, shower, tub). All these fixtures release less than 2 gals per minute. My only device that draw 2+ are the washing machine and the garden house. If I am using anything other then the garden hose or the washing machine, I have no start/stop issues. With the water house, I turn the supply valve about 1/2 to 5/8 ON. I have to do something similar with the clothes washer.
My problem:
I had my wife do laundry and I manned the tank while she stayed at the washer. After I assured the tank was at full pressure (56#) I had her start the washer. The pressure dropped to 36# and the contact switch closed the circuit but there was about a 3-4 second pause before I could hear water coursing through the supply pipe entering the house and hear the noise as the tank fills. While the washer was still running, the pump was just able to slowly rise until it reached 50# at which time the water stopped coming from the well.
The washer is still taking water from the tank even you the pump is not running. I manually disengaged the contacts and just at about 40# I allowed the circuit to close. No water arrived. I let it go down to 30 # and had my wife turn off washer while I killed the power. I opened the circuit then again supplied power. I had to manually hold the little lever on the side of the pressure gauge. After 3-4 seconds, water came at 36# I could release the little lever and the pressure was sufficient to keep the circuit closed and the water running until it reached it's 56# shut off pressure.
MY NEXT TEST:
I had my wife take my place at the tank and assured that I had 56#. I advised her to turn on the water when I radioed to her to turn it on. I went up, pushed the washing machine ON and ran to the well head. I radioed to wife to turn ON the valve and advise me when the pressure switch clicked on to start pump. She let me know the pump was on. I used a strong light to view down the well. there did not appear to be any water leakage on the visible portion of the plastic pipe or the pitless adaptor. While wife was at tank, she said the pump shut off at 50# but the switch did not disengage.
Temporary solution:
If I shut off the laundry supply line in that wall mounted box to 1/2 open, I seem to not experience that problem.
Possible problems:
Since there is a 34-second pause fro the time the pressure switches closes the circuit to the time water begins to enter, may my problem be a faulty foot valve in the pump itself? Would a faulty foot valve cause my issue. Since I don’t believe I am experiencing a lack of water, might the pump just be going bad, it was 20 years in service July.
Advice on pumps:
Should I just upgrade? What brand? Two or three wire? Anything else I'm missing.
Thank you.
John Salsgiver/ Ford City, Pa.