JCA433

My water pump cuts off at 35 PSI far below the normal 50 PSI and cannot figure out why. At first I thought it was a bad switch but the replaced switch also cut off the pump at 35 PSI. I can only achieve 50 PSI cut off by drastically adjusting the switch settings and then the even more problems! Last year I replaced the pump and well tank and a year later my drawdown is about half of what it was a year ago and 35 PSI is the cutoff far below the normal 50 PSI. The Well Mate well tank installed last spring leaked brand new. Since it was still under warranty I was able to exchange it for a new tank. Anyone have experience with problems like this? My drawdown for a one HP pump is only about 5 gallons! It cycles very often and gets hot.


Maybe the well tank is full of sediment from the well. Is it normal for a well tank and pump to last only a year?

JCA433

I am thinking of replacing my well with a manual well without need for a well pump and well tank. Invest in some buckets and just move the water indoors by hand. Live like people did 150 years ago!

raygrogan

Something is wrong ... not based on any real knowledge, I would try back flushing to see if something is blocking flow. A more expensive experiment (and that is all it is) would be try an air tank. The pump would then fill up the air tank at pressure before it cut off. To install you just put in a T near the pump. And ideally a union, then the air tank. (AKA bladder tank)

Jose263

JC - We have a well for our water source - even in Bioxi at around 30 ft above sea level our well is about 250 ft deep. Had to dig a new well after Katrina - not cheap.

How deep is your well? -what is normal well water level?
How big a tank? for a manual pump to work and draw water to the surface the water level would need to be pretty shallow.
What HP pump?
Do you have air in your tank? sometimes tanks can get 'waterlogged' about 1/3 of the top of the tank needs to be air - that's how pressure is built..
touch outside surface of your tank and see if you can feel where the water line is in the tank - water should be cooler than air - you might be able to see a condendation line.

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Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

chong

There are many variables affecting pump performance. Without knowing your piping set-up and your equipment specifications, anyone giving you an opinion at this point is only giving an educated guess. The best thing to do in connection with your question is to at least draw a piping diagram that shows the well, the length of the pipe from the well to the pump (horizontal and vertical), from the pump to the tank, and the tank to the farthest and highest outlet (faucet, shower, etc.) so that you can calculate the overall distance that the water is lifted. You also need to show the location of any accessories (valves, filters, etc.) wherever they are on the pipeline. You will also need to give the specs on the tank (height, diameter, or volume) and how high above the pump it is. Then you need the pump specs, i.e., the rate of flow (GPM) at what pressure (usually given in maximum feet but sometimes given in PSI, or the metric equivalent). Pumps are usually rated at different pressure conditions, such that as the pressure goes up, the GPM goes down, or the manufacturer will give you the pump curve, or both.

The tank specs also will say what the pressure it was pre-charged at. This is the pressure that the pump is set to cut off at. Usually, as a previous responder stated, there is an air pocket, whether in or outside a bladder inside the tank, that is pre-charged, so that as the tank fills up, the water compresses the air in that tank, up to a limit.

If you can sketch up your installation with dimensions, including your pipe sizes and all the info above, I'd be happy to take a look at your system.

Chong

JCA433

The setup is a 1HP STA RITE jet pump and a WM-14-WB Wellmate pressure tank(12 gallon drawdown when operating normally). The pump can easily reach 50 PSI IF it does not shut off too soon. The pump flow rate is about 24 gallons per minute. I think the check valve may be a problem or the pump riser between the pump and switch may be partially clogged. It is also possible that the pump nozzle may require cleaning. I decided to call a professional licensed plummer to come and inspect the setup and hopefully find the problem. He will call me back to set up appointment.

The tank is undersized and will upgrade to a 87 gallon tank soon. This should drastically reduce the pump cycling. The water table here is high and well depth is low. I think the check valve is at the end of the well and there is no check valve close to the pump. The pump and water tank are only about 32 inches apart. Both the pump and tank are the same level.

Yesterday after adjusting the switch the pump started to chatter but that problem is fixed now.

I am going to take a picture of my setup tomorrow with pipe lengths and dimensions and post it in this thread

JCA433

Here is a picture of the set up.







The suction line is 2 inch PVC pipe that reduces to 1.25 inch pipe at the pump inlet. A steel cross is attached to the pump outlet on top containing a pressure relief valve on the right, a pressure gauge on top, and 1 inch PVC pipe left. The outlet 1 inch PVC pipe is 6 inches length attached to an elbow. The vertical 1 inch PVC pipe from top elbow to bottom elbow is 13 inches length. The 1 inch pipe from the bottom elbow to the PVC cross is 7 inches length. The 1.5 inch pipe from the PVC cross to the tank is 13 inches length.


I can get the pressure up to 50 PSI by holding the switch contacts in place. The switch will cut on below 20 PSI and off at 30 PSI. I removed the tubing from the pump to the switch and inspected it and did not seem obstructed much. After I reconnected the tubing and turned on the pump the cutoff pressure was much lower than before only about 30 PSI! It is going from bad to worse!

JCA433

Today I removed the pump to inspect and clean the nozzle. After re installing it the performance improved some. Now it cuts on at 28 PSI and off at 43 PSI but still below the normal 30 to 50 PSI. I am going to install a much larger tank to reduce the pump cycling. At the end of the day at least I have running water but not the pressure I had hope for.

Jose263

have you drained the tank completely and refilled? A larger tank is probably a good idea if you use this well for home and yard -

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Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

JCA433

I am getting about 11 gallons draw down which is a big improvement from before. I did empty the tank and primed the pump before turning it on. NEVER run a jet pump dry! At least it is not cycling as much and although the pressure is a bit low, it is high enough for my use.

Jose263

good to hear it is working better - at least you have eliminated the possible water log issue.
we went without a functioning well for 6 weeks after Katrina killed the old well - not fun at all -got electricity back in 2 weeks but still no water.. there was a long waiting list for well repairs and drilling.
glad that episode is history.

__________________
Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

JCA433

Not having running water is dangerous. Without water you cannot drink,wash clothes, shower, flush toilet, water garden, wash dishes, wash hands. That is NOT fun!