possible well pump problems?

[merrickvilleguy]

Do you have a well loop or pond loop geothermal? Does the well pump feed the geothermal as well as the house at the same time?

Its an open loop water source from the same well the rest of the house runs off of. The return side goes into a 75' deep well about 40-50' away from the source side.

 

[lectro88]

I did not mean to infer that you did not know what you were talking about. I apologise if I did so.

Your ok, I asked as I said, to know exactly what we have at hand. And be able to give acurate advice.

Can you easily isolate the supply from the house. And know what you really have at hand, without feeding other systems, or possible leaks

Seems like you could have several problems, compounding or complicating accurate troubleshooting.

 

[whistlepig]

ya I'm not even sure of the size of the submersible pump I have, and even the dept of the well was a ball park from the previous owner (hubby died and wife wasn't 100% sure)

If I fill a bucket using it from full pressure, it takes no time at all to fill a 5 gallon pail. If I wait till the pump is running and the pressure is in the 20-25psi range, I get around 5gpm off the pump.

This problem was very sudden and dramatic and coincided with the pressure valve on the geothermal pump (i.e. a week before the valve went, we had no pressure problems, a week after the valve went, we did)

I think you have well pump geothermal. From what I have read on this post I think your pump is about gone. I think you already know this.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

Your ok, I asked as I said, to know exactly what we have at hand. And be able to give acurate advice.

Can you easily isolate the supply from the house. And know what you really have at hand, without feeding other systems, or possible leaks

Seems like you could have several problems, compounding or complicating accurate troubleshooting.

When I tested the 5gpm on the hose, I closed the valve on the other side of the hose so there was no other fixtures using water (including the geothermal).

On a side note ... if the furnace is off and we don't use water, the pump remains off for as long as I've paid attention (at least a couple hrs). The switch is audible from upstairs.

I know what you mean by many issues ... thats why I flipped the valve to get a time on the pressure/flow problem.

Pig ... After everything else I've come across I think thats the last thing left. If I had a leak between the pump and the house, the pump should kick on more frequently (whenever the water leaks enough to get the pressure down) ... but that doesn't happen.

So I guess a couple hundred to get a guy to pull it and 5-600 for a new pump ?

 

[whistlepig]

When I tested the 5gpm on the hose, I closed the valve on the other side of the hose so there was no other fixtures using water (including the geothermal).

On a side note ... if the furnace is off and we don't use water, the pump remains off for as long as I've paid attention (at least a couple hrs). The switch is audible from upstairs.

I know what you mean by many issues ... thats why I flipped the valve to get a time on the pressure/flow problem.

Pig ... After everything else I've come across I think thats the last thing left. If I had a leak between the pump and the house, the pump should kick on more frequently (whenever the water leaks enough to get the pressure down) ... but that doesn't happen.

So I guess a couple hundred to get a guy to pull it and 5-600 for a new pump ?

I'm trying to sort through this. I have had both systems. Submersible and above ground. Does not sound like bleed off. Pressure problem as you first guessed. I.E. bad pump. Submersible pump replacement around here is $900.00. Parts and installation.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

Well at least the pump hasn't failed completely yet, I just added some new traps to my collection to the tune of near $1600, so can suffer this for a month and some to get the cash together (maybe until the ground thaws if they need to dig up the line between the house and the well)

 

[kidstrustfund]

Go back to my previous post and I gave you a tutorial on some steps to do to solve your problem. I edited the post to the info I picked up from your posts.

 

[lectro88]

Seen this same situation happen several times. Whenever a pump runs continuious, and water table gets low or pump is starved or run, call it dry.
If the pump can pull the well dry. The pump is never the same, and damage occurs quickly, I feel you are experiencing a weak pump now. You can get by with it for a while, but heavy demands can not be met.
When you do replace, (I would) also install a larger bladder tank too.

 

[mmurphy]

Pumps And Tanks Forums! - ALL WITH FAILED BLADDER TANKS PLEASE READ
Here is some info to chew on before condeming your pump. A pressure tank if not sized right, or bladder is leaking can give symptons much like you are saying. This site has some vary good info.

 

[milkman636]

The OP needs a larger expansion tank. A 20 gallon tank does not provide enough drawdown for the demands of a heat pump and domestic water.

Removing 3-5 gallons of water may be enough to drop the preesure in a 20 gallon tank from 50-30 psi. Each pump cycle may represent less than 5 gallons of water being used.

Shut off all taps and outlets, let your pressure swith cut out at fifty psi. Drain water from a tap into a bucket until you hear the pressure switch click closed. That's the amount of water you're using between pump cycles, If it fits it one bucket, you need more tank. (maybe 40 gallon or larger)

Continous short cycling because of the undersized tank will shorten pump life dramatically. If the tank is sized right, the pump will have longer run cycles with plenty of time in between cycles.

Short cycling is generally a tank problem. If the foot valve fails, as one of the previous posters suggests, the pump will be cycling even though no water is being used in the house. Continuous running or lack of runnning is generally a pump/water supply problem.