possible well pump problems?

[merrickvilleguy]

So I've had some recent water pressure problems so I took a look at the pressure tank and here are the numbers I get:

Pressure tank (has air in it but no guarantee there isn't some water) is at 48psi, it is a well-rite 20gallon wr60r tank
Well pump kicks on at 30psi and off at 50psi (and with no load it gets there rapidly, less than a minute)

Now ... when I was running the hose down stairs where the tank is (was just convenient), and had it wide open, when the pump kicked on the pressure fluctuated wildly between 15-30psi and didn't seem to go lower or higher. The pump does not short cycle (it remains running), we do not get air bubbles with the water,

Ideas ?

[merrickvilleguy]

as a follow up:
I turned the pump off, emptied the water out of the system and checked the bladder pressure, 28psi

I turned the pump back on, filled the tank back up, turned the hose back on and let it run, it slowly dropped the pressure to 30psi, then made its way down to 20psi with the pump running, water flow was steady and not sputtering. Turning the hose off quickly raised the pressure in the tank back to 50psi.

[Egon]

Whats the pump discharge rate?

[troutsqueezer]

I can't tell you for sure that this is the problem but I had something similar a few years back and it was the bladder leaking. I replaced the tank and the problem was solved.

That said, I would go with something bigger than a 20 gallon tank because you don't want the pump kicking on and off too frequently as that is what eventually kills the pump. It's better to let the pump run as long as possible before cycling off. Many people install parallel tanks just for this purpose.

[merrickvilleguy]

just empty it into a bucket and measure time ?

[merrickvilleguy]

I can't tell you for sure that this is the problem but I had something similar a few years back and it was the bladder leaking. I replaced the tank and the problem was solved.

That said, I would go with something bigger than a 20 gallon tank because you don't want the pump kicking on and off too frequently as that is what eventually kills the pump. It's better to let the pump run as long as possible before cycling off. Many people install parallel tanks just for this purpose.

I got thinking the same thing (about getting a bigger tank) ... I didn't install the pump so I'm not sure of the size, but, with the open loop water source heat pump this thing seems to run all the time (it's only been the last week or so that we've been seeing the pressure problem).

With the hose wide open, pump off, the pressure in the air side was at 28psi ... but that doesnt negate there being a small hole ?

[merrickvilleguy]

At 20psi I was getting 5 gallons in 58s. So seems like good flow just low pressure ?

[whistlepig]

Kind of two different things going on here. Pump pressure is pump pressure. If your pump is healthy you are going to get good water pressure. If your bladder tank isn't up to snuff your pump will kick on and off every couple of seconds. The bladder tank keeps the well pump from working itself to death. The bladder tank has nothing to do with pump pressure.

[lectro88]

Do you have submersibe pump or jet pump above ground.

[merrickvilleguy]

It's a submersible pump

this problem started up a couple weeks back when we started into the ~-15f type temps (although we're warmer now) ... I initially thought that maybe with the lack of melt we may be draining the well ? Although we haven't had issues before (**** we have a pond directly behind the house)