Yikes! Well pump replaced.
- Thread starter Alan L.
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turnkey4099
Elite Member
It isn't the depth of the well that is used to size pump. The critical measurement is the static level (allowing for drawdown) of the water in the well. 500' well will normally have water standing far higher than that.
Harry K
You've got something bad wrong to go through 3 pumps in 15 years. You need to look at your tank situation and make sure you've got enough storage and not cycling the pump excessively.
PS...I'm a licensed. pump installer in Tx.
PS...I'm a licensed. pump installer in Tx.
Actually I have only gone through 2 pumps in 15 years. Just installed the 3rd. My tank is 220 gallons, galvanized. I think it might be slightly small for the pump - it will only run a little over a minute with one water hose going. I do a pretty good job of keeping air in the tank, so i don't believe there has been any serious water logging. Driller said I could add a bladder tank but it costs alot. I might put on in on my own and would do that if I had not just spent the $5700. I wish I had done it years ago. The driller discourage the use of a cycle stop valve - says the back pressure is not good for the pump. I don't think it is the pump that is going bad - its the motor. But the driller said don't ever replace one without the other.
A 220 gallon galv. tank has a natural drawdown of about 22 gallons at 30-50. A 119-gallon Well X Trol has about 37 gallon drawdown at 30-50 psi. I haven't bought one in awhile but they cost around $1,000-1,500. You should really look into increasing your storage capacity. I suspect that your tank is getting water logged more frequent than you know and thus the shortened life for your pump.
JPRambo
Platinum Member
If the pump is going bad I would check the voltage to the pump. Very high or very low is not good
Shoulda done that when I had $1000-$1500. I don't understand at all why the tanks are so expensive. What about those County Line tanks at Tractor Supply? They have a "actual capacity" 85 gallon for $399. What happens when these fail? Leak? Explode? Loose pressure? Figured to piggy back a a bladder tank to the current tank....seems there is only one pipe that goes in?
JimRB
Veteran Member
I have a bladder tank at the top of my bored well. The bladder leaked after 15 years so the pump would short cycle.
FAQ Pumps and Tanks - Water well, pump, tank and water quality questions answered - FAQ
FAQ Pumps and Tanks - Water well, pump, tank and water quality questions answered - FAQ
My tank is a 220 gallon steel tank - no bladder. The reason for it is to release stinky gases into the air, or so the driller said. Around here he puts in almost exclusively galvanized steel tanks. Downside is you have to charge it every few months to prevent the short cycling you describe. I have recharged mine many times and don't recall ever having it short cycle. However the tank is probably not big enough and should probably add another tank.
Steve_Miller
Veteran Member
Just a tidbit of info. At a 500 foot depth, that's 216 psi pressure needed just get the water to the surface if the water level was at 500' which it is not. Hence the bigger pump. 400' - 173psi; 300' - 130psi.
Steve
Steve
turnkey4099
Elite Member
Normally yes, only one pipe in/out but you can T off it to a second tank. As long as all the piping between the two is unobstructed with valves, etc. they will self adjust, i.e., closed hydraulic system the pressure is the same throughout (static).
Harry K
A quick look on the interweb shows that you can get a WX-350 for less than $1000 with free shipping. That's a good deal on a big tank. I do not consider that expensive.
Almost anything that TSC sells with regards to water well equipment should be considered big box junk. The TSC tank will probably only last about the same time as the warranty, but you normally won't notice exactly when it goes out. TSC does sell a regular galv. tank but you really need one with a bladder.
All you have to do is "T" into your existing piping. You only need one inlet/outlet for the tank. Set the bladder pressure 2 psi below cut-in pressure and you'll be good to go.
In one of your pictures you show about 8 joints of drop pipe. How many joints total did you have out of the well? It looks like 1.25" pipe also. Since you used a franklin motor it is unlikely that you used a Berkley pump since Franklin/Pentair do not use each other's pumps/motors as of 5 years ago. Of course, the driller can mate up whichever motor to his pump of choice but most order the pumps/motors from the same supplier (anything above about 2 HP always come separate anyways). I would like to know the exact model of pump and how many GPM it is rated for.
Almost anything that TSC sells with regards to water well equipment should be considered big box junk. The TSC tank will probably only last about the same time as the warranty, but you normally won't notice exactly when it goes out. TSC does sell a regular galv. tank but you really need one with a bladder.
All you have to do is "T" into your existing piping. You only need one inlet/outlet for the tank. Set the bladder pressure 2 psi below cut-in pressure and you'll be good to go.
In one of your pictures you show about 8 joints of drop pipe. How many joints total did you have out of the well? It looks like 1.25" pipe also. Since you used a franklin motor it is unlikely that you used a Berkley pump since Franklin/Pentair do not use each other's pumps/motors as of 5 years ago. Of course, the driller can mate up whichever motor to his pump of choice but most order the pumps/motors from the same supplier (anything above about 2 HP always come separate anyways). I would like to know the exact model of pump and how many GPM it is rated for.
jinman
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Goose, I don't know my exact Goulds pump model, but it is over 14 years old and still pumping 17gpm at a 3/4" hose bib on my house through 75' of 3/4" hose. My well is 386' deep with static water level around 360'. I am amazed at the performance of my well and it's reliability. Larry Bisidas of B&B pump drilled me an excellent well and I'll go back to him for any additional well work I need. My control box went out a few years ago and he replaced it for $125 including the service call. He's the best in my book.
The new pump is a Berkeley that looks just like the old one and it is 5HP and is rated for 20gpm. Exact model I don't know - the invoice just says 5H 20gpm / box $35xx. But I clearly saw the Berkeley badge on the pump. Not as sure about the motor. There were boxes they took the pump and motor out of and one of the said Franklin on the outside but it might not have been the original box. Clearly both were brand new shiny stainless units.
Amtrol also makes the Water Worker tanks that Home Depot sells for about half the cost of the Wel-x-trol tanks - the 119 gallon is under $600. All the reviews I read were good, but none over a year or so old. It has a 5 year warranty, whereas the Wel-x-trol has 7 years.
If I put the 119 gallon tank on there at 40-60 it appears to have about 32-35 gallons of draw down so if the 220 steel tank as 22 that should give me at least 54 gallons which should give me nearly 3 minutes of run time. The Berkeley owner's manual (per the website) says 1HP and up pumps should only cycle 100 times a day for a single phase motor. I doubt we get over that very often but running the sprinklers for 3 hours would probably cycle 60 times or so if you figure 1 minute to fill and 2 minutes to draw it down at ~ 10 gpm coming out the sprinklers.
The pipe that goes in the ground is 1.25" galvanized - the well is 500 feet deep and has 19 sections of 21 feet each so the well sits at 399'. They didn't tell me the static level but they ran the pump full blast onto the ground for more than 30 minutes to make sure the water level didn't draw down to that level. When they pulled the pump they pulled 2 sections at a time so each one laying there was 42'.
Jim - to bad your driller is so far way, I have replaced the control box twice at $500 a pop.
turnkey4099
Elite Member
They can remain there. Static pressure will be the same in both tanks. If the two are separate by a significant difference, there could be a bit of dynamic pressure difference.
Harry K
Harry K
I guess your driller just prefers Berkley pumps. The pumps and motors come separated anyways that big so it's no big deal to use your motor of choice and Franklin is top notch. Since you have blown two pumps and a c-box I suspect that your well/tank is getting waterlogged and you're not catching it in time. Do you know if you have an air-maker/bleeder system? You need to be checking the snifter valve every month to make sure that it's not plugged.
I don't know anything about the water worker tank. Some people claim it's the same tank and some claim that it's not made quite as well as the normal WXT. I tend to think it's probably made a little cheaper, hence the shorter warranty. You don't need to move any of your pressure switches or anything like that.
Good luck to you and make sure you post up what the results were. I would like for you to time the pump run time before/after and let us know the difference too. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
For even better results use an air compressor and add an extra bit of air to your tank than the natural drawdown. You can get your galv. tank to a charged state where you can have a 50-gallon drawdown just by adding air via an air compressor.
I don't know anything about the water worker tank. Some people claim it's the same tank and some claim that it's not made quite as well as the normal WXT. I tend to think it's probably made a little cheaper, hence the shorter warranty. You don't need to move any of your pressure switches or anything like that.
Good luck to you and make sure you post up what the results were. I would like for you to time the pump run time before/after and let us know the difference too. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
For even better results use an air compressor and add an extra bit of air to your tank than the natural drawdown. You can get your galv. tank to a charged state where you can have a 50-gallon drawdown just by adding air via an air compressor.
8N Ren
Gold Member
Excuse my ignorance but why do you need to have a control box for your set up? I remember my Aunt and Uncle had one but he paid nothing for it as he use to sell controls for industrial applications and the shop gave it to him. When the plumber showed up to connect their newly drilled well he said he had never seen anything like it before. Most systems around here are just a pressure switch mounted with a tank.
