Plumbing Problem

[1965]

When running well lines under a slab or a poured floor it is a good idea to run a length of "Big O" drain pipe up through the slab and to the outer edge of the slab or footings if not all the way to the well and run the poly well line through that. Makes later repairs much easier. Check the air pressure in your pressure tank and make sure you still have sufficient air pressure or it can mess with your pressure switch.

 

[Egon]

The house is on a slab and the slab goes out about 10' away from the house. There are no shutoffs in the house only the ones below the toilets. "This is how it is done here I know it wrong but"

The line from the pump house to the house is only about a foot deep with no wet spots anywhere near them.

It would look like a leak under the slab then. Do you try and find the leak or start with new supply lines from the attic? That decision depends on the process to find and fix leak vs just running new lines and labour costs.
Best wishes to a solution.

 

[Deere Dude]

The floors are all tile and I hate to just start willy nilly jacking up floors.. Ooo and something I didn't mention , yesterday we lost pressure by about half for a short time but then it came right back but the pump showed good pressure... The pipe is some sort of rolled plastic coils, I cut into it to install an outside faucet and had to use special fittings, but in the house from what I have seen it's glued fittings. "I saw this from a bathroom remodel we had done" other than that all pipes are buried in concrete walls and floors.

It seems to me that the air is coming in from the pump seal and getting entrained in the water and not showing itself until it has a chance to settle out overnight. I don't see how air could enter through the pipes even overnight if the pressure says up all night.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Have read your post several times lots of good thoughts,, Question for you if air were getting into the pump would that mean i'm sucking it dry somehow ??? or would the air be coming from somewhere else ???

Thanks

In a shallow well system the pump should be at the lowest point, if it's not air can get in when the pump is off and travel up to the pump. A shallow well pump depends on the fact that water is essentially incompressible to generate suction, if there is air in the pump it is compressible and the pump won't generate as much suction. This is why pumps need to be primed. If you're seeing low pressure or no pressure and the pump is running the first thing I'd suggest is making sure there isn't air in the pump. Another good thing to check is to shut off the output valve at the pump when the pump isn't producing pressure. If the low pressure is caused by a leak in the piping this will correct it, if the problem is at the pump it won't.

Air can also get into the pump if there is a leak on the suction side -- the pipe between the pump and the well. If the foot valve fails and the column of water in the well pipe falls it creates suction at the input of the pump when it's off; if a valve is opened air will get sucked in. These leaks can be very frustrating because there is no visible sign, it's air entering not water pouring out.

All of this is secondary to your main problem of a leak somewhere.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Cut the line between the home and the pump house. Install a temporary air hose fitting as needed and run about 30 psi. Let it set for several hours and see if it bleeds down. Shut off valves on the sink, commode, etc also. At least that way you know for darn sure its on the house side and it removes all doubt from possible issues on the pump side.

Better yet If you have a shut off valve at the pump house or can easily instal one you could also shut it off and put the air valve on at a shut off in the house and not need to cut the main line.