Well again! What else can it be? FRUSTRATED!

[Egon]

What is the amp. Rating of the motor?

It will draw max amps at startup, then reduce to normal running amperage. The higher the flow rate the higher the amperage.

If you block off the discharge the amp rate will drop drastically as the pump does no work.

There are different methods available for fracking a water well. The type chosen may depend on Aquifier type. A weight can be dropped on the water in the well. Running a packer and then injecting water/air/nitrogen at pressure may also be used. Dynamite down the hole has also been used.

 

[clovergamecock]

What is the amp. Rating of the motor?

It will draw max amps at startup, then reduce to normal running amperage. The higher the flow rate the higher the amperage.

If you block off the discharge the amp rate will drop drastically as the pump does no work.

There are different methods available for fracking a water well. The type chosen may depend on Aquifier type. A weight can be dropped on the water in the well. Running a packer and then injecting water/air/nitrogen at pressure may also be used. Dynamite down the hole has also been used.

I will check the box this evening. When the pump kicks on it is 8.3 and constant no drops.

I know I said I was going to call the man but I am going to try one more thing. Saturday I am goingt pull the pump AGAIN and place a peice of tape exactly were I see the water line on the line. Then I am going to drop another weight into the well and confirm where the water level is in relation to the pump and the total depth of the water. Depending on the amount of distance between the bottom of the pump and the bottom of the well I will add more line. If it is already too close then I am just going to button it back up and begruddgingly bring in the well company.

If I can add 10 more feet then maybe that will extend the time between when it was running out and when it refills. At least that is my thinking right now. I am cheap and labor is free for me doing it...

 

[KYErik]

Wade,
look in the specification how much head the pump can push. You might need pump with more stages.

BINGO! if the pump is at 260 feet deep at .43 psi per foot of head, there is about 112 psi of back pressure due to gravity on the pump (even with zero pressure in the line) + another 50 psi of water pressure= 162 psi. That is one hard working pump!

 

[KYErik]

I think that you have 2 other options before you have to drill a new well:

1. Manage your water use carefully- (Fill the horse tank slowly and avoid using any other water at the same time.)
2. Have a 1000 gallon potable water tank buried and use your deep well pump to slowly fill the septic tank 24/7 at a very low pressure (run it at only 3-5 psi). Use a shallow well pump to withdraw from the tank and pressurize the line going to your house/barn.

 

[teejk]

I will check the box this evening. When the pump kicks on it is 8.3 and constant no drops.

I know I said I was going to call the man but I am going to try one more thing. Saturday I am goingt pull the pump AGAIN and place a peice of tape exactly were I see the water line on the line. Then I am going to drop another weight into the well and confirm where the water level is in relation to the pump and the total depth of the water. Depending on the amount of distance between the bottom of the pump and the bottom of the well I will add more line. If it is already too close then I am just going to button it back up and begruddgingly bring in the well company.

If I can add 10 more feet then maybe that will extend the time between when it was running out and when it refills. At least that is my thinking right now. I am cheap and labor is free for me doing it...

Been watching this for awhile...It sounds like you have plenty of water in the hole and your pump is working.

Just an idea...I built a new house a few years ago and the well guys started drilling. They had good water but as they went deeper it got worse. And then they hit granite and like your guy said they might have to go to China to get water again with very expensive bits. They actually pulled some casing and DECREASED the depth of the well so the pump could stay "wet" in the underground pool. My pump only sits 40' down. At the time probably 10' feet of water below it and 25' above it but our drought may have changed that.

 

[Redneck in training]

BINGO! if the pump is at 260 feet deep at .43 psi per foot of head, there is about 112 psi of back pressure due to gravity on the pump (even with zero pressure in the line) + another 50 psi of water pressure= 162 psi. That is one hard working pump!

That is exactly what I was thinking. Power of the pump is proportional to flow rate times head. If the head gets taller (due to water level in the well dropping) than what the pump can produce it will keep running but draw less Amps (No flow should produce zero Amps but there are loses such as leakage around impellers). The actual power can be calculated as Power (kW)=Volts (RMS) times Amps. HP=kW/0.745. You can do simple experiment. Go to hardware store and buy clamp Amp meter (around $50). It is very useful tool to have around the house anyway. Put the clamp meter on one of the wires going to the pump while it is running and run it until pressure drops. If the amps go down while there is no flow and air present in the water line you need pump that can produce higher head. In example with more impeller stages. Such pump will run the well until water drops below it so if the refill rate is low you might not get much gain.

 

[SPYDERLK]

That is exactly what I was thinking. Power of the pump is proportional to flow rate times head. If the head gets taller (due to water level in the well dropping) than what the pump can produce it will keep running but draw less Amps (No flow should produce zero Amps but there are loses such as leakage around impellers). The actual power can be calculated as Power (kW)=Volts (RMS) times Amps. HP=kW/0.745. You can do simple experiment. Go to hardware store and buy clamp Amp meter (around $50). It is very useful tool to have around the house anyway. Put the clamp meter on one of the wires going to the pump while it is running and run it until pressure drops. If the amps go down while there is no flow and air present in the water line you need pump that can produce higher head. In example with more impeller stages. Such pump will run the well until water drops below it so if the refill rate is low you might not get much gain.

Yeah. All this is true, but a complex distraction from the paramount problem. OP is pumping his well almost all the way to the bottom and still not getting quite enuf water for his needs. I do not understand why he doesnt have air in his water either. From posts theres no indication that hes stalling pump flow by excess back pressure ... but the easiest to explain way to check would be lower the pressure switch setting way down and lower the tank precharge to match the -2psi low pressure offset. He can thereby decrease head at least 20psi. If flow was previously stalling it then wont. If he loses water its really "dry".
larry

 

[Egon]

<drops. If the amps go down while there is no flow and air present in the water line you need pump that can produce higher head. In example with more impeller stages. >

A little water in the well might help more than extra stages.

 

[Dutch445]

i wonder if there was some confusion in reference to the original well info. i can remember going thru
having a few wells drilled, and was told how far down the water was, not how far UP the water was from the bottom.
I once had a 305 foot deep well, water was about 40' down. that well didn't produce more than 3-4 gpm,
but it had a large reserve (265' worth) and we were fine until something got left on or i tried watering
the lawn.
If that was the case 8 years ago, water was 60' down, then your well may have stopped producing, and all
of this other talk about pumps could be for naught. It seems hard to believe any well producing enough water
for 8 years for a 3500 sq ft house and horse barn was only doing it on 40' of water with the pump 20' below that.
If the well was producing ample water, i would think it would build static water level, which again leads to low or
no recovery....
and again, i'm not a well guy, just been thru a few myself and trying to come up with some logic to this situation

 

[clovergamecock]

Well, I think the decision was made for me this morning. 2 showers last night and then no water. Turned breaker off over night as I have been doing. Turned it on this morning and no pressure. I guess it finally dried up. Calling a couple more well guys today but I probably cannot beat $10 per foot and him using my pump, line switch and tank so that is the all inclusive price. the biggest reason now for comparison is time table. the first said it would be at least a week. I will pay more than $10 if it gets it done any faster.

I am pretty sure that the only answer now is a new well. I may have made some things unclear. If so I do apologize. The well was drilled 305' 8 years ago. The origional driller hit water at about 125' but said it was only 3-4 gpm and that was not enough. He kept drilling to 305' and hit water that produced 6gpm. The water has always been 275' down from the head so I truly only had 30-40 ' of water since new. When working it was plenty to supply the house but this may be why I have gone through 6 pumps in 8 years. 2 of them were bought from Lowes so I guess that was my fault as every well driller and plumber I have talked to said they were junk and Lowes had nothing that would handle a well that far down before hitting water. This was my first well so I did not know any better. With wht I know now compared to 8 years ago I am starting to wonder if the guy took advantage of the new house building budget.

How does a well driller determine the location he starts the drill?? I know it needs to be far from the septic and I am assuming at a higher elevation..

I will update this thread again with the final outcome, time frame and cost. Maybe I can keep the next guy from pulling his hair out. I have none so the only thing I have had to lose is patience. Sorry I am staring to feel like I am running you guys in circles or giving you some crazy math problem to solve. I enjoy chatting with you guys but I am sure you all as well as I are tired of this issue. I am ready to move on to building my 12'x12' tool shed. I at least know how to do that... But I am sure I will find something to ask about.

Thanks
Wade