well pump

[roxynoodle]

I have a shallow well pump (jet type) with a pressure tank on top. The last few days it has only been pumping a little bit of water (5-15 gal) and then the water stops. I have never had this happen before. I have had pumps quit from corrosion due to the hard water, pressure switches go bad and once the pressure tank went too. I am at a loss trying to figure out what is wrong here. Anyone out there have an idea or had this happen? It is getting hard to shower and I don't want to get stinky here trying to figure this out /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[roxynoodle]

I have a shallow well pump (jet type) with a pressure tank on top. The last few days it has only been pumping a little bit of water (5-15 gal) and then the water stops. I have never had this happen before. I have had pumps quit from corrosion due to the hard water, pressure switches go bad and once the pressure tank went too. I am at a loss trying to figure out what is wrong here. Anyone out there have an idea or had this happen? It is getting hard to shower and I don't want to get stinky here trying to figure this out /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[gotrocks]

There is an old song that has a line that says,
" what you gona do when the well runs dry?' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Have you check the water level in the well?

 

[gotrocks]

There is an old song that has a line that says,
" what you gona do when the well runs dry?' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Have you check the water level in the well?

 

[Egon]

How is the water level in the well?

Are there any leaks in the piping?

Could the pump be wore out?

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Egon]

How is the water level in the well?

Are there any leaks in the piping?

Could the pump be wore out?

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[gsganzer]

Have you confirmed that the pump is still running when you stop getting water? Like others have said, make sure you're not drawing the well down.

If it's the pump motor that's cutting out, you might want to check to see that you're not tripping a thermal overload on the motor (if equipped). I suspect that this might be what is actually happening, as some types of thermal overloads reset when the motor cools. If you're tripping a thermal overload, then I suspect you're pump may be worn, causing higher amperage draw. You can verify it by measuring it with an amp meter and comparing it to the motor nameplate data.

 

[gsganzer]

Have you confirmed that the pump is still running when you stop getting water? Like others have said, make sure you're not drawing the well down.

If it's the pump motor that's cutting out, you might want to check to see that you're not tripping a thermal overload on the motor (if equipped). I suspect that this might be what is actually happening, as some types of thermal overloads reset when the motor cools. If you're tripping a thermal overload, then I suspect you're pump may be worn, causing higher amperage draw. You can verify it by measuring it with an amp meter and comparing it to the motor nameplate data.

 

[roxynoodle]

The well isn't dry. We've actually had amazing amounts of rain this past month. The pump is stopping when the water stops. No leaks. It could be overheating. I've never had one do this before though, they usually just die.

 

[roxynoodle]

The well isn't dry. We've actually had amazing amounts of rain this past month. The pump is stopping when the water stops. No leaks. It could be overheating. I've never had one do this before though, they usually just die.

 

[Humbleto]

Is it possible that the pressure switch is bad? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Just grabbing at straws.

 

[Humbleto]

Is it possible that the pressure switch is bad? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Just grabbing at straws.

 

[BubbaJr]

I had a similar situation this year. What happened was that the pressure tank had a leaking diaphragm. With water running and while I watched the pressure gauge, the needle would drop a little, then drop real fast to almost 0, then the pump would come on and the needle would jump up quickly to the cutoff point (60 pounds of pressure), then the pump would shut off. During the short time the pump was on it probably only pumped 3-5 gallons. Luckily my tank was still under warranty so I only had to pay for the installation. Everything's back to normal now.
Good Luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[BubbaJr]

I had a similar situation this year. What happened was that the pressure tank had a leaking diaphragm. With water running and while I watched the pressure gauge, the needle would drop a little, then drop real fast to almost 0, then the pump would come on and the needle would jump up quickly to the cutoff point (60 pounds of pressure), then the pump would shut off. During the short time the pump was on it probably only pumped 3-5 gallons. Luckily my tank was still under warranty so I only had to pay for the installation. Everything's back to normal now.
Good Luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[roxynoodle]

The pump wasn't overheating, but thanks for that tip. While I was down there messing with it today I saw the pressure switch not make contact and the water stopped running so I changed the switch and so far so good. Previously whenever I've had a switch go bad it didn't start and stop on it's own mysteriously lol, they would just stay open. So I guess that one wanted to drive me crazy wondering what exactly was going on here. I hope this solves the problem... at least for now. With my hard water something else will happen but if I'm lucky it will be awhile yet since I'd rather be playing with my tractor! Again, thanks for the responses and advice!

 

[roxynoodle]

The pump wasn't overheating, but thanks for that tip. While I was down there messing with it today I saw the pressure switch not make contact and the water stopped running so I changed the switch and so far so good. Previously whenever I've had a switch go bad it didn't start and stop on it's own mysteriously lol, they would just stay open. So I guess that one wanted to drive me crazy wondering what exactly was going on here. I hope this solves the problem... at least for now. With my hard water something else will happen but if I'm lucky it will be awhile yet since I'd rather be playing with my tractor! Again, thanks for the responses and advice!

 

[Highbeam]

Don't let the water dripping off of your ears fool you into thinking you have water in your well. There is a delay, several months, between rainfall and water table replenishment. Our worst time for wells drying up is in the fall when our ears are dripping wet.

 

[Highbeam]

Don't let the water dripping off of your ears fool you into thinking you have water in your well. There is a delay, several months, between rainfall and water table replenishment. Our worst time for wells drying up is in the fall when our ears are dripping wet.

 

[roxynoodle]

All I had to do was look in there to see the well is pretty much full. If anyone is curious, it seems that the little bladder in the pressure switch is what was going bad. I've never had that happen before. Usually it is the contacts that get corroded. Again, thanks for all suggestions, they were helpful.

 

[roxynoodle]

All I had to do was look in there to see the well is pretty much full. If anyone is curious, it seems that the little bladder in the pressure switch is what was going bad. I've never had that happen before. Usually it is the contacts that get corroded. Again, thanks for all suggestions, they were helpful.