Well

[Kevin_in_VA]

I know that this has nothing to do with my tractor (yet), but I thought someone here could help me with it. I tried posting it at Doityourself.com, but I guess I asked too many questions.

I have a shallow well, with a submersible pump (now 10yrs old) that until two months ago was giving me 50PSI house pressure. Now it is struggling to maintain 35PSI, and if I open the contacts on the pressure switch (i.e. de-energize the pump) it drops off to zero PSI. Also when I shut the cutoff valve in the discharge of the pump, pressure does not increase as you would expect.

The Well is 75 ft from the house is about 25FT deep and the water level has maintained relatively constant over the 7 years that we have been in the house. I have traced the line from the well to the house and there are no visible indications of any leaks on the outside, and none on the interior of the house, toilets do not run continuously, no drips at any faucets.

Back in November last year we started seeing unusually large amounts of sand/sediment in the first stage filter which is located downstream of the pump, but the problem cleared up after a week or so. The only cause I could think of was that our neighbor (about 500 feet away) sank a new well on their property and tapped into our stream.

I have several questions:

1.) Could the sediment have worn the pump sufficiently to have rendered it unable to pump against the tank pressure?

2.) Could the sediment have fouled the water side of the tank to render it unusable, and all I am seeing is pump pressure?

3.) Could the pressure switch (replaced it the same time I replaced the tank 5yrs ago) be bad? (I don't see how this would fit in this scenario)

4.)If I installed a properly sized Jet Pump in the discharge of the submersible pump and then de-energized the submersible, given the distances and depth I listed above, would it pull enough suction head through the idle pump to get my house pressure back up to 45 - 50 PSI? This would be in the house 75 ft from the well and the existing pump, otherwise it would involve excavating and installing new water line and running power to the new pump at the well location.

5.) Given the fact that the pressure does not increase at shutoff head (i.e. pump running with discharge shut). That would idicate that I have a leak somewhere (again, no visible indications anywhere). Could something else cause this (worn pump, etc....)?

6.)How easy is it to replace a submersible pump anyway?

7.) Could the pressure tank (20gal 5yrs old) be fouled and not regulating the pressure or is it backflushing the water through the pump back to the well, it has a 33PSI air charge on the bladder.

8.) Am I biting off more than I can chew here, and should I hire someone to fix this? I am quite capable in plumbing and electrical matters, and my wife was once a journeyman electrician.

 

[beenthere]

I would suspect the pump, especially with it being 10 years old, and you said the sand was a problem.

Pulling the pump shouldn't be a terrible job, just need the tools to hang onto the pipe as you hoist it out (don't want to lose the pump by dropping it back into the well).
I'd check the depth of the water, to make sure that the pump is in good water, and not near the bottom of the well (it may have caved and filled with sand, etc).

It could be a number of things, but I would suspect the pump.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

Thanks for the reply. A friend of mine told me that was what he suspected. I can't see the pump from the surface, but I can see the wiring going to it. Guess I might have to go fishing to find it.

 

[ByronBob]

Holy cow this is a lot to digest. But lets start somewhere........

You mention it's struggling to hold 35 psi. Is the pump running with no water need making you think it has a leak? You should be able to watch the gage loose pressure if thats the case.

A new switch is really inexpensive to replace. I'd start there. Also have you ever pulled up the pump from the bottom of the well to see how it looks now that it's not working correctly?

How old is the pump? You say 5 yrs ago you made changes but didn't mention the pump. Could be failing on you?

 

[ByronBob]

On top of the pittman valve there is a tread which you can thread into and remove the lines and pump with. You might need a hand with it because it's full of water. Most people use pipe with a T at the top to get leverage on.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

Bob,

The pump is 10 yrs old, I did mention that, but maybe not too clearly. At any rate the consensus so far is that it is the pump.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

So how do I get to that? I cannot see the pump from the surface.

 

[Darren]

The last time I had that problem it was the pitless adapter that was leaking. That's the fitting that enables you to hook up your supply line through the well casing. You'll have to uncover the line at the well casing to check it depending on your soil type. If it's clay, you should see a wet spot around the casing. If it's a sandy loam, you might not have a wet spot on the surface depending on how deep your supply line is buried. If it's leaking inside the well casing, you'll never spot it from the outside.

As far as I know our submersible is at least 15 years old or older and we ocassionally get sand in the filter. Ten years isn't old for a submersible.

 

[notamustang]

The tanks do go bad, here is a post of mine on that. If I was taking a stab at it, I would say it is the pump is meeting its maker. If you have confidence in your ability to pull the pump I would say go for it. 25' is not to bad, mine are in the 200' range and there aint no way I am gonna screw with it. Everytime I have seen sand that was the demise of my pump. But like you said your neighbor just sunk a well so???
If you go for it remember pics!!!

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

This tank is only 5 years old, and is holding a 33PSI charge on the bladder, so I don't think that the bladder is the problem. The general consensus seems to be that it is the pump.