Well pump question.

[MDM]

I have a .5 HP deep well pump set at 125'. It is pumping water up to the house but won't build any more pressure in the pressure tank than 22lbs. It runs steady at 22lbs and won't kick off. Almost like there is a leak in the line somewhere. Can a pump go bad to where it can lift water 125' but won't build any pressure beyond 22 lbs?

I thought the driller had told me that a pump would either work or it would not, there was no in between.

I'm trying to determine if it is the pump or a leak in the line. This well is 1 yr old. the ground right next to the pitless adapter is super saturated. Saturated enough to where I can stick a piece of rebar right down in the ground to the bottom of the trench the line lays in. This makes me think I have a leak at the pitless adaper. On the other hand we have had a lot of rain and the lay of the ground is such that this is a natural drainage collection point point. Alot of water drains to this point. I thought the trench might be holding water. The ground is still settling where I filled the trench in and this point would be a natural place for water to collect.

 

[caver]

Sounds like your pressure tank is waterlogged.

 

[MDM]

Its not the pressure tank. I have a second well that is tied into the same pressure tank and water line and it runs perfectly.

As a matter of fact the line from the other well is tied into the line from the new well. The old well will build pressure and the pressure does not leak off. This tells me there is no leak and it is the pump. You would think the pressure would bleed off if there was indeed a leak.

Is it possible for the impellers to go bad on a pump to where it will pump, but not at full capacity?

 

[gerard]

Sounds like your pressure tank is waterlogged.

constant cycling with small water draws is explained by a waterlogged air bag in the pressure tank but I don't think it explains this situation. My pump kicks off at around 40 psi and even if the airbladder inside the pressure tank is waterlogged the pump should generate around 40psi in the line (assuming you have no facets open and the pump is "deadheading". If it's only generating 22 psi a break in the line somewhere sounds more likely. Shut the pump off and test the air baldder pressure with a regular tire guage. There should be a schraeder valve on it somewhere. It should say right on the tank what the pressure should be. If that's ok you've at least eliminated one problem.

 

[Egon]

It would sound like the new pump needs looking at.

 

[firedog]

Is it possible for the impellers to go bad on a pump to where it will pump, but not at full capacity?

Yes....If it's a two stage impeller and you lose one then it will roughly be half the normal operating psi. We use a two stage jet pump that normally operates at 90 psi, same thing happened a few years ago. Pump was running constantly at about 45 psi.

 

[schmism]

I suppose a .5 hp pump can be made to run just about any kind of pressure (at some very small flow rate) but it sounds to me like your just not building enough pressure to kick it off.

if the pump is designed for 100' of head, and your running at 125' you just wont get enough pressure out of it to have it kick off. by that i mean your pressure tank is set at ~60 psi (give or take) if you never reach it, then the pump never gets a signal to shut off. my shallow well pump does this depending on the flow rate.

Can a pump go bad to where it can lift water 125' but won't build any pressure beyond 22 lbs?

the above is not really defined as "bad". simply a function of physics

1.0 psi = 2.31 feet of head

keep going up, the pressure keeps dropping, lower the head, the pressure will increase.

 

[tommu56]

MDM


T had the soft ground issue at my old house after a long freeze spell. I found that they backfilled with out compacting and it cracked the plastic adaptor at the pitless adaptor it was just a small crack. When I dug it up and had my wife turn well pump back on it sprayed water 20 ft in to the air.

Dig it up and you will most likely see the same thing.

tom

 

[MDM]

The pump is not new. I got it from my FIL, I would guess it to be a 15-20yrs old. It worked and pumped right for a year. My pressure tank is set at 28 and 48 lbs. As I said, I have another well and it is tied into the same line. I charged the pressure tank to 48 lbs before I went to bed. I checked it early this morning and nothing had bled off.

I think I will pull the pump off of the pitless and hang it over the well head and kick it on to see what kind of pressure I am getting. I'm just dreading pulling the pump because it is so darn heavy with the pump and 125' of line with water in it.

 

[WVBill]

You say that both well pumps are connected to the same line feeding the pressure tank. Perhaps this connection has failed and when the one pump turns on it pressurizes the tank but when the other pump turns on it's pumping water down the other well instead of into the pressure tank.

Just a thought.

WVBill