[comfortablynumb]

HiYa!

my deep well is @260 feet deep, it has a submersible pump in there (looks like a 4' long torpedo) and we have a 5 gal pressure tank up top.

its been working fine for years, now its gone wierd on me. ya pump about 5 or 10 gal and the water stops.... if you wait about 2 min, it comes back on with really high pressure that drops off after a few min. Then you can pump another 10 gal maybe more if your lucky then it stops... wait a few and it comes back on, high pressure. it will drop pressure steady till its flowing about 3 gal a min and it stops.
at its high pressure when it comes back on its running about 7 gal amin. Normally, its always pumped out a steady 5 gal a min, and often I have forgotten the horses water hose and its pumped all day, no worries. I havent done that since I got a water float for them a year or so ago.

before I call the well guy at $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ an hour, IF I know whats wrong I can fix it myself.

any ideas??

 

[uncle Will in In.]

My guess would be, the pressure switch is sticking.

 

[Guest]

I too would start with the pressure switch - ~$20. Sometimes they are mounted on a small 1/4" pipe that packs full of crud - or the contacts go bad, the spring gets old, etc.

Could be other things more mysterious, but really sounds like a cruddy pipe nipple to the pressure switch - have had that happen several times.

--->Paul

 

[uncle Will in In.]

This isn't about the problem you are having, but a 5 galon pressure tank seems very small. When you have water running like out the hose, your pump would be kicking off and on continualy. Our well is only 110 ft deep but it has a 30 gallon bladder tank on it. The extra volume of compressed air allows the pump longer periods between starts and stops.

 

[comfortablynumb]

come to think of it I did have a plugged nipple to the switch once before, but it stopped the flow alltogewther. I will strip off the switch and tree setup and clean replace.
as for the pressure tank, the last clown we had work on the thing burried the pressure tank, so I ASSUME he replaced it with what he burried, an old 5 gal. I intend (when I get around to it) to dig it up and replace it with a bigger one.

good tip to start looking.. thanks!

 

[fordy]

..........................That four feet you referred too is actually 2 separate items. The motor is on the bottom and the pump is on top. Then , you should have a checkvalve screwed into the outlet of the pump then the 1 inch , sch.80 pvc pipe should be screwed into the top of the check valve. If , the check valve is malfunctioning it is preventing the fluid from being pumped up the pipe to the surface which is causing the motor to over heat and pop the breaker. A 30 dollar valve can ruin a 1,000 motor and pump. Also , you should install a 100 gallon bladder tank which will make your life alot easier if your still pumping water into the old style galvanized pressure tank. .....fordy....

 

[comfortablynumb]

the problem was....
a mouse. a mouse squeezed into the pressure switch and got electrocuted. decaying mouse goo was maing the points stick.

that and the stem to the switch was clogged with rust again, i forgit about that needing cleaned. it was just dribbling out and when I poked a wire down the stem and broke the scale loose, I got hit with a jet of water.... it was blowing about 5 feet in the air like an oil well afet it ewas cleaned.
new switch and it works like always.

yep I did do some shopping for a new pressure tank, for 250 bucks I can get a 55 gal one, thats in my price range. looking atr the new ones my old one must be a 10 gal.

but the water dont cut off now, thats good!