Well pump issue-should I be concerned?

Mikedks

I have an above ground well-pump(Gould) and pressure tank, had the pump replaced in May as well as the pressure gauge and foot valve(?), think thats what its called. Worked fine for a month, then went dead one day. Plumber came back and could not out why it was not working, he reprimed pump and it worked fine. Mind you, intake line is probably 140' down, and I believe it was under 20' of water, no shortage of water.
Well, last week I was making beer and used quite a bit of water to make and cool the beer. At one point I had outside hose running full blast for 20 minutes. Bam, lose all water again, nothing. Pump was running on and on and after about 2-3 hours water came back.

Next morning I check pump/guage/tank, tank is half full and guage is running low 40's psi. So now what happens is whenever pump comes on, the sound of the pump running is transmitted into the house thru the pipes, this never happened before. Also, pump will turn on almost every time we run water in the house. Checked pressure gauge with water running and it seems to hover in the low 40's, all the time. It will pump pressure up to 60 and shut off, but then won't hold it. Pressure tank is about 20yrs old, 35gallons maybe(?) and I believe it has a bladder. Am I looking at a bad tank? and why am I hearing pump thru the pipes?

Sorry for long thread, thx

Double A

The pressure tank has two parts to it, one has an air bladder in it, the other is exposed to the water. I think your air bladder is shot. Push down on the schrader valve and see if you get water coming out. If you do, replace the tank. After 35 years, its probably time for a new one.

Excellent article on replacing a pressure tank here.

Mikedks

I can see how the tank may be the issue, but why would I lose all water in the house?. Would'nt the pump compensate by running constantly?.

Or, this is just a theory now, maybe I ran the tank down by running water and air from a leaking bladder got into the line and created a airlock in line?. Again just an uneducated theory.

Double A

I missed the part about not holding. You have a backflow problem or a leak in the system somewhere it seems.

I think your check valve or combination foot/check valve has become contaminated and is not seating properly anymore.

mdshunk

S'zackly what I was thinking. It's obvious he ran his well dry the other day while making beer. Who knows what sort of dirt might now be holding the foot valve partially open.

K2eoj

I'm curious. Is this a jet pump? I've used some jet pumps for irrigation and had trouble with the venturi getting a little piece of sand in it. I only see submersibles for well use around here and they seem real reliable. Am I missing something???

Mikedks

Don't really know about type of pump, only that it is a 1/2 hp Gould above ground pump, foot valve and pump new in May.

So what happens when foot/check valve does not seat properly?

Mikedks

Also, don't think its possible to run well dry that quickly, last time we checked level was in June/July during our drought. Even then intake was 20-25 feet under water. I mean, I did use plenty of water, but no more so then putting the sprinkler on the lawn for 30-60 minutes.Plus, drought is long over.

Don't know if this makes a difference, but mud/dirty water did not show up at the faucets either.

Double A

The purpose of the check valve is to keep water in the line going up the well. If it fails, the pressure in the system bleeds off and you can lose the pump prime, causing the symptoms you're describing.