Well Pump Pressure Problems

LTY83

Hi guys

I have a problem with my well water in that I'm receiving VERY little pressure when showering. Let me give you a timeline on everything...


June 26th - everything is good, water pressure is fine, water supply is fine..

June 27th - we had a leaky toilet that nearly drained our well dry. I had some water trucked in and pumped into our dug well

June 28th - everything is fine - water is working good, pressure is good

June 29th - around Noon - pressure on shower is horrible - i change out the whole house water filter and pressure seems to come back up - I notice the pressure gauge shows 30lb's - after switching the water filter our it kicks back up to 50lbs or so - keep in mind this water filter isn't even 2 months old.. we had been getting 3+ months out of them - at this point i figure the problem was the filter was clogged

June 30th - 9 a.m. - pressure on shower is once again horrible - i check the pressure gauge - seems to have dropped to 30lb's - watched a video on youtube, become pressure pump expert (joking) - and decide to adjust the differential spring on the pressure pump by tightening down the bolt - i thought maybe the differential was really high thus not kicking the pump on - didn't tighten down too far only a couple turns - however - the pump doesn't kick on to push the pressure back up to 50, still at 30 after adjustment - so i wonder - is there somethign wrong with the NEW filter? I take the filter out, and put it back in, after putting it back in the pressure kicks up to about 60lbs - we run some water - it falls to 50lbs

this just doesn't seem right - i'm not sure what could be causing our pressure problems -

at first i was wondering maybe when water was being pumped into our well it kicked up a bunch of dirt and stuff that made it through the lines and then clogged up our house filter more than usual - causing pressure issues - however i'm not sure if this is the case or there is more to it

btw - excuse any wrong terminology above - i'm still really all new to this stuff... enjoy the learning process - hate showering in a trickle of water

really would love any advice or feedback anyone!

oh'mike

It sounds like your pressure gauge is past the filter---get a gauge on the expansion tank side and let us know what the true reading is.

I suspect the filter system---next would be the pump screen---you stirred up a bunch of sediment---

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LTY83

Hi Mike - I appreciate your response - the pressure gauge is before the filter -

Well -> Pressure Pump w/ Gauge -> House Filter

Not sure if this is different than you described above

Also - not sure what an expansion tank is - is that the same thing as the pressure tank? thanks again - i really appreciate your help

LTY83

Another thing to note

there is a gauge right where the water comes into the house - showing around 30lbs

then the water hits the pressure tank - showing around 50lbs now

then the water hits the house filter - the more i mess with this the more i'm wondering if the house filter is the root of the problem

beyond changing the filter (which i did just yesterday) is there anything else i can do

oh'mike

Sorry,I meant the pressure tank---

I'm not a well and pump guy--I hope one of them chimes in soon---Is it possible that you damaged the pump when it ran dry?

Is it a submersible pump or a suction pump?

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LTY83

Stupid question - submersible pumps would be at the bottom of the well where as suctions wouldn't correct? If that is the case it is a submersible pump as it was at the very bottom of the well

I made sure to turn off the power to the pump when it was dry so that it wouldn't burn it out

I don't believe the well pump (i could be wrong) is the problem - i'm still getting water into the house no problem - it just seems like there is either issues with the pressure tank OR the filter system is preventing the pressure from making it through to the faucets/showers

LTY83

Also - one more thing - there is a pressure gauge right where the water comes into the house showing around 30 lbs - before it hits the pressure tank

after it hits the pressure tank its showing 50 lbs currently

oh'mike

We can keep this on top of the listing until a well person peaks in---I need to get to work---Mike---

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Alan

I'm not really sure what the problem is.

You stated you have 30 psi. You changed the filter and the pump kicked on i'm assuming and then you had 50 psi. This is typical for a pressure switch 30/50. Some are 60/40.

You then stated that you adjusted the nut on the pressure switch. For some reason the pressure was at 30psi again, and you didn't really say what was happening to drop the pressure to 30 (possibly using water?) you changed out the filter and the pressure went up to 60psi possibly due to adjusting the cut-off bolt, but usually two rotations would be 1-2 psi, not 10. hmmmmm......


Then you stated after running some water, the pressure went back down to 50 psi.

What you need to do is run enough water to cycle the pump so that we can see what the on/off pressures are to start with. Random pressures without a timeline of what the pump is doing, doesn't really tell much, other than you have or haven't used any water since the last pump cycle.

One more thing that I always do when I walk up to a pump problem, is to check to make sure there is air in the pressure tank. Take off the little cap and press on the needle. If you get squirted in the eye, the tank is bad.

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LTY83

Just an update - I removed the new house filter and pressure is good - i am starting to think the problem lies with the filter system -

but the problem is i'm not sure what to do other than just keep the filter out - i've already replaced the filter yesterday so its practically brand new

this sucks - the water could be pretty nasty with out that filter in there - it will be ok for showering, laundry and dish washer but probably not good to drink - any suggestions on how i might prevent the filter system from getting clogged up and killing our pressure?

LTY83

sorry for the confusion on the pressures...

basically this is what i've seen it doing

The pressure dropped to 30 yesterday when the initial pressure problems started. After replacing the house filter the pressure jumped back up to 50 - i'm assuming this is because of the removal of the filter forced the pump to kick back one when i turned the water back on (if this makes sense?)

however - the weird issue is - my pump will show 50 to 60 pressure but my actual pressure in the faucets really sucks - this just happened again 15 mins ago - from which i then removed the house filter and the pressure is good

would it help at all to drain the pressure tank's water - would it make a difference or clear any potential crap out? i'm not sure what to do other than keep the filter out...

LTY83

ok - i just checked the valve on the pressure tank- air came out - so it seemed good

Bob999

Can you post a picture of the "house filter"? Also, what type of filter element are you replacing--is it a pleated filter, wound filter, or something else ???

If there is a bypass on the house filter you could try bypassing it to see if the problem resolves.

LTY83

Hi Bob

Thanks for your suggestions - i'm not sure on the type of the filter however i'm including pictures of the entire setup..

In the picture below is the whole house filter without a filter in it - i removed it and the pressure has been pretty good since - leaving me to believe that there is a lot of sentiment clogging up the filter and decreasing the pressure - which is pretty crazy because i put a brand new filter in yesterday

Attached Thumbnails

       

Bob999

Some observations.
1. The filter in the first picture looks like a 2.5" diameter carbon filter while the filter housing in the second filter looks like a 4" diameter housing.
2. There appear to be two filter housings in the 4th picture--which filter housing is the house filter and which filter housing is the filter in picture 1 removed from?

3. Relatively small filters (I believe it is a 2.5 x 10) like that pictured in the first picture generally aren't satisfactory for whole house filters. Whole house filters should be at least 4 x 10 and frequently are 4 x 20 when cartridge type filters are used. But with signifcant sediment cartridge filters are seldom satisfactory because of the cost and labor for frequent changes.

4. If removing the filter cartridge solves the problem then you have identified the problem. You could try a 4 x 10 pleated 5 micron sediment filter to see if the life is satisfactory. If you continue to have problems and need filtration then a different type of filter is needed. Spin down filters are the next step in cost (~$100 for filter). If that isn't satisfactory then a backwashing sediment filter would be the next step ($500 and up depending on size to purchase online).