Jet pump won't reach cut off pressure

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harpaholic

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Hi,

I had a 1/2 hp convertable jet pump at my cabin for 18 yrs. I have a shallow well with a max depth of 10ft from ground to bottom of well. Pump is in my camp about 4ft above ground level. Recently my pump would kept running and would not shut off unless I cut the power to it. Never had an issue with the system before. I changed the pressure switch which was 20/40 to a 30/50. (the only one I could buy) I readjusted my pressure tank up to 28 lbs when empty. Pump would still keep running so I took the end off of my the pump and made sure the nozzle and venturi were clean. This also made no difference. I decided the pump must be at fault so I replaced the pump with a new 1/2 hp shallow well jet pump. Now I can still only get pressure to build to 43lbs. I have replaced the foot valve on my "older" 1" underground PVC waterline with a new 1" one. This line has a pitless adapter on it at the well. Still no difference. I purchased a new 1" PVC line and new foot valve which I just dropped into my well. Still no difference in the amount of pressure. My old pump had a 1" inlet on it, my new pump has an 1 1/4" inlet on it which I have reduced down with a metal bushing to accept a 1" waterline and it has a 1" outlet. All of the plumbing guys who I know that does this work for a living tell me that's acceptable and should not affect the operation of the pump.

Why does my pump not reach cutoff pressure? Please help as I am ready to jump in the damm well as I have tried everything I can think of to fix problem!!!!
 

Reach4

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I think you are saying that you have a single pipe running to the well through the pitless.

I don't know if a vacuum leak would cause that symptom or not. The pitless will have a seal that maybe could be replaced the next time you lift things. You could experiment by running a piece of tubing, that can take the 6 PSI of vacuum, temporarily above ground and down the well.

To work around this for a while, you might adjust down the pressure switch by turning the nut on the big spring CCW. This is from some Pumptrol lit:
To raise or lower the cut-in and cut-out settings while keeping the
differential between those two settings constant, adjust the range
nut. The range nut is the 3/8-inch nut that adjusts the larger of
the two springs in Models FSG, FYG, FRG, and Type G Pumptrol
switches.
Turn the range nut clockwise to increase the cut-in pressure and
counter-clockwise to lower the cut-in pressure. Three and a half
revolutions of the range nut will change both the cut-in and
cut-out settings by approximately 10 psi.

Adjust the differential nut if you want to raise or lower the
cut-out setting while keeping the cut-in pressure constant. The
differential nut is the 3/8-inch nut that adjusts the smaller of
the two springs in Models FSG, FYG, FRG, and Type G switches. Turn
the differential nut clockwise to increase the cut-out pressure and
counter-clockwise to lower the cut-out pressure. Adjusting the
differential nut will change only the cut-out setting while the
cut-in setting remains unchanged.​
Then adjust the air precharge to the new lower pressure.

You could also consider lowering the pump.
 

harpaholic

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Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes it is a single line from the pump to the pitlass adapter/well, a distance of about 60ft. I have replaced the seal on the adapter. Once I cut power and read my pressure gauge, the pressure holds which tells me there is no leak in the system. I can shut off the main line in my cabin about 10ft away from the pump and there is no leaks from the pump to there either. Also as I mentioned I have tried it with a brand new suction line with same result.
 

Reach4

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What brand and model pump is the new, and maybe old, pump?
 

Reach4

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The manual says
Voltage change instructions are located on motor label or on wiring
access cover.​
Maybe it would be worth checking that it had been wired correctly, unless you did it yourself.
 

harpaholic

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Voltage setup on the motor is for 115v and I checked the voltage on the supply plug, it reads 125.6v. Its generated electricity and I am running three deep freezers, water cooler, tv/ lights, microwave, coffee maker sometimes maybe all at the same time, that's why its a little high without load.
 

harpaholic

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Could the reducing of the supply line from 1 1/4 down to 1" cause this. Also I am using 1" plastic fittings on the supply line to connect the line to both the pump and foot valve, the inside diameter of these fittings is less then an inch and could be as small as 3/4".
I know my old pump was doing the same thing "but maybe" that pump was worn out and the symptoms are the same?
 

harpaholic

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Would a leak on the foot valve end cause it even when the valve is under water, I have the plastic fitting clamped with one clamp and the threads have pipe tape on them to accept the foot valve? I have double clamped the end on the pump and I do not see any sign of water at that connection. I have used a new and my old line with same issue so I'm doubting it's in the line. There are no other joins.
 

Reach4

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Would a leak on the foot valve end cause it even when the valve is under water
No.

I have replaced the foot valve on my "older" 1" underground PVC waterline with a new 1" one. This line has a pitless adapter on it at the well.
I think you are saying that your drop pipe is a single piece of PVC that connects from the foot valve to the pitless. No couplers or adapters. You still have the place that the threaded PVC pipe screws into the pitless as a potential leak, but you used pipe dope or teflon on that and tightened it well.

So what is going from the pump to the pitless? Is that a single piece of poly pipe with no joints, connectors, etc? Your pitless has a barbed connector on it so there is no fitting there to adapt from the pitless to the poly? The pump has a built-in barbed input without any adapters involved? And on each barbed connector, you used 2 worm type clamps with the worm mechanism on opposite sides of the barb.

You still have the pitless connection, but you put a new seal on that. If you have eliminated all sources of leaks, then I guess there are no leaks. :rolleyes:
 

harpaholic

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You are correct, from the pitlass to the footvalve is a single piece of poly. Connections are clamped. From the pump to the pitlass is a single piece of poly buried four feet underground in a 3" PVC hard sewer pipe. I can't see the line being the issue as I have disconnected it and ran a brand new line on top of the ground from the well to the pump but it makes no difference. Pump reaches the same pressure and will go no further.
 

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I can't see the line being the issue as I have disconnected it and ran a brand new line on top of the ground from the well to the pump but it makes no difference. Pump reaches the same pressure and will go no further.
And your new line bypassed the pitless and ran right down to the water. Then it sounds like you covered all of the bases, and your new pump is bad -- presuming there is nothing that draws water before that valve that you shut.
 

harpaholic

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Yes the new line (although it is about 80 ft long as I did not know the exact length needed when I purchased it) my old line i'm guessing is about 60ft, goes straight from the end of the pump to the foot valve which I just dropped over the top of my well pipe into the well. The pipe going to the shut off valve is 1/2 copper with no leaks. Due to the pump location this pipe is mounted on the outside of my inside wall and is in plain site, I have no copper pipe outside the camp as I use the camp very often during the winter months. All of the inside plumbing is visible and there are no leaks. This has me baffled as I had the water system in the camp for nearly 18 years with no problems. I would prime it in the spring to get it going and drain it in the fall to prevent freeze up. When used during the winter just prime and go and drain when I left.
 

harpaholic

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Hi,

Dug up both ends of my underground line. Found a "considerable" leak next to the outside of the well where the line went on the pitlass adapter. Repaired the leak. Could find no other leaks. Took off all of the fitting on the pitlass and drop pipe, retaped and tightened them. Heated the pipe with a torch before we clamped them so as to make a good seal. 6ft of water in well.
Pump could still only make 43lbs of pressure, fixing the leak made absolutely no difference in the amount of pressure it made.
Have decided that the pump or system as it stands is never going to make 50lbs of pressure. Adjusted cut off to 40lbs and expansion tank pressure to 18lbs. Pump cycles as it should. However why this system cannot generate 50lbs of pressure is beyond me.


Thank you very much to all of you who provided advise!!!
 
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