What are the signs that a Check Valve Has/Is Failing in a Well?

[RogerPDX]

Can someone please tell me the symptoms when one of the two check valves, in a well water line (from the bottom of the well up to the top) goes out or is beginning to go out? If either the top or bottom valve breaks, does it cause the water coming up & out to have a difficult time, maybe to the extent of making the well saver shut off the pump? Thanks very much.

 

[Valveman]

Usually when a check valve fails the water will run backwards after the pump shuts off, and the pump will start again even when no one is using water. But if you have two or more check valves, the lower one can be masking the problem of a bad upper check. And in that case the poppet in the upper check can stick in the discharge port of the check valve, close off or almost close off the water flow, and cause a well saver to shut the pump off on low amperage.

If the bottom check is leaking back but not the upper check, you would notice a loud water hammer "thump" when the pump starts.

 

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[RogerPDX]

Last July, when the pump service installed my new pump, wire and pipe they installed 2 check valves. Told me it's a 'must' to have 2. when the pump from the well would start up to fill my cistern, the water came out almost immediately. Now, it takes a little time for the water to begin.m Additionally, I am only getting about 5 - 10 mins of fill before the pump saver shuts things down.

I shut off power to the well pump last night. I stood next to the cistern & listened to the water filling this morning. Normally it might gurgle a little at first, after beginning the fill. Today it took a little while for the water to get going, then it burped and gurgled and began filling. During the duration of the filling, I heard the burping and sputtering from time to time. This is unusual. It was not the the typical smooth fill. Typically when the well saver stops the flow the sound of the water is pretty shallow by then. Today the sound was still pretty strong, yet it shut off.
Do any of these strange new things sound like a faulty check valve?

PS: Thanks for answering Cary. BTW, the CSV I installed last week works great! Thanks for all your help.)

 

[Valveman]

If the check valves are holding you should get water instantly when the pump starts. Also when the checks are not working it takes some time for the pump to refill the lines before any water gets to the cistern. So you are losing much of the water in the well just to fill the pipes each time the pump starts. Then it won't run as long or put as much in the cistern as it should.

I don't know why the pump saver would shut the pump off when it is pumping a lot of water. Make sure it is the pump saver that is shutting the pump off and not the overload in the motor.

 

[RogerPDX]

If one off the check valves isn't working properly, can that cause a suction or some sort of static (or ??) that could cause these symptoms?

 

[Valveman]

If one of those check valves was stuck in the closed position, you would not get any water to the cistern and the pump saver would cut the pump off in a few seconds. I think all your check valves have failed in open position or you have a hole in the drop pipe.