Dying well pump

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Anotherpyr

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So my water went out. Well company had to pull the pump to fix a break in the wire about 5' above the pump. They cut the pipe and raised the pump 5 feet. They also recommended that the pump be replaced as the seals were starting to leak and the bearings would soon fail. Given that they replaced the pump 8 1/2 years ago I don't think I want another pump from them. Also I'm not sure if they were being honest or just saw an opportunity for a sale. Pump seemed fine when it went back in.

While sanitizing the well I start to notice a problem. While letting the pump run for over 30 minutes i experienced a big drop in flow rate. I almost thought the pumped died but it still produced a slow flow of water.

I have a 300' well with a 230v 3/4 hp pump. I only noticed 3 wires when I had the cap off (red, black, and yellow I think). We also experience some sediment in the water and have a filter in the basement to remove it. The untreated water is also acidic (5.8 ph last test). The well was drilled in 1987. I replaced the pump fall of 2004.

So what should I do? What questions should I be asking? And what are the better submersible well pumps these days? Should I still require a Franklin motor or are their better alternatives now?
 

Reach4

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I am not a pro, but I suspect you are running out of water. If this is possible, you should have a pump protector that detects that and shuts down your pump for a while to allow the water level to recover. Valveman's company sells "Cycle Sensor": http://www.cyclestopvalves.com/prod_sensor.html

Another possibility is that you have a 7 or 10 GPM pump, and it cannot generate enough pressure to push high enough above the water level after you have drawn water for a half hour. So the intake of the pump could be under water, but the pump does not have enough stages to send water that much higher than the water level. If your pump is a 5 GPM 3/4 pump, the out-of-water scenario is most probable.

If you do change pumps, knowing your water level would help make sure you select the right pump for the replacement. Again, if in doubt, get a protector.
 

Anotherpyr

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Well, as they say you should check the obvious first. What clued me in was that after testing the water for chlorine and it came up negative, tonight we had chlorine coming out of the faucets. So I checked the sediment filter which I had just replaced and wow I have never seen it so dirty. Water has been running for 30 minutes and the pressure gauge on the tank which I was beginning to think was broken hasn't dropped. Going back out to see if the chlorine is gone. Then I'll drain the hot water heater just to be safe.
 

Reach4

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Glad to hear it. I hope you get many more years out of your pump.

When I recirculated water through the outdoor faucets with a hose for sanitizing, and my outdoor faucets don't go through filters. I added a separate 4.5*20 filter housing in series with my hose to clean out any circulating debris that might have been kicked up by the well work or by the chlorine. It did pick up some rust, but not bad. I used this method for sanitizing: http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/disin_test.htm
 

Anotherpyr

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I had followed the directions on inspectapedia.org. I suspect I over chlorinated it as it took over 2 hours to get chlorine free water coming out. I have a pool so I may have over done it by actually checking the chlorine level and not going on smell alone. Also the wells in my neighborhood are acidic (5.8 ph last test) untreated so I don't think vinegar is needed. But it is nice to know.

Unfortunately the only way to get the water prior to the filter is from the tank. Due to sediment it is difficult to get the valve to close. In addition I have to run the hose out the basement door letting in hot air. We also have house cats so the door has to be blocked so they can't get out. That said, next time I'll do it that way as this ended up being a comical adventure. But it was a learning experience. And the chlorine appears to have been flushed out of all the outlets at this point.

If I hadn't been told the pump would probably fail within a week, I would've checked the sediment filter first. I figured I'd get more than a week out of it. If I get a couple of more years out of it, then it was probably the right decision. But if pump lifetimes have gotten worse and 9 years is the new norm, it may be coming out soon. In the meantime I'll be shopping for a new pump so I'll have one on hand should it fail.
 
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