Volente Bill
New Member
I'm stumped...
I pump lake water to a 2,000 holding tank which is now about 2/3rds full. From the tank to the house pump, I have a 3/4 inch line with a valve then a check valve. Following that I have a 1 hp Everbilt (Home Depot) convertible jet pump with a 1 1/4" intake and a 1" port out. The house has 3/4" pipes. So I'm using reducers going in and out. Following the pump is a 20 year old pressure tank. (The tank pressure is set to just about 28 psi when empty. Tapping on the side gives a solid sound below and hollow up top.) Between the pressure tank and the house are three valves, one whole house valve then to a T splitting the house into two zones, each with a valve just after the T.
Last night, water pressure suddenly dropped, so I cut off the pump. I first checked water supply and the tank was about 2/3rds full. I then closed the valve to the whole house, drained that part of the system, and disconnected the pump. I opened the jet part of the pump and checked the venturi which was clear. I also removed the housing to the impeller and checked it. It moved freely and didn't look like it was distorted. After re-assembly and priming from the tank, I restarted it, but it would not build pressure past 20 psi.
I'd had a similar experience about three months ago with a new pump, and replacing the pump had solved my problems then. So, this morning I went to Home Depot and swapped out the pumps getting the exact same model. After replacing the pump, with the whole house valve off and bleeding air from that part of the system through a hose bib, the pump built up to above 40 psi, then cut off. There didn't appear to be a pressure drop after waiting a few minutes. When I opened the whole house valve, the pressure dropped to zero and would not build up or was building very slowly.
From there, I turned off the valves for both sides of the house. Pressure built up after about 5 minutes and the pump shut off. When I open the larger zone (kitchen, laundry, water heater, master bath), I cannot build up pressure. When I open the smaller zone (bath with heater & shower), pressure builds and the pump shuts off.
I had to shower before work and hoped that was enough. But, when I took the shower, water pressure died half way through. Enough water was coming out to rinse off, but nowhere near regular pressure. There was also no air coming through the shower head which
We've searched for leaks and open faucets or hose bibs, no sign (so far) of any leaks in either zone.
The pressure switch appeared to be cutting in at 30 psi, then cutting off at 40 psi. Since there should be a 20 psi difference, I tried adjusting the cut off screw on the pressure switch up by about 5 psi. The pump would not build pressure past about 43 psi, so I adjusted the setting back down to 42 psi where it now shuts off.
At that pressure, a compression fitting on the supply side between the check valve and the pump slipped off from the pressure. Probably because I had not properly tightened it. But, I did note that there seemed to be plenty of water coming out, so I don't think the water supply is the problem. That also made me think the check valve was ok, because it held enough pressure, but water still flowed.
I wondered about the pressure gauge because it was flipping high and low as the pressure built up, reaching a high of about 50 psi just before cut off and settled at 42.
Sorry, this is a long post, but I hope I'm giving enough info for you to diagnose the problem. New pump, plenty of water in the tank, old pressure tank, no apparent leaks anywhere, only half the house can build pressure but loses it quickly, isolated pump will build and hold pressure.
Any help is appreciated, I have a wife and three daughters who like having water..., what am I missing?
I pump lake water to a 2,000 holding tank which is now about 2/3rds full. From the tank to the house pump, I have a 3/4 inch line with a valve then a check valve. Following that I have a 1 hp Everbilt (Home Depot) convertible jet pump with a 1 1/4" intake and a 1" port out. The house has 3/4" pipes. So I'm using reducers going in and out. Following the pump is a 20 year old pressure tank. (The tank pressure is set to just about 28 psi when empty. Tapping on the side gives a solid sound below and hollow up top.) Between the pressure tank and the house are three valves, one whole house valve then to a T splitting the house into two zones, each with a valve just after the T.
Last night, water pressure suddenly dropped, so I cut off the pump. I first checked water supply and the tank was about 2/3rds full. I then closed the valve to the whole house, drained that part of the system, and disconnected the pump. I opened the jet part of the pump and checked the venturi which was clear. I also removed the housing to the impeller and checked it. It moved freely and didn't look like it was distorted. After re-assembly and priming from the tank, I restarted it, but it would not build pressure past 20 psi.
I'd had a similar experience about three months ago with a new pump, and replacing the pump had solved my problems then. So, this morning I went to Home Depot and swapped out the pumps getting the exact same model. After replacing the pump, with the whole house valve off and bleeding air from that part of the system through a hose bib, the pump built up to above 40 psi, then cut off. There didn't appear to be a pressure drop after waiting a few minutes. When I opened the whole house valve, the pressure dropped to zero and would not build up or was building very slowly.
From there, I turned off the valves for both sides of the house. Pressure built up after about 5 minutes and the pump shut off. When I open the larger zone (kitchen, laundry, water heater, master bath), I cannot build up pressure. When I open the smaller zone (bath with heater & shower), pressure builds and the pump shuts off.
I had to shower before work and hoped that was enough. But, when I took the shower, water pressure died half way through. Enough water was coming out to rinse off, but nowhere near regular pressure. There was also no air coming through the shower head which
We've searched for leaks and open faucets or hose bibs, no sign (so far) of any leaks in either zone.
The pressure switch appeared to be cutting in at 30 psi, then cutting off at 40 psi. Since there should be a 20 psi difference, I tried adjusting the cut off screw on the pressure switch up by about 5 psi. The pump would not build pressure past about 43 psi, so I adjusted the setting back down to 42 psi where it now shuts off.
At that pressure, a compression fitting on the supply side between the check valve and the pump slipped off from the pressure. Probably because I had not properly tightened it. But, I did note that there seemed to be plenty of water coming out, so I don't think the water supply is the problem. That also made me think the check valve was ok, because it held enough pressure, but water still flowed.
I wondered about the pressure gauge because it was flipping high and low as the pressure built up, reaching a high of about 50 psi just before cut off and settled at 42.
Sorry, this is a long post, but I hope I'm giving enough info for you to diagnose the problem. New pump, plenty of water in the tank, old pressure tank, no apparent leaks anywhere, only half the house can build pressure but loses it quickly, isolated pump will build and hold pressure.
Any help is appreciated, I have a wife and three daughters who like having water..., what am I missing?