Jet pump slowly loses pressure.

[MattinMaine]

Got a new place a month ago. Jet pump was kicking on every 28 minutes with no water use. I have made sure there is no leak in the house anywhere. Now I just had my foot valve replaced 5 days ago thinking that was the problem. After doing that the jet pump would only kick on every 50 minutes but now after a few days it's back down to kicking on every 28 minutes.

I'm thinking the problem may be the lines that go from the pitless adapter down to the ejector. I have a deep well with 80 foot lines on it. When looking down in the well casing I see the water level at about 20 feet down.
With the pump plugged in and at full pressure I can hear humming coming from the well and the water 20 feet down looks like it is vibrating. This is constant even when the pump is not turned on. With the pump unplugged there is no vibration at all and all the water in my house drains out.

Does it sound like one of the lines that are connected to the pitless adapter are leaking and causing the well casing to fill up while also causing the water to vibrate?

 

[Reach4]

What is the ID of the casing? If it is big enough for a submersible pump, you would get a nicer setup.

With the pump plugged in and at full pressure I can hear humming coming from the well and the water 20 feet down looks like it is vibrating. This is constant even when the pump is not turned on. With the pump unplugged there is no vibration at all and all the water in my house drains out.

Now that is really weird. I can't think of what might cause that. When you feel the pump at those pump-plugged-in-but-off times, is there a vibration?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[MattinMaine]

What is the ID of the casing? If it is big enough for a submersible pump, you would get a nicer setup.

Now that is really weird. I can't think of what might cause that. When you feel the pump at those pump-plugged-in-but-off times, is there a vibration?

Yes with the pump plugged in the water is vibrating down in the well. It's not a lot of vibrating but there is a nice hum down there. It never goes away and will continue as long as there is pressure in my pressure tank. Pump kicks on at 30 psi and shuts off at 50. In the 30 minutes it takes to kick back and refill the pressure tank the issue persists.

After unplugging the pump so all the pressure drains out the issue fizzles out after about 10 minutes and then the humming sound stops and the water becomes still. There is no vibration at all in the pump when it is not running.

 

[Reach4]

After unplugging the pump so all the pressure drains out the issue fizzles out after about 10 minutes and then the humming sound stops and the water becomes still. There is no vibration at all in the pump when it is not running.

Ahh... that's different.

Sounds like a leak is moving the water. If the leak was at the pitless, you would see that, wouldn't you? Maybe you need a brighter flashlight, or could reflect the bright sun down the well with a mirror for better light.

ID?

 

[MattinMaine]

Ahh... that's different.

Sounds like a leak is moving the water. If the leak was at the pitless, you would see that, wouldn't you? Maybe you need a brighter flashlight, or could reflect the bright sun down the well with a mirror for better light.

ID?

I see no water around the pitless adapter. Just had the line pulled 5 days ago to have the foot valve replaced. The other one looked fine but replaced it anyway. For a few days after pulling the line the pressure took 50 minutes to fall to cut in pressure instead of the 28 it was at. Now I am back to 28 minutes for the pump to come on again. Maybe pulling the line slowed down the leak for a few days and now it's back to the full leakage it had?

 

[MattinMaine]

I don't know what the ID of the casing is. Looked like 1 inch black piping attached to the pitless.

 

[LLigetfa]

When you say black piping, do you mean poly? My guess is that it is leaking at the barb fittings. Are there two hose clamps staggered on each end?

 

[Reach4]

With 3 inch or bigger casing, you could use a submersible pump.

 

[MattinMaine]

When you say black piping, do you mean poly? My guess is that it is leaking at the barb fittings. Are there two hose clamps staggered on each end?

Yes it is poly and there are two hose clamps staggered on the each end.

 

[LLigetfa]

Is there any sign of sediment? Maybe sediment is preventing the foot valve from sealing?

If you want to "divide and conquer" the leak, it would be easier if you had another identical pitless adapter. Pull the string up from the well. Use half of the other pitless adapter to terminate the line underground to pressure test it. Also use the other half of the pitless adapter to terminate the string from the well to pressure test it. If both tests fail to reveal a leak, then it might be the O-rings on the pitless.

 

[Valveman]

The only way to make sure the leak is not in the house is to close a ball valve. Without a ball valve you can't be sure.

 

[MattinMaine]

My problem was a small crack in the poly pipe just outside the well casing. The noise down in the well head was water hitting the side of it.