Can't trip 50 psi pressure switch & iron removal questions

[Yosarian]

I have a couple of questions that I'm researching. Currently have a 15 year old 220v. 2-wire 1/2 hp stainless outlet Gould pump with Franklin motor in the 4" cased 100' well. Fitted with a 30/50 pressure switch and 20 gal. bladder tank, I had to shut it down because it can't reach the 50 psi cut-off, seemingly stuck at about 45. Any ideas on likely causes, while I await delivery of a new direct replacement? I was told that the Gould pump portion is re-build-able, so my hope is that a new impeller and integrated check valve will make the old assemblage functional again and that I can then hold onto that as a possible future replacement.

Our water has very low TDS, but sandy soils with a lot of dissolved iron, and a local well guy told me that iron fouling is just a thing that I'm gonna have to deal with every 10-15 years. Any thoughts on whether routine well sanitation might help precipitate out some of the iron and either help or hurt. Well man suggested NOT sanitizing because we use RO/DI water for all potable uses, but we'd like to try and reliably eliminate all of the iron if at all possible since it gets into everything else and routinely clogs my current series of cartridge filters (in place after the bladder tank).

I have four Rusco Spin-down sediment trapper vortex-type filters that I was thinking of adding before the pressure tank, but well guy thinks the possibility of creating pump back-pressure makes that a no go, so perhaps between the tank and Big Blues. The current 4"x20" Big Blue cartridges are 10, 5, 2 & 1 micron pleated. The Rusco's are 152 & 74 micron stainless mesh types, and a 30 & 15 micron polyester mesh. My final stage is a Daulton RIO 2000 ceramic in a 4" x 10" housing before the RO/DI system.

While I'm mainly concerned with getting the pump situation resolved first, the filtration issues are next up. Been using the Big Blues alone, but the iron condition remains a giant PITA, so maybe some sort of resin based system somewhere in the midst of all of the mechanical filtration?

Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Reach4]

have a couple of questions that I'm researching. Currently have a 15 year old 220v. 2-wire 1/2 hp stainless outlet Gould pump with Franklin motor in the 4" cased 100' well. Fitted with a 30/50 pressure switch and 20 gal. bladder tank, I had to shut it down because it can't reach the 50 psi cut-off, seemingly stuck at about 45.

You are saying that you have a submersible pump. I would turn the pressure switch down to 20/40 for the interim, and set the air precharge in the pressure tan to 18 psi.

Turning the nut on the big spring is about 3.5 turns CCW to drop the cut-in and cut-out by 10 psi.

If replacing the wet end of a pump (that's what they call it), you want to get the right gpm, and not just the right hp rating. A 1/2 hp 10 gpm pump cannot pump as high as a 1/2 hp 7 gpm wet end.

 

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[LLigetfa]

Any ideas on likely causes

Pump may be worn, water table may have dropped so the pump is reaching deadhead, or there is a small hole in the pipe.

 

[Valveman]

A 10 GPM, 1/2HP should be able to get to 50 and shut off even if the water level is down to 80-90 feet deep. It is probably just gunked up with iron. There is no rebuilding pump ends these days. They may just put a new liquid end and check valve on the old motor, but not rebuild the old pump. However, you can probably just soak the old liquid end in chlorine, CLR, or something and it will clean up and work like new. That will take some time, so you probably will get a new liquid end, but can save the old one for a spare.

Running a second water line back to the well head maybe a problem in your cold climate. But look into the Sulfur Eliminator that drops aerated water back down the well to stop sulfur and iron problems. I have heard from several people who have had good success with it.