Goulds Check Valve Issue

[Brad Perkins]

I am running 2 of the Goulds 10GS05412C pumps. 1 in the well and 1 in my 250 gallon storage tank. Couple days ago my wife said she heard a loud hum from the basement. The water pressure was fine so I didn't get too concerned. When I got home though I noticed the water in my tank was extremely muddy. It rained 2 inches that night so I thought maybe that caused it though only meant I have big problems with my brand new well.

But upon troubleshooting the problem, I decided to let my tank fill up to the overflow point which dumps into a drain so my tank can never flood the basement. I thought I'd let it run all night to see if it cleared up. Then I noticed I could hear what sounded like water was flowing back out of my tank when I shut the well pump off meaning check valve must have failed in a 2 month old pump. Though oddly it seems to be holding ok now. What I believe happened is as the water flowed in reverse siphoning out my tank, it washed sediment off my filter which then ended up back in my tank when the pump kicked back on.

So I got to thinking about this problem and wonder if it really matters. Since my pump dumps into a tank and I have no other check valves in the line, does it matter that the pump check valve is acting up? I would have to cut the pipe in my tank shorter so that water can't ever siphon back out. Then if the valve failed it wouldn't back wash my filter like it's doing today.

Thoughts?

 

[Valveman]

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the sand lock up the check valve and cause the tank to back flow, or did the check valve just fail on its own, stirring up the well from the back flow? Most likely there was sand in the check valve to start with, which is one of the reasons they fail. Cutting the supply pipe short creates an air gap, which is the best way to prevent a siphon.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Brad Perkins]

Could be sand or other debris in the valve but I only get really fine clay particles in my filter. I'm now replacing my filter every couple of weeks since they are clogging much faster than I anticipated. My well is drilled 160 ft in solid grey limestone and cased all the way down. Let's say the valve is trashed, any harm in running it that way?

 

[Valveman]

Spinning a pump backwards is never good. Apparently it also stirs up the well. Cutting the down pipe short would help.

 

[Reach4]

Maybe put a hose connection on that to run water out to the ditch while you try to pump away some mud.

Is this a particularly shallow well? There may be a flow into the shallow aquifer. Is the top of the casing near or below the ground surface? The casing should be 10 inches or more above ground. If no other explanation, rain triggering mud makes me wonder if the grouting around the top of the well is bad.