goulds jet pump hot to touch @55psi

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Ceramicbrad

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Hi. A plumber installed a 2hp jet pump as a booster pump less than 1 year ago.
It ran fine until a few weeks ago when the pump outlet to bladder connection blew off and all the water in the bladder gushed out. I quickly shut off power and investigated.
I found that the metal outlet of the pump was so hot that it caused the pvc pipe connected to it to blow a leak and release the bladder pressure.
I read this forum for help and measured the voltage. I found that the voltage at the pump is 247 volts (the pump is rated for 230).
I replaced the blown pvc pipe (1-1/4") interface to the pump and replaced the cut in/off switch as the contacts were pitted.I used a 30/50 psi switch. I checked the bladder pressure and it measured around 40 psi-which was 12 psi too high so released some air and now it holds water(feels heavy when I rock it and releases water when I open the downstream valve. I also brought the bladder (82 gallon) within 2 feet of the pump as I read that at 4 feet you can cause chatter on the points. I used the diagram in the manual to postion the bladder downstream of the pump and upstream of the house.
Now when I start the pump it does create pressure on the output (I put a valve inline after the bladder but before the house) but when the pressure gets around 55 psi the output pipe warms up. Therefore I adjusted the spring loaded breaker to trip off line around 55 psi.
That is OK but I remember before all this happened, the pump would cut off around 72 psi and provided more pressure to the house.
The well has a separate pump and it fills a 3000 gallon tank that is up hill from the booster pump in question. It has good gravity flow and I have a valve with a hose on it to allow water usage in case of emergency.

So, am I asking to much to get more pressure out of this pump ? and is it normal for the pump output to start getting hot to the touch at 55 psi? What else can I check to verify everything is normal?
 

Bob NH

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The pump may have been damaged when it got hot. A plugged injector could have prevented it from reaching the set pressure.

The first failure was caused when it couldn't reach the pressure necessary to turn off the switch. It should not have lost prime with the tank at the top of the hill. It got hot and blew the PVC pipe because it was not moving any water.

If the pump from the tank on the hill has sags and high spots, it is possible to get an air lock that would starve the pump. If it is necessary to have high spots in the down pipe, you should have a valve in the line to vent any air. If it is a regular problem, you can install an air vent.

The pump gets warm at 55 psi because it isn't pumping any water at that pressure. It had a 72 psi capability when it was working correctly. You will need to either fix the pump or replace it. Have you checked the gauge?

The "pump off" setting should be a pressure that the pump easily makes; not something marginal. If the pump will only make 55 psi, the pressure switch should shut off at 45 to 50 psi.

If you replace the pump, consider what you really need for pressure and flow. There might be a better match for your needs. You don't need a jet pump when you have flooded suction, but sometimes that is the best way to get a match of required pressure and flow.
 

Ceramicbrad

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goulds jet pump hot to touch

Bob:
Thank you for the information. I noted that you said the pump was getting warm at 55 psi because it was no longer moving any water.
So I investigated further to determine why it could not move water beyond 55 psi.
With the pump power off I removed the metal plugs one at a time on the suction side of the pump and let water flood thru the holes (two were on the top and one was on the bottom of the face of the pump. Whether or not there was an obstruction or an air pocket when I replaced the metal plugs and increased the shut off pressure by 6 pounds (3 turns clockwise) the pump was able to go to over 60 psi with no heat issues. I noted that as the pump continued past 55 psi that the bladder continued to fill and that its pressure increased slightly (as measured from its valve with a pressure guage). So now all appears to be fine and will monitor for a few days before I post again that the problem was "fixed".
I gather from information listed on this site that 60 psi may be high but the change in 5 psi at the house is tremendous. The water flows normally from the faucets and the shower flow is much better.
I do not know if the guage reads hi (is faulty) and have no easy way to test it (that I know of) so as long as the pressure is adequate to the house and the pump does not overheat - all is well.

Bob-Thank you so much for your help and I really appreciate this site.
Brad
 
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Speedbump

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You should realize this pump can only make so many pounds. This pressure can be added to the city water pressure to get total pressure. If the switch was set to near the total pressure of the two together and the city pressure fell several pounds, the pump couldn't make enough pressure without the help of the citys max pressure, to turn off. This is when the heat builds. It's called friction, and this friction from the impeller turning in the same water over time can cause water to boil.

bob...
 
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