Is it ok to change well pump flow restrictor down from 20 gpm to something less?

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Jfharper

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Have lived here for 15 years and am on a well with sub, holding tank, booster pump, and two pressure tanks. Our county has seen water basin problems due to believed too much agriculture, growth/ development and not enough rain. Basically they think there are too many straws in the water basin and not enough replenishment to keep up. Three of my neighbors have either had a well run dry or had to lower their subs 40 feet, many others in the county have had to drill deeper...the county supervisors are currently in hot water.

My well was tested at 35 gpm when we bought in 1999. Last July our submersible started making noise like it was sucking in air...I have a 20 gpm flow restrictor after the sub and that is where I here the air sound ...it is intermittent....when the sub kicks on it may make that air noise for a moment then doesn't make the noise until the holding tank is almost full then noise until the float kicks it off. Sometimes the air noise goes during the entire tank fill...usually during the daytime...other neighbors are running sprinklers for alfalfa/ forage / hay.

I was hoping we would get enough rain to solve the noise I have, but our rain amount was not enough to date.

After this spring if the rain doesn't solve this for me I was thinking of changing my restrictor down to 15 or 10 gpm to see if this would help with the noise...my guess is the sub is pulling down enough to create a little whirlpool sucking in air intermittently depending on where the water table is at that moment.

Is there any problem with doing this restrictor change?
 
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Valveman

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2HP and smaller well pumps can be restricted to as little as 1 GPM without hurting anything. What you really need is Dry Well protection like the Cycle Sensor. Restricting a pump won’t hurt it, but pumping air will.

Cycle Sensor
 
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Jfharper

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Thank you.

I checked out that website...my pump is not cycling on and off, it is just sucking a little air intermittently. After you wrote that air will burn a pump, I called around to see if I could find a flow restrictor and no body carries them for use. One guy mentioned a Dole valve, which after looking more closely at mine, it says Dole valve on it...didn't know to look for that before. The same guy also said I could install a gate valve and partially close it to reduce flow...there was already a gate on there between sub and holding tank, so when the sub was on and I heard the little bits of air move though the Dole valve I closed the gate just enough to where I stopped hearing the air and it pumps quiet. I don't know how long this temp fix will last.

I got concerned about back pressure so installed a pressure gauge and it is at about 50 psi...is this ok? I don't know how to tell if I'm at the 1 gpm you mentioned, maybe I could install an flow restrictor to see where I am at and see how far I have left. The drilling companies out here are too expensive for me.

I've been reading about digging your own well, but I'm not sure if it would work.
 
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