Little or No water being pumped!

[Jessy]

I married into a well system that came with the wife's 1968 house. When she bought the house in 2001 she says the well was overhauled (new pipes, pumps, pressure tanks) but a new well was not drilled. Don't know how deep the original well is but we live in FL where the water table is high. You can hit water just putting in a fence post! So everything is 18 years old except the pressure tanks which I replaced 6 months ago, and the well is probably original to the house.


Starting from that single well pipe, there is a 1hp Goulds to a 20 gal pressure tank which fills an aerator (holding) tank containing a submersible pump which then runs to another 20gal pressure tank which supplies the house.


When the holding tank runs low, the well pump and adjoining pressure tank kick in and refill the holding tank. Problem is once the pressure tank drops down and the well pump is on, there is very low volume (a large dribble) being pumped in to refill the holding tank and it takes around 15 minutes to refill the holding tank and you're out of water by then running to jump in the pool to rinse off.


On occasion when its been running forever and I go out to check, there is no water at all being pumped and the pump motor is red hot and the PVC is soft at the pump. At that point (and anytime I hear it running at length), I unplug the pump for 20 minutes or so and when everything is cooled down, I plug it back in again and it's back to "normal" with that same little bit of flow. Eventually everything fills and shuts off. I would have thought the motor would have a thermal cut-off before it got that hot.


So is my well shot? Can I sink another well six feet or so away and T-into the original and use both for more volume? I checked the impeller clean-out but found no blockage. Any thoughts? Thanks all. Jes

 

[Valveman]

Probably just a suction leak from the first time the pipe got hot and soft. You can test the pump with water from a bucket circulating round and round. If the pump works when drawing from a bucket, the well or suction pipe is the problem.

 

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[Reach4]

It could also be a clogged well point. I think a vacuum gauge on the suction pipe could be useful. Strong suction would indicate a clogged well or point. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....ring-water-but-no-pressure.76059/#post-558340 has some recent discussion on that.

You might watch some Youtube videos on driving a new sand point. Also search this forum, using the search box above, for the word shav ing (without the space) for an aid in detecting a vacuum leak.

 

[Jessy]

Thanks for your help. But... I replaced the connections at the pump. No leaks now but still low flow. Holds prime fine. As old as the system is I am thinking of droping some NuWell pellets or sulfamic acid crystals down to disolve any build ups. Or maybe just vinegar. Good/bad idea? How do they get past the check valve or foot valve to work? How do you know the system is clear of chemicals afterward? Thanks again. Jes

 

[Valveman]

With a single pipe shallow well jet pump you should be able to drop pellets, vinegar, or whatever down the well beside the suction pipe. Also need to chase it with some water to force the chemicals out of the well screen. After cleaning the well screen you just pump the well until the water smells clear of chemicals, and then another hour or so.

 

[Verywellfl]

Thanks for your help. But... I replaced the connections at the pump. No leaks now but still low flow. Holds prime fine. As old as the system is I am thinking of droping some NuWell pellets or sulfamic acid crystals down to disolve any build ups. Or maybe just vinegar. Good/bad idea? How do they get past the check valve or foot valve to work? How do you know the system is clear of chemicals afterward? Thanks again. J

 

[Valveman]

Has it just been sitting unused for the last 4 years?

 

[Verywellfl]

No, I bought trailer with pump over a year ago. Using it twice a month for a few days in a row ( cannot move yet). Worked fine before.
t old an my " handyman" ex says I need a new pump. Which might not be a bad idea

 

[Valveman]

If it was working I doubt the well is clogged as it does that gradually. You could test the pump drawing from a bucket or just start replacing stuff until it works.