Pressure switch or a bigger problem?

[Gezelle]

The problems started last summer. The pump would often not shut off unless I tapped on the pressure switch. Just before I got tired of running downstairs and was ready to call someone, it started working again. It worked all fall, winter, and most of spring. Towards the end of spring, it started taking a long time to shut off. Then wouldn't shut off unless I hit the pressure switch, and now tapping the switch will only shut it off sometimes. Other times I have to let it run for a bit, shut the pump off completely, and turn it back on. Turning it back on will sometimes be enough for it to shut off. Other times that won't work, so I completely shut it off and go to work. I come home 10 hours later, turn it on, and its fine....until I use water again.... Today, I just started the wash, and my daughter flushed the toilet. Pipes made a loud noise so I checked the water pressure in the washer as it was filling, and noticed it slowed down. I shut the washer off, waited till the toilet was finished, turned the washer back on, and everything was fine. Running down and hitting the pressure switch/turning the pump off and on, and making sure this isn't using water the same time as that is getting super old.... I will be calling someone but am wondering if anyone has had similar issues and what to prepare myself for when the repair guy comes in....

I should add that my well is one of the deepest in my area and no one else is having well issues atm.

 

[hj]

The points are probably starting to "weld" themselves together when they make contact, so a new switch, or at least new contacts, is probably necessary.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

A regular pressure switch is cheap.

You could measure the current through the contacts to see if you needed a switch rated for more than the common 10 amps. A clamp-on ammeter is the tool to do the measurement. It clamps around a single conductor.

 

[Gezelle]

The problems started last summer. The pump would often not shut off unless I tapped on the pressure switch. Just before I got tired of running downstairs and was ready to call someone, it started working again. It worked all fall, winter, and most of spring. Towards the end of spring, it started taking a long time to shut off. Then wouldn't shut off unless I hit the pressure switch, and now tapping the switch will only shut it off sometimes. Other times I have to let it run for a bit, shut the pump off completely, and turn it back on. Turning it back on will sometimes be enough for it to shut off. Other times that won't work, so I completely shut it off and go to work. I come home 10 hours later, turn it on, and its fine....until I use water again.... Today, I just started the wash, and my daughter flushed the toilet. Pipes made a loud noise so I checked the water pressure in the washer as it was filling, and noticed it slowed down. I shut the washer off, waited till the toilet was finished, turned the washer back on, and everything was fine. Running down and hitting the pressure switch/turning the pump off and on, and making sure this isn't using water the same time as that is getting super old.... I will be calling someone but am wondering if anyone has had similar issues and what to prepare myself for when the repair guy comes in....

I should add that my well is one of the deepest in my area and no one else is having well issues atm.

Thanks everyone! I will start with replacing the pressure switch. Hopefully this will do the trick. Yesterday I left the house in a hurry and forgot to shut the pump off.... came home 12 hours later and it was still going..... Shut it off for the night, and it built up pressure when it was off.... Turned it back on in the am and it kicked off until we used the water again....

 

[LLigetfa]

Switch is inexpensive to buy and easy to replace so it is a good start. I think however that your pump might be deadheading and not able to reach the cutoff pressure. I didn't see any mention of a pressure gauge, what pressure the pump is producing and what pressures the switch is set to.

The symptom of not being able to keep up to a toilet and washer is not that of a stuck pressure switch but rather of a pump on the edge of its curve not able to supply due to the height it has to push the water. There is also the possibility of a leak in the pipe. If there is a topside checkvalve that can disguise the leak since the water won't run back. A topside checkvalve is a bad idea and it can lead to water hammer that can break the pipe and contamination.

 

[LLigetfa]

Shut it off for the night, and it built up pressure when it was off...

How can a pump build up pressure when it is off? Possibly the water in the hot water tank expanded as it was heated or you have a bad pressure gauge.

 

[Gezelle]

Switch is inexpensive to buy and easy to replace so it is a good start. I think however that your pump might be deadheading and not able to reach the cutoff pressure. I didn't see any mention of a pressure gauge, what pressure the pump is producing and what pressures the switch is set to.

The symptom of not being able to keep up to a toilet and washer is not that of a stuck pressure switch but rather of a pump on the edge of its curve not able to supply due to the height it has to push the water. There is also the possibility of a leak in the pipe. If there is a topside checkvalve that can disguise the leak since the water won't run back. A topside checkvalve is a bad idea and it can lead to water hammer that can break the pipe and contamination.

I honestly think its more than a pressure switch too. The pressure will go up to about 45-47 lbs easily, but takes forever to get up around 50. When it does, thats when I can either hit the pressure switch and it'll turn off, or I can shut the pump off and turn it back on and it'll be ok. And the problem with not being able to run water to the tub and toilet (or tub and washer, etc), didn't sound to me like a pressure switch problem either. I have a feeling there's more than 1 issue in play here. And as for it building pressure when its off...its looked that way a few times.... pump has run for a while, still only at about 45 psi, so I either don't have time or don't have the patience to mess with it so I shut it off for the day/night. When I come back, its around 50 and I turn it on and it's got enough pressure to stop running.... It's probably happened about 5 times recently. I'm thinking I'm going to have to bite the bullet and shell out the cash and call someone. It'll probably be cheaper in the long run!

 

[Reach4]

When I come back, its around 50 and I turn it on and it's got enough pressure to stop running....

That is an interesting wording. If the pressure is high enough, the pump should not have started when you restored power. You are saying that the pump kicks on momentarily.

I should add that my well is one of the deepest in my area

How deep is that? I think we are presuming that you have a well with a submersible (down the well) pump. Confirm that is the case, and that your pump is not above ground. If everybody else had a 30 ft well and you had a 4o ft well, then your well would be one of the deepest. You could in theory have a non-submersible pump on a 100 ft well.

Presuming a submersible pump, it is probably time to get a new pump. If your pump struggles to get to 50 PSI, either you have the wrong pump, or the pump is degrading. If you want to operate the current pump for a while, get a new 20/40 PSI pressure switch, and set the air precharge accordingly. At least crank down the pressure setting on the current suspect pressure switch. Getting the pump replaced in September or October weather is better than January, I expect.

 

[LLigetfa]

There is not enough information for a decent diagnosis. As Reach4 said, if after the pump breaker has been off for a while allowing the well to recover, and upon turning the breaker back on the pump runs briefly and then reaches cutoff, that is very different than the pressure mysteriously increasing to the point the pressure switch reaches cutoff while the power is off.

If the pump did not run briefly then aside from thermal expansion the only other plausible prognosis is a bad pressure switch and/or plugged riser tube. Almost certainly there is more than one issue here and the symptoms are clouding where to attribute what.

A small hole in the pipe can prevent the pump from reaching cutoff pressure when the GPM output of the pump is less than the GPM running out the hole. Later, when the well recovers, the pump GPM increases allowing it to reach cutoff. A topside checkvalve will mask that problem.

The inability to service two fixtures at once suggests low GPM output, caused either/and by a leak stealing GPM or/and the water level in the well dropping below the pump curve.

 

[LLigetfa]

This post may be better off in the https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?forums/pumps-and-tanks-well-forum-blog-water-is-life.4/ forum and I flagged it to get it moved.