Pump cycling with contacts closed

[2004blackwrx]

Last night at midnight i had almost no water pressure. Pressure was going between 25 and 30 up and down quickly. It was late so I turned breaker off and went to bed. Woke up and turned on breaker and saw pressure go up to 60 and quickly down to 40 and so on. I have pressure set to 50 70. at this point i start to think i need a new water tank. I drain system and tank pressure is 48 on the air side. Now im not sure whats wrong. So i turn breaker back on to troubleshoot more. Now pressure goes up to 60 and hovers around there. i hear flow starting and stopping. I look at pressure switch contacts and see they are closed but flow is stopping and starting and pressure is around 60. I now call my dad for advice. while on phone I notice system working like it should. I then decide even its working now problem will come back so i decide to replace pressure switch. I install new pressure switch and the problem persists. as further note control box and pump were replaced last month when my pump died.

 

[LLigetfa]

I'm guessing you have additional check valves where they should not be and that they caused water hammer which created a leak.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[2004blackwrx]

Check valve located on well pump itself and 1 before the tank. No leaks inside. Im no expert but I wouldnt think a leak would cause pump to cycle while the contacts remain closed.

 

[LLigetfa]

Check valve located on well pump itself and 1 before the tank. No leaks inside...

Not a good idea to have a check valve at the tank. I would not expect the leak to be where you would see it, probably somewhere between the well and the house.

The cycling could be from the pump sucking air or thermal overloading.

 

[2004blackwrx]

Well thats a horrible place for a leak. thanks i hope its not the case. Yea the check valves have been there since i bought the house. any idea on how to test if a leak is the cause.

 

[2004blackwrx]

i could prob remove check valve and hook back up to tank again and isolate house from tank. if there is a leak it will bleed the tank down. how does that sound?

 

[Boycedrilling]

Did you install the new pump last month yourself, or did you hire a pump installer? What was the reason for your pump fauilure and replacement last month?

If you hired a pump installer, any mechanical failure should be covered by warranty.

Possible you have a bad or broken pipe, Broken check valve, or are out of water in the well.

Do you have an amp meter to check how many amps the pump is pulling. If you’re doing it yourself, you need to buy one.

 

[LLigetfa]

i could prob remove check valve and hook back up to tank again and isolate house from tank. if there is a leak it will bleed the tank down. how does that sound?

Possibly you could just remove the innards of the check valve and not have to rework the plumbing, otherwise you might need a longer nipple and a coupler to make up the same length.

 

[LLigetfa]

Possible you have a bad or broken pipe, Broken check valve, or are out of water in the well.

Could be all 3... a bad check valve at the pump could have created water hammer that broke the pipe and subsequently pumping the well dry.

 

[2004blackwrx]

My pump is 20 years old and I had no water. I checked that power was going to pump but not how much. saw pump was getting power so i got new pump and replaced the 140 ft pipe to the pump. The pump still didnt work so i replaced control box and everything worked. I got plenty of water the top of the water level is 8 feet down from the surface. I got an amp meter but have checked it yet. where should I check amps and how much should I see.

 

[LLigetfa]

As I said, a topside check valve is a bad idea. It prevents the pressure from holding against the check valve in the pump. Subsequently the check at the pump might leak down and the water column may drop creating a partial vacuum in the line. When the pump starts, the water rushes in at full speed slamming into the topside check creating water hammer. Over time, the water hammer breaks the pipe.

 

[LLigetfa]

I got plenty of water the top of the water level is 8 feet down from the surface...

I assume that is the static level. How good is the recovery rate? Does the level drop when you pump it hard?

 

[2004blackwrx]

so i was looking into level and for leaks. i popped well cover and see the problem. the wire about a foot down in the casing is fried. IDK what cause this. Can I simply replace wire. whats the cause and how to prevent.

 

[Reach4]

I got an amp meter but have checked it yet. where should I check amps and how much should I see.

If you have a clamp-around ammeter, you clamp around one hot wire as the pump starts and as it runs. You could do that at the pressure switch, the breaker box or maybe the control box. What amps do you see, and what size is your breaker?

What is the pump? That would be a big factor in what current to expect.

so i was looking into level and for leaks. i popped well cover and see the problem. the wire about a foot down in the casing is fried. IDK what cause this. Can I simply replace wire. whats the cause and how to prevent.

If you can replace a pump, you can replace wire. You will need splice kits. Do you just take out the wire with the damaged insulation, or replace it all? I don't know.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

It was probably a bad spot in the wire that was caused when the pump was replaced.

 

[2004blackwrx]

thanks for the help. i cut out the burnt up wire abd spliced it back together temperarlily with wire nuts and tape. Its working now. Not fun having water issues with company over knowing next day is Christmas. It was burnt in a area I didnt touch during the pump replacement but near an original splice. Im guessing this area was previously exposed or damaged when pulling the pump and all.the movement place.it.in a.position to short.