Short version:
I have a shallow well (20' deep with 5' of water in it) with a submersible pump (I don't know the manufacturer) on it's side in it, there is 1.25" black plastic from the well, to the pressure tank that is on the second floor of my house. There is a 30/50 pressure switch on the T to the tank.
On New Years day I realized that something was amiss when the pressure started dropping as I was washing dishes. I finally figured out that I had an ice plug in my supply line just before the elbow that goes to my pressure tank. I melted that ice plug, put everything that I had taken apart back together and turned the pump on, I had no leaks at any of the joints I had taken apart, but after the system reaches 50 psi, the pump shuts off and I can hear a gurgling, then some of the water runs back down the supply line to the well (I assume). My pressure gauge still reads 50, and I can get probably 10 or more gallons of water out of the system before the pressure drops to 30 and the pump kicks on, then the cycle repeats.
My thought is maybe an air leak at one of the joints I had taken apart while looking for the ice plug but I've tightened them down as much as I dare (there are plastic joints/elbows in the system.) There are no water leaks anywhere that I can find...
My other thought is maybe there is a check valve in my pump that got damaged when the pump tried to force the ice plug out before I discovered it? One of the initial things I discovered when I started investigating was that the supply line had come disconnected at the elbow in the shallow well before it goes into the ground...
Sorry, but I'm not a plumber and maybe haven't described this properly...I have a call into the person that installed this system but thought maybe I could get an answer here faster...
Thanks so much!!! If there is info that I've inadvertently left out and would be useful please let me know...
Frank
I have a shallow well (20' deep with 5' of water in it) with a submersible pump (I don't know the manufacturer) on it's side in it, there is 1.25" black plastic from the well, to the pressure tank that is on the second floor of my house. There is a 30/50 pressure switch on the T to the tank.
On New Years day I realized that something was amiss when the pressure started dropping as I was washing dishes. I finally figured out that I had an ice plug in my supply line just before the elbow that goes to my pressure tank. I melted that ice plug, put everything that I had taken apart back together and turned the pump on, I had no leaks at any of the joints I had taken apart, but after the system reaches 50 psi, the pump shuts off and I can hear a gurgling, then some of the water runs back down the supply line to the well (I assume). My pressure gauge still reads 50, and I can get probably 10 or more gallons of water out of the system before the pressure drops to 30 and the pump kicks on, then the cycle repeats.
My thought is maybe an air leak at one of the joints I had taken apart while looking for the ice plug but I've tightened them down as much as I dare (there are plastic joints/elbows in the system.) There are no water leaks anywhere that I can find...
My other thought is maybe there is a check valve in my pump that got damaged when the pump tried to force the ice plug out before I discovered it? One of the initial things I discovered when I started investigating was that the supply line had come disconnected at the elbow in the shallow well before it goes into the ground...
Sorry, but I'm not a plumber and maybe haven't described this properly...I have a call into the person that installed this system but thought maybe I could get an answer here faster...
Thanks so much!!! If there is info that I've inadvertently left out and would be useful please let me know...
Frank