This is different - no water during regen

[DIYMissus]

This has happened twice now during a regen there is no water the pressure valve just after the expansion tank goes down to zero. Next in the line is a sediment filter then the water softener. Both times we "fixed" it by turning the sediment filter Rainfresh FC150 to bypass and off and back again, I bought a new Rainfresh filter housing and hope that was the problem. I guess the other possibility is the well pump or??? After a month this sediment filter is full of rust which surprised me since we have "clear iron" 2.4 ppm ??

 

[DIYMissus]

 

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[Bannerman]

It sounds as though your pump's pressure switch maybe sticking open. The pressure switch should be located close to the pressure tank and will typically look similar to this: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/square-d-pumptrol-water-pump-pressure-switch-40-60-psi/1001237628

The pressure switch may need to be replaced, but suggest first disconnecting the pressure switch wiring so as to unthread the pressure switch from the nipple that connects it to the plumbing line leading from the pressure tank. If the nipple is plugged with debris such as iron solids, that can prevent the pressure switch from reliably sensing when the system pressure has fallen to the appropriate pressure to activate the pump. If a plugged nipple is causing the pressure switch to not operate reliably, the nipple will need to be removed to either clean it out, or to replace it.

Iron in a Ferrous state is clear, but oxidation will cause it to be converted to a Ferric state which will become evident as an orange tint in the water or as solid rust deposits. It appears some of the ferrous iron in your well water is being oxidized on the surface of the sediment filter cartridge.

 

[DIYMissus]

It sounds as though your pump's pressure switch maybe sticking open. The pressure switch should be located close to the pressure tank and will typically look similar to this: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/square-d-pumptrol-water-pump-pressure-switch-40-60-psi/100123762

I have a new one, we bought both the switch and gauge since we couldn't raise or lower the pressure, it was staying 42 -45 . Turns out it was the gauge. Hubby said to keep the switch just in case. The original switch looks fairly new but it could still be clogged of course. I'll watch it during next re-gen and see if the problem continues. The sediment filter was very hard to turn to by-pass and the sump was lined with crud that was resistant to scrubbing and soaking with "iron out". I figured it was time to replace it regardless. Thanks again glad to hear its likely something other then the well pump!

 

[DIYMissus]

Its been at least 3 regens since we replaced the
Rainfresh FC150 Sediment Filter and not more water cutting out during a regen or at any other time. The old filter housing was somewhat broken as I couldn't turn it from on to bypass, the new one turns easily. Its weird huh? The sump is see-through so I can change it before it gets clogged, whatever iron it removes can only be a good thing.

 

[Reach4]

It's worth checking if the pressure switch contacts look close (on) during that time. You could also measure the voltage on the output contacts. Commonly that voltage would be between terminals 2 and 3 of the pressure switch, but not always.

This has happened twice now during a regen there is no water the pressure valve just after the expansion tank goes down to zero.

Did you look at the gauge and see zero, or was it just low? What if the pump cannot keep up with the backwashing filter? Could it be that waiting would have given you pressure as fast as bypassing the cartridge filter? Just an idea.

Another idea is the pump thermal overload tripped, and again, pressure would have come back if you did nothing if that is the problem.

Just a couple extra ideas.

 

[DIYMissus]

It's worth checking if the pressure switch contacts look close (on) during that time. You could also measure the voltage on the output contacts. Commonly that voltage would be between terminals 2 and 3 of the pressure switch, but not always.


Did you look at the gauge and see zero, or was it just low? What if the pump cannot keep up with the backwashing filter? Could it be that waiting would have given you pressure as fast as bypassing the cartridge filter? Just an idea.

Another idea is the pump thermal overload tripped, and again, pressure would have come back if you did nothing if that is the problem.

Just a couple extra ideas.

It's really hard to diagnose a problem when the system is working perfectly( Thankfully at long last!). Gauge was zero pressure and the switch had clicked on. It could have been the thermal overload that just happened to reset at the same moment that we turned the filter to bypass and back -on two separate occasions. But that is some coincidence. Since replacing the filter housing that obviously had something wrong with it solved the problem, I'm going to guess it was the problem. How it was the problem is beyond me.

 

[Bannerman]

Gauge was zero pressure and the switch had clicked on.

As it seems you heard the pressure switch click on when the gauge was reading 0 psi, then the problem is not the thermal overload in the pump, but is the pressure switch. If the pump's thermal overload was the cause, you would not have heard the pressure switch click-on as that would have previously occured when the system pressure was reduced to 40 psi.

Although your water system is again working properly, the issue has been intermittent which is always the most difficult to diagnose.

Perhaps the pressure switch is not activating the pump correctly more often than you are aware. You became aware of the problem those few times as there was no water being delivered to your faucets, but if the switch is sometimes activating the pump before the system pressure dropped fully to 0 psi, you might not have necessarily noticed depending on what you were using water for at the time. Instead of activating the pump consistantly at 40 psi, the pressure switch may be sometimes sticking and activating randomly below 40 psi. If activated at 35, 32, 28 or some other random pressure, you may not have noticed.