Well Issue or Normal?

[rowdy235]

Hey guys! I have been around wells all my life but this house I am in now is my first with a "complex" well setup.

I have a 59' well with a standing water level of 5' below ground surface. The well put out 5gpm when it was drilled in 2006. This feeds a 1500 gal water tank. At the wellhead there is a check valve as well as 5gpm dole valve (to avoid pumping the well dry)

Today I heard my tank filling so I walked over to where my well head is to make sure things were running correctly and good thing I did. Half the yard was flooded. After removing the fake rock cover I found the well was leaking badly. After killing power and cutting off the insulation I found there was a PVC joint that had failed. This joint obviously done half-ass to start with, less than 1/2" of pipe was in the joint and no primer was used.

Anyway, I got some replacement PVC pieces and replaced. After allowing the cement to cure I tested it and it all held pressure, but now appears to be making a noise. It sounds like a mixture of water flowing and air flowing to me. I let the well run for 30 minutes (until the tank was full) and the noise stayed pretty consistent the whole time. Flow seems fine on the tank end, same as before. I did remove the union (and thus remove the check valve) when repairing but I would imagine any air should have worked its way out by now?

Prior to this all I could hear was the well motor running, but I'm not sure if the insulation plus cover may have been muffling the water noise (I never observed it run before with the cover/insulation off). I'm linking to a video- what do y'all think?

 

[Valveman]

Sounds like the normal hiss of a Dole valve to me. Do you have a dry well protector on the well pump like a Cycle Sensor?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I let the well run for 30 minutes (until the tank was full)

What took 30 minutes? It took 30 minutes to pump 300 gallons to top off your 1500 tank?

I watched your video. It first I thought you had an above-ground check valve, but I now know that is your Dole valve.

What current amps do you measure, and is this 240 or 120 volt power? Anything more than a 1/2 hp pump seems like not a good match.

 

[rowdy235]

Thanks for the responses guys!

Yes, the pump ran for about 30 minutes to top off my holding tank. I estimate this was about 150 gallons seeing as the dole valve is a 5gpm.

I'm not sure of the hp of the pump, but I remember them saying something about it being a bigger pump which is why they installed the dole valve. Not sure why they would have used a larger pump, but I know the previous well was about 200', so maybe they used the same pump. It is 240v. I'll see if I can put my ammeter on it today sometime. There is both an above-ground check valve (horizontal just on the outlet side of the union) and dole valve (vertical just before the ground).

I do have a pumptec for dry well protection.

I watched a video I took yesterday of it leaking and could hear the noise in that video, albeit drowned out (no pun intended) by the gyser of water shooting up. I also popped off the vent cap today and shined a flashlight down, hard to tell but I'd say the standing water level is 1-2' below the ground.

 

[Reach4]

There is both an above-ground check valve (horizontal just on the outlet side of the union) and dole valve (vertical just before the ground).

I would be rid of the check valve. If there is ever a pump failure, put in a 10 gpm 1/2 hp pump, and be rid of the Dole valve. Are you in a no-freeze area? I think pitless adapters have some advantages, even in no-freeze areas. But that would be some installation expense.

 

[rowdy235]

Thanks for the reply. Just out of curiosity, why get rid of the check valve?

It does freeze here but not often and not for long. I don't think I've seen a pitless but I do like the idea. If I ever have to pull the pump, I think I will do as you suggest and put in a smaller pump with a pitless adapter.

 

[Reach4]

Thanks for the reply. Just out of curiosity, why get rid of the check valve?

There is a check valve in the submersible pump and/or just above the pump. With an extra check valve, you could potentially get a vacuum in the drop pipe, and the water coming up would slam the check valve.

With no above-water check valve, the pipe stays pressurized.

 

[Valveman]

Hopefully you are pumping into the top of the cistern? That way if a check valve fails it won't drain the cistern down the well. That check valve above ground is not needed, but probably won't hurt anything since you are filling a cistern. There is no or very little back pressure to keep it closed, so there should not be any water hammer on pump start like when using a pressure tank.

 

[rowdy235]

Hopefully you are pumping into the top of the cistern? That way if a check valve fails it won't drain the cistern down the well. That check valve above ground is not needed, but probably won't hurt anything since you are filling a cistern. There is no or very little back pressure to keep it closed, so there should not be any water hammer on pump start like when using a pressure tank.

Yes, the tank is fed from the top. When the float valve turns the pump off, the inlet is still a couple inches above the water level!