Well pump has worked fine until the other day when pressure dropped gradually to a drizzle but the pump wasn't kicking on. Thought maybe a filter clog, so changed the filter, & also checked the pressure tank pressure that was at 20 a bit lower than the 26 recommended. Checked the pressure switch but didn't make any adjustments.Water pressure was restored & a flush of the toilet kicked the pump on after switching the breaker back on. Great. Showered, laundry dishes and then next day the water pressure dropped again. Again I turn off the hot water heater & pump off & check of the water I have full pressure?!, So I run some water a minute or so, then turn on the pump at the breaker & it kicks in like it should, great pressure. So if the switch works, pump works, might it be the hot water heater or pressure tank needing more air?
Sorry I missed this. The problem is in the pump/motor. The problem was most likely caused by a bad or just too small of a pressure tank. But the overload in the motor is tripping. This is an auto-resetting overload. So, after a minute or two, no matter if you cycle the breaker on and off or not, the pump will just magically come back on.
The pump cycling on and off too much is what caused the failure. If you can stop the pump from cycling, you may get a few more years out of the pump. Otherwise, some day soon, the pump will just not restart.
This is all by design. They suggest a tank small enough to cycle the pump to death in an average of seven years. Double the size of the pressure tank, and double the life of the pump. Add a Cycle Stop Valve and quadruple the life of the pump.
Since you are probably going to need a new tank anyway, you only need a 5 gallon size tank when using a Cycle Stop Valve to stop the cycling. With a CSV the pump, motor, tank, pressure switch, check valve, control box, and everything in the pump system will last longer. As a bonus the CSV supplies strong constant pressure to the house, which is described as showers so strong that soap is no longer needed. Lol.
The pump industry has tried to keep the CSV a secret or dissuade people from using one since we started in 1993. The Cycle Stop Valve is what they call a "disruptive product". It makes pumps last longer and uses smaller pressure tanks. Pump companies would prefer that people just keep using the old pressure tank only method, so they can plan when to build you a replacement pump, tank, check valve, pressure switch, etc. They did come out with the VFD or variable speed pump to have something that competes with the constant pressure of the Cycle Stop Valve without shooting their planned obsolescence in the foot. Variable speed pumps are even more profitable for the pump manufacturers than a regular pressure tank system.
I can't blame pump companies for trying to keep the CSV a secret. I know someone who owns a tire store. From his one little branch, of which there are probably hundreds more of the same, he sells 30 million dollars worth of tires every year. They would be out of business if someone invented a tire that would never wear out? Keeping a pump from wearing out is exactly what a Cycle Stop Valve does. This is why pump manufacturers hate Cycle Stop Valves and why every pump system should have one.
Buy It! Interactive Animation Installation Video General Information Typical Applications Specifications Dimensions Installation Instructions Troubleshooting VFD Controller Replacement WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including nickel, which is known to the State of California...
cyclestopvalves.com
Animation of how a pressure tank and Cycle Stop Valve works.
vimeo.com
