Well pump will not reach pressure (50 PSI)

[Wayne Walker]

I am new and I know this is probably covered in the this section but I will proceed anyway. I have a pump, Goulds, 1 Hp that was rebuilt 3 weeks ago. I started this because my pvc lines ( un-bemonst to me) ran under the location where I keep some pigs and they formed their wallow. They stepped on the lines and broke them. The pump was running fine prior to this. It would reach 50psi with no issue.

So, I had a well professional, I use this term reluctantly, to reinstall and try to get my pump back on line. He did nothing but create a mess so I had to re-do everything he did, I replaced all pvc from the well, except a 100ft section under ground. I did this for both the 1 1/4 and 1" lines. I put a new pressure switch on 30/50 with low pressure cut off. I had problems with PVC leaking because of pump movement so I replaced with galvanized pipe. I now have no leaks as far as I can tell coming from the well nor any leaks on the exit lines. There is a new foot valve and check valve and they are doing their job again as far as I can tell.

When I run the pump it gets up to 30 psi pretty quick the slows down getting to 40 psi but it does not go above 40 or so, it just runs. The motor does get rather warm so I end up cutting off the pump. There is no pressure drop if I leave the pump off unless of course I turn a hose bib on.

Any suggestions? I am at my wits end here.

 

[Wayne Walker]

Additional info: I have plenty of water table. We hit water here at 8ft and my pipe goes down to about 35 ft.

 

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[Valveman]

I am guessing you have a two pipe jet pump with ejector in the well? If so it sounds like you have a suction leak on the 1 1/4" pipe from the well. It could even be right where it converts from PVC to metal threads.

 

[Wayne Walker]

I have found no evidence of a suction leak. Is there a way to text for it?

 

[Wayne Walker]

test for it.

 

[Valveman]

It usually starts sounding like pumping gravel. A vacuum gauge also confirms that if you loose vacuum, you have lost prime. If you can get to all the connections you can use foamy shaving cream and it will suck a hole in the cream where the leak is.

 

[Reach4]

It usually starts sounding like pumping gravel.

Does a deep well jet pump have a vacuum?

 

[Wayne Walker]

It usually starts sounding like pumping gravel. A vacuum gauge also confirms that if you loose vacuum, you have lost prime. If you can get to all the connections you can use foamy shaving cream and it will suck a hole in the cream where the leak is.

no sound of gravel. It just runs. When I turn the water on at a bib it pumps then the pressure stops and the pump cuts off. I did notice a sound of rushing water when the pump is turned off. I have a check valve about 4 feet from the pump going in. Prime does not seem to be a problem.

 

[Wayne Walker]

Does a deep well jet pump have a vacuum?

i don't know, what is that?

 

[LLigetfa]

i don't know, what is that?

It is what's called a rhetorical question.

A two pipe system doesn't have any vacuum in the the two pipes. The only place there would be vacuum is the tailpipe of the jet assembly down in the well.

I don't know why you would put a check valve on one of the two pipes. The check valve needs to be on the tailpipe below the jet assembly.

 

[Reach4]

It is what's called a rhetorical question.

In my case, more of an ignorant question, but not rhetorical. I was thinking no vacuum, but I was not sure.

It was not absolutely clear that your system was a deep well pump, since there was a possibility that your 1 inch pipe was a supply for something. You did not actually answer the question in #3, possibly thinking it was rhetorical.

 

[Wayne Walker]

It is what's called a rhetorical question.

A two pipe system doesn't have any vacuum in the the two pipes. The only place there would be vacuum is the tailpipe of the jet assembly down in the well.

I don't know why you would put a check valve on one of the two pipes. The check valve needs to be on the tailpipe below the jet assembly.

There is a foot valve in the well and a check valve on the, what I call the supply coming from the well about 3 ft from the pump. Why it is there only the well person that worked on it first would as he put it there.

 

[Wayne Walker]

In my case, more of an ignorant question, but not rhetorical. I was thinking no vacuum, but I was not sure.

It was not absolutely clear that your system was a deep well pump, since there was a possibility that your 1 inch pipe was a supply for something. You did not actually answer the question in #3, possibly thinking it was rhetorical.

The pipe from the well to the pimp is 1 1/4" the 1" is the exit for the water out of the pump. I am not sure what you mean by "deep well". All I know is the pump was getting to about 40 psi but now reaches only just above 20 psi.

 

[LLigetfa]

the pump was getting to about 40 psi but now reaches only just above 20 psi.

Then it suggests that the jet down in the well is plugged.

 

[Bgard]

it sounds to me like it is not a jet pump, but a shallow well pump, when the pig broke the 1 1/4" pipe mud may have been drawn back into the well screen at the bottom of the well and is plugging it up. take the pipe off of the top of the well head and drop an air hose to the bottom and blow the mud and what ever may be in there out, then make sure that the 1 1/4" pipe between the well and the pump is cleared of any debris also. connect it all back together and see if it works then. with the check valve near the pump when the pipe got broken there would have been some suction on it from the water falling back down the well that may have sucked in some mud.

 

[LLigetfa]

If there are two pipes going down into the well then it is a deep well jet pump. With two pipes going down into the well and only one of them having a check valve, there cannot be suction on one of them as long as the jet is not plugged. With a plugged jet it essentially is just acting like a centrifugal impeller pump.

 

[Bgard]

he stated that the 1" pipe is the water going out to be used

 

[LLigetfa]

On a two pipe deep well system the smaller pipe is water exiting from the pump going back down the well to service the jet. There has been many references in this thread to two pipes in the well and the OP has not contradicted it. We can only go by what info is provided.

If there is only one pipe in the well, then it is still very likely to be a jet pump with the only difference being where the jet is located. The jet can still be plugged regardless of whether it is down in the well or in the pump.

 

[Reach4]

and the OP has not contradicted it.

You would think, but yet...

 

[Wayne Walker]

how far should the pump be from the well head? Right now it's about a 100+ ft.