well water stopped working

[jimmay]

I'm VERY new at the subject of well water and all that goes into making it happen and need some advice. I'm house sitting for a friend and yesterday the water stopped working. She has a well system with a Franklin 280 107 49 control box, a pumptrol square d 30/50 pressure switch, a well-x-trol tank, and I have no idea what the pump is or the depth of the well. The pressure gauge reads 2psi though I don't know what it was before. Now the water wasn't decreasing in pressure over time, literally one minute it was working and 5 minutes later there was absolutely no water happening anywhere in the house and I wasn't running water and we didn't have a power out when it stopped. The only other info I have is when I took the cover off the pumptrol to see what was happening with the contacts, with the switch down (where it was when I started investigating) the contacts were open, but when I flick the switch to the up position the contacts immediately click back to the open position. I also checked the breaker and it wasn't flipped off either. This isn't my house and I'd love to get it working on my own before my friend comes home but like I said, I'm a total newbie with this stuff. Any help anyone could give would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Valveman]

Low pressure cut off switch. Just hold the little brass lever up just a bit so the contacts touch. Hold it this way until the pressure gets up to 30, then you can turn it loose.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jimmay]

Low pressure cut off switch. Just hold the little brass lever up just a bit so the contacts touch. Hold it this way until the pressure gets up to 30, then you can turn it loose.

K, gave that a try. Held the contacts closed for almost 10 minutes but the guage never moved from 0psi. Any other ideas?

Thanks for your quick reply

Jimmy

 

[Gary Slusser]

It could be that the gauge is not reading real time pressure because it and/or the nipple it is screwed on is blocked with rust.

If the switch contacts are closed, and you have a power to the switch, a good gauge, then there is a serious water leak from the switch back to the pump or the pump is not running. Or there is no water for the pump to move which means the well is 'dry'. That means the water is at or below the pump's inlet. Low producing wells are the reason for the pressure switch with the little lever on the side; a low pressure safety cut off switch with Off, Start and Auto.

If you have a submersible pump, to do electrical ohms and short, open tests, goto
www.franklinelectric.com You're looking for the 4" pump troubleshooting section.

Otherwise call a pump guy, well driller or only a plumber that can and will pull the pump from whatever depth it is set at.

 

[jimmay]

It could be that the gauge is not reading real time pressure because it and/or the nipple it is screwed on is blocked with rust.

If the switch contacts are closed, and you have a power to the switch, a good gauge, then there is a serious water leak from the switch back to the pump or the pump is not running. Or there is no water for the pump to move which means the well is 'dry'. That means the water is at or below the pump's inlet. Low producing wells are the reason for the pressure switch with the little lever on the side; a low pressure safety cut off switch with Off, Start and Auto.

If you have a submersible pump, to do electrical ohms and short, open tests, goto
www.franklinelectric.com You're looking for the 4" pump troubleshooting section.

Otherwise call a pump guy, well driller or only a plumber that can and will pull the pump from whatever depth it is set at.

Thanks Gary,

I'm just guessing of course, but I don't think the well is dry. Would it not have tapered off in pressure over time, even a short time, if that were the case? In my case it was working fully and then just stopped dead. I'm wondering if there is power getting to the pressure switch, again just guessing, but I'm doubting it, so I'll check out the link you posted and see if that's the case. It is a submersible. Now with a submersible, would I hear the pump when it's running? I'll keep y'all posted, thanks everyone for yout thoughts.

 

[Speedbump]

It is definately important to know if the pump is running. Otherwise you don't know if it's an electrical problem or a mechanical problem. If you can't tell, maybe you can have someone go out and listen at the well to see if they hear it come on when you close the points.

bob...

 

[jimmay]

It is definately important to know if the pump is running. Otherwise you don't know if it's an electrical problem or a mechanical problem. If you can't tell, maybe you can have someone go out and listen at the well to see if they hear it come on when you close the points.

bob...

Good point. I won't be able to do that till tonight though. Will I be able to hear the pump normally from the top of the well even though it's enclosed? Will I need to, and can I, remove the lid to hear the thing?

 

[Speedbump]

You should be able to hear a vibration or droning noise. If you wait to put the points together until someone is out there with their ear close to the well, they will be able to tell when it comes on if it does. '

As for the cap, I don't know what you have there for sure, so I can't comment.

bob...