We had an issue where an outside hose was left on, that may have leaked a small amount, and overnight, it's very possible that it was the cause, but regardless, something drained the well dry overnight (after a long spell of very dry weather). So no water this morning, but after several hours the pump is still not able to get the pressure to the high end of the 40/60 switch so just runs and runs until turned off at the breaker. Also, we do have a bit of intermittent air coming out the faucets from time to time. This has been true for a long time, but it's very inconsistent, not that common. We can't find any wet spots near the well casing. If perhaps there's a leak in the casing, it may be that it's far enough down that we only experienced the air during dry spells. Unfortunately did not pay enough attention to this before! Also, not sure if the pump fully survived this experience since it went dry overnight.

We'll let the well try to recharge for some more hours but it's looking more like a professional might need calling at some point. What things could we look for to tell them, or help diagnose? There is no pressure loss to the tank with the pump breaker off. But, there's a check valve on the line that feeds the pressure tank, so perhaps this won't tell us if there's a leak in the casing itself. Thank you very much!

 

It's very possible with long bouts of dry weather that your well cannot replenish as quick as it once did. Do you have nearby neighbors you can check with ?

Do you have the information on your well ?
When installed ?
Depth of casing ?
Nominal water level ?
Pump type ?

 

Well may be going dry before storage tank filled with enough water to cause pressure switch to operate.

 

Unfortunately I don't have much info on the well! I once called the company that dug it, from the name on the well cap, to get a bit of info, but where I put those notes I can't quite remember. It was some time ago that he installed it so he had to guess from memory. I *think* it's about 80 feet in, submersible, and it's drilled into mostly-bedrock like other wells around here.

Right now it seems to be maxing out at 52 psi when the pump runs, this has been true throughout the day. Going to test it again tomorrow and see if it still maxes out at exactly 52 psi. I'm not sure what that means, but it seems to mean something.

 

If it has a hard time reaching the cutoff pressure point..... that would indicate a pump problem.
When a well is low on water..... usually the pressure is all over the place but eventually it will reach cutoff.