Well Pump running constantly


  #1  
Old 07-17-08, 05:53 PM
O
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 1
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Well Pump running constantly

We bought a 150 y/o home this past September. It has a well pump in the basement mounted on top of the pressure tank (the big round blue tank w/ a bladder in it). There are 2 black plastic pipes that leave the pump and go through the foundation to the well. I found the well accidently when I picked up what looked like a paint can lid laying in the yard and found a hole in the ground. Shining a light down the hole confirmed the 2 black pipes penetrating the hole about 3' down below grade. The pump is a 30/50 pump. The water pressure in the house was very low, so after reading forums such as this, I increased the pump pressure to approx.50/70. I believe I left the bladder pressure at 30#. Everything was fine fore about 3 months until this past week. I noticed water coming from the ring that goes around the pump house at the impellar. There was a lot of gunk built up around it when we moved in, telling me it had leaked for a long time. The leak isn't a constant stream of water, but is a rapid drip of big drops. The pump ran all day apparently, so I had her turn off the breaker since I am at work. The pressure gauge is reading 68-70 pounds while the pump ran. It held at 68 when she shut it off. She ran some water for a minute or so and told me the pressure was about 66-68# now. By increasing my pressure, did I blow the seal on the pump? Is what I have called a 2 pipe shallow well jet pump? Any help or insight to anything I did that was wrong would be helpful and much appreciated.
 
  #2  
Old 07-18-08, 06:34 AM
P
Member
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: So. Cal
Posts: 959
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
What you have is a deep well jet pump. There is an ejector (nozzle and venturi) down in the well.
I'm kind of surprised that a deep well jet was able to build 70 psi at cutoff. The tank precharge pressure should have been reset at 48 psi when you raised the cutin/cutout pressures.
It could be that the seal was just worn out. They will do that after a length of time, although it sounds like from your description that the pump may be leaking from where the pump head bolts to the motor adapter. There is either an o-ring or a gasket there that can leak, too.
You should be able to replace both of them without much trouble.
Who manufactured your pump?
Ron
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: