no water
#1
01-13-14, 01:54 PM
no water
I need help with a jet pump or maybe my well. it has been losing pressure for a few months and now is only turning on or off when done manually. we would have pressure for about 5-10 minutes then loose all water for about another 10 minutes or more. we replaced the tank thing(which is a 15 gallons one) just a few months ago( maybe 6 months) and adjusted the screw on the pressure switch box. we continued to loose pressure and then yesterday we had to tap the pressure switch box to get any water. just now the box stuck and will only turn on constantly. we have to flick the contact to make it run or shut off. can you help us as to what to do? forgot to mention the pump is an shur-dri 1/2 hp.
#2
01-13-14, 03:16 PM
Group Moderator
I don't mean to be rude but your description is jumping all over the place and unfortunately when diagnosing problems the specifics are very important. Don't worry about your names for stuff (thingy is a very accepted technical term) but telling us exactly what happens and when will help figure out what's going on.
You mention jet pump so I assume your pump is above ground. How many pipes run from the pump to the well, one or two?
You mentioned installing a new pressure tank and adjusting the pressure switch. The pressure tank does not pump water or generate pressure. It's just their to make things run more smoothly and prolong the life of the pump. You could remove it completely and your water system would still work so when dealing with "no water" or "loosing pressure" you can forget about it for now.
The pressure switch tells the pump when to turn on and off. For the most part it works or it doesn't. If you screwed up the pressure in the pressure tank and setting of the pressure switch the system will still work but you might complain that the water pressure drops for a half second and then returns when taking a shower or that the pump seems to be cycling on and off too quickly. So, that's probably off the problem list for now.
That leaves the well itself, the piping and the pump.
Having water flowing for 5-10 minutes than it stops and comes back sometime later could be the well running dry or possibly the pump motor overheating. Is the pump still running when the water stops?
If the pump runs but never comes up to full pressure could be a worn out pump, clogged venturi or leaking pipe.
If the system comes up to pressure but the pressure drops when the pump turns off could be a leaking pipe or bad check (foot) valve.
You mention jet pump so I assume your pump is above ground. How many pipes run from the pump to the well, one or two?
You mentioned installing a new pressure tank and adjusting the pressure switch. The pressure tank does not pump water or generate pressure. It's just their to make things run more smoothly and prolong the life of the pump. You could remove it completely and your water system would still work so when dealing with "no water" or "loosing pressure" you can forget about it for now.
The pressure switch tells the pump when to turn on and off. For the most part it works or it doesn't. If you screwed up the pressure in the pressure tank and setting of the pressure switch the system will still work but you might complain that the water pressure drops for a half second and then returns when taking a shower or that the pump seems to be cycling on and off too quickly. So, that's probably off the problem list for now.
That leaves the well itself, the piping and the pump.
Having water flowing for 5-10 minutes than it stops and comes back sometime later could be the well running dry or possibly the pump motor overheating. Is the pump still running when the water stops?
If the pump runs but never comes up to full pressure could be a worn out pump, clogged venturi or leaking pipe.
If the system comes up to pressure but the pressure drops when the pump turns off could be a leaking pipe or bad check (foot) valve.
