Can you tell me some info about my well? (pics)
#1
01-08-15, 09:03 AM
Can you tell me some info about my well? (pics)
I don't know much about my well, and I'm trying to learn about it. I do know that I'm going to need to add pressure to it (though I'm not sure where or how exactly, which is something I'd like to know). Can anyone help me out with that? Specifically the adding of pressure...but if someone wanted to just give me some more general info as well that would not hurt at all. Thanks!
#2
01-08-15, 09:16 AM
Group Moderator
Welcome to the forums.
One starter question.... what is the temperature there ?
That is the top of your well. That is the first time I've seen a well head with the water pipes exposed outside in a cold climate. Normally the pipe comes out of the side of the well and into the home or a pump shack. There you would find the pressure switch and tank.
Do you have a pressure tank inside your house ?
One starter question.... what is the temperature there ?
That is the top of your well. That is the first time I've seen a well head with the water pipes exposed outside in a cold climate. Normally the pipe comes out of the side of the well and into the home or a pump shack. There you would find the pressure switch and tank.
Do you have a pressure tank inside your house ?
#3
01-08-15, 09:23 AM
Quite cold. 20's on a good day, usually 10's, sometimes less.
No pressure tank inside the house. I was told pressure needs to be added at the pump (how exactly, I do not know). Maybe I could have misunderstood though...but definitely no indoor tank around, only thing in the house is the hot water heater.
I do agree it's an odd looking one, never seen one quite like it personally. However, it has survived there many winters (ones worse than we're having) without issue...so I can say that it does work and work well through some extreme cold. We will be putting some hay bales around it to help it a little, but obviously not for the pictures.
No pressure tank inside the house. I was told pressure needs to be added at the pump (how exactly, I do not know). Maybe I could have misunderstood though...but definitely no indoor tank around, only thing in the house is the hot water heater.
I do agree it's an odd looking one, never seen one quite like it personally. However, it has survived there many winters (ones worse than we're having) without issue...so I can say that it does work and work well through some extreme cold. We will be putting some hay bales around it to help it a little, but obviously not for the pictures.
#4
01-08-15, 09:40 AM
I have not seen one exactly like that, and have no idea how the line to the pressure switch is not frozen, but suspect that you may have a pit, possibly a concrete vault, although it could be formed out of wood, steel or whatever, in the ground there. Is that possible? It looks like you may have a schrader valve with a cap on it below the pressure switch, but hard to say without knowing what all is involved.
#5
01-08-15, 09:42 AM
When you open a faucet does the pump come on immediately? I can't see how the well would operate without the pump coming on all the time unless there is a tank. Could it be in the ground??
Normally you add air to the tank, there will be a steel valve stem - similar to what's on a tire.
Normally you add air to the tank, there will be a steel valve stem - similar to what's on a tire.
#6
01-08-15, 09:51 AM
Yes, I am fairly sure that what's going on is that there's an underground tank for pressure. Sorry if that was a point of confusion. Pressure is added to it somewhere up at the top here.
Like you guys, I assumed that that would mean there was a simple valve on there like a tire pump would hook up to...but much to my surprise I couldn't find one.
Is this the place being referred to?
That seemed the likely place to me too...but I don't know enough to just fiddle, so hence why I came here first. I can go get a closer up picture of that spot if it would help.
Like you guys, I assumed that that would mean there was a simple valve on there like a tire pump would hook up to...but much to my surprise I couldn't find one.
Is this the place being referred to?
That seemed the likely place to me too...but I don't know enough to just fiddle, so hence why I came here first. I can go get a closer up picture of that spot if it would help.
#7
01-08-15, 09:59 AM
Group Moderator
I have not seen a setup like that before but as others have already said; your well is the big pipe on the left, the middle rusty pipe probably leads to an underground pressure tank and the conduits on the right carry power for the pump.
First you will need to make sure that the pressure gauge is good and reasonably accurate. Don't bother going any further until the gauge is good.
Next have someone turn on a faucet and let the water run while you are at the well head. Watch the pressure gauge. Note the pressure when you hear the switch click turning the pump on. That's your pump's cut in pressure.
Next, turn off the circuit to your well and open a faucet until all the water stops flowing. Then at the Schrader valve (bicycle tire fitting) at the well head check the air pressure. It should be 2-3 psi less then your pump's cut in pressure. If it's not add or remove air as needed.
If the pressure in your tank is zero and you add air and it doesn't seem to hold it or if you experience unusual or odd pressure fluctuations post back with a detailed description of what's going on.
First you will need to make sure that the pressure gauge is good and reasonably accurate. Don't bother going any further until the gauge is good.
Next have someone turn on a faucet and let the water run while you are at the well head. Watch the pressure gauge. Note the pressure when you hear the switch click turning the pump on. That's your pump's cut in pressure.
Next, turn off the circuit to your well and open a faucet until all the water stops flowing. Then at the Schrader valve (bicycle tire fitting) at the well head check the air pressure. It should be 2-3 psi less then your pump's cut in pressure. If it's not add or remove air as needed.
If the pressure in your tank is zero and you add air and it doesn't seem to hold it or if you experience unusual or odd pressure fluctuations post back with a detailed description of what's going on.
#8
01-08-15, 10:01 AM
Group Moderator
There is a Schrader fitting right under the pressure switch. You could certainly add air in there but it doesn't seem like it would be terribly effective.
It almost appears that if you charge the system with air that the exposed parts in the picture would be in air as the air rises in the system but there is no way to keep the air there... that I know of.
I find it hard to believe you don't get freezeups.
It almost appears that if you charge the system with air that the exposed parts in the picture would be in air as the air rises in the system but there is no way to keep the air there... that I know of.
I find it hard to believe you don't get freezeups.
#9
01-08-15, 10:06 AM
Actually...I believe Pedro got it. When I went to get a closeup picture of that spot, I realized that the part that I thought could be some sort of weird valve itself was actually just an odd cover to the shrader valve. Looks nothing like the normal screw on covers for shrader valves (seems to almost have it's own nipple sticking out from it for some reason, and is hard to tell it's a threaded on piece, looks like part of it). However, fiddling with it I managed to get it to come off and reveal the shrader valve that I had expected to find somewhere in the first place.
The part about how the heck the line coming out the top does not freeze in temps that are occasionally sub zero still perplexes the heck out of me though. I know for a fact that it worked flawlessly without freezing through last winter, the worst winter on record. Very odd.
The part about how the heck the line coming out the top does not freeze in temps that are occasionally sub zero still perplexes the heck out of me though. I know for a fact that it worked flawlessly without freezing through last winter, the worst winter on record. Very odd.
#10
01-08-15, 10:21 AM
@Pilot Dane - Thanks for the details, that's all good info.
Every indication is that the gauge works well. The previous owner said it should be kept at 35 PSI, and the gauge was right at 35 PSI. As water was run over time we noticed the drop in water pressure, and concurrently noticed the drop in the gauge to roughly 18-20 PSI. So it seems to be showing correct.
Just for the sake of making sure I know what's going on, I'll repeat back my understanding.
- Turn off electricity to the the pump
- After turning off the electricity to the pump run the water in the house until it stops to get water pressure out of the pipes.
- Check the valve pressure as one last check to make sure it matches the gauge (i.e. gauge is accurate).
- Pump it up to the 35 PSI it should be at.
- Turn the power back on...start using water again like normal.
Does that sound about right? I did know the jist of it, and that seems to match what I thought I was to be doing (at least, what I thought I would do once finding the darn valve)...but when messing with something so important it really helps the confidence to get some confirmation from those more in-the-know.
Every indication is that the gauge works well. The previous owner said it should be kept at 35 PSI, and the gauge was right at 35 PSI. As water was run over time we noticed the drop in water pressure, and concurrently noticed the drop in the gauge to roughly 18-20 PSI. So it seems to be showing correct.
Just for the sake of making sure I know what's going on, I'll repeat back my understanding.
- Turn off electricity to the the pump
- After turning off the electricity to the pump run the water in the house until it stops to get water pressure out of the pipes.
- Check the valve pressure as one last check to make sure it matches the gauge (i.e. gauge is accurate).
- Pump it up to the 35 PSI it should be at.
- Turn the power back on...start using water again like normal.
Does that sound about right? I did know the jist of it, and that seems to match what I thought I was to be doing (at least, what I thought I would do once finding the darn valve)...but when messing with something so important it really helps the confidence to get some confirmation from those more in-the-know.
#11
01-08-15, 10:51 AM
Close, but not quite. Note that PD said to charge it to 2-3 pounds less than the cut-in pressure. That is the pressure at which the pump turns on, not off. So if it drops to say 20 pounds before the pump kicks on, you would charge it to 17-18 psi, not 35 psi once you have the water drained.
Can't say for sure from here, and don't test it because you don't want to create a leak, but I think that the cap you have is the kind that some cars and a lot of trucks used to have, made so that you can use the two tangs on the outside end to remove the valve core.
In the spring, I would definitely look at repiping that, so that the pressure switch and gauge are in the pit with the tank, where they could be insulated better.
Can't say for sure from here, and don't test it because you don't want to create a leak, but I think that the cap you have is the kind that some cars and a lot of trucks used to have, made so that you can use the two tangs on the outside end to remove the valve core.
In the spring, I would definitely look at repiping that, so that the pressure switch and gauge are in the pit with the tank, where they could be insulated better.
#12
01-08-15, 11:01 AM
Ok. So what you're saying is that at it's current 18-20 reading, once I cut the power and run the faucet that gauge reading is going to lower by quite a bit. Then I'll fill it to the 17-18?
#13
01-09-15, 07:23 AM
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Does anyone think that a bladder tank is buried and the pressure switch works off the air pressure in the bladder instead of the water pressure? This might keep the pressure switch from freezing.
#14
01-09-15, 08:28 AM
Group Moderator
Turning the breaker for the pump off and opening a faucet until nothing comes out of the faucet will give some indication as to what's buried.
1. If the gauge still shows pressure when the water system is depressurized it would lead me to think there is a bladder style pressure tank and the gauge is on the air side.
2. If the gauge shows no pressure when the water system is depressurized I tend to think the gauge is on the water side.
3. If there was a sputtering of air as the faucet was left open to drain the system and the gauge shows zero I think it's a bladderless tank. Turning the pump back on and using the system will confirm if there are annoying water pressure fluctuations.
1. If the gauge still shows pressure when the water system is depressurized it would lead me to think there is a bladder style pressure tank and the gauge is on the air side.
2. If the gauge shows no pressure when the water system is depressurized I tend to think the gauge is on the water side.
3. If there was a sputtering of air as the faucet was left open to drain the system and the gauge shows zero I think it's a bladderless tank. Turning the pump back on and using the system will confirm if there are annoying water pressure fluctuations.
