well issues


  #1  
Old 08-17-18, 05:52 PM
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Angry well issues

Old pressure tank leaked-installed new one and a new pressure cut off switch. The system feeds a reserve tank as ocassionally I run dry- reserve tank has a larger pump to pull water up to house in case the switch kicks off from no water.

Reserve tank is full- however when using water now- its coming from the reserve tank and not the pressure tank where the switch is. If I shut down the reserve tank pump- and try just the pressure tank- the gauge drops to zero- reserve tank pump on- pressure shoots to 35. When Im trying to pull water from the pressure tank- the switch keeps tripping off- I cannot hear any water coming into house no matter what. LOts of rain and dont use much water so dont think its dry- at a loss- is it the well pump in the ground?
 
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Old 08-17-18, 08:27 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

Sounds a bit confusing to me.

I understand the well pump and the pressure tank.
Then you have a reserve tank with pump that your well fills.

How does the reserve tank know to fill ?
So right now you are running off the reserve tank as the well pump is not pumping..... is that correct ?
If you confirmed power actually going to the well pump and there is no water delivered..... you are out of water or the pump has a problem. I'm guessing this is a submersible well pump ?
 
  #3  
Old 08-18-18, 07:42 AM
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I’m no expert but I thought this (see pic below ) was the typical way a storage tank was used for low-yielding wells. (ignore chlorinator part in pic)

The storage tank controls the well pump. It has a float switch (or some sensor in the tank) which turns the well pump ON/OFF to keep water in the storage tank. On the house side of the storage tank there is another pump (“house pump”) and pressure tank and pressure switch. The house pump is always pumping water from the storage tank – never directly from the well.

If I shut down the reserve tank pump- and try just the pressure tank- the gauge drops to zero- reserve tank pump on- pressure shoots to 35.
That would fit the system description above – because the “reserve tank pump” would be the “house pump” as I called it above, and turning that pump OFF will guarantee you get no water and the pressure will certainly drop to zero.

installed new one and a new pressure cut off switch
.
When Im trying to pull water from the pressure tank- the switch keeps tripping off- I cannot hear any water coming into house no matter what.
If you installed a low-pressure cutoff switch which has a little handle on the side (like this

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Square-D...M4BP/206398803

and have the reserve tank pump OFF, I think in fact the pressure switch will keep tripping OFF because the water source is definitely cut off, that is, because the reserve tank pump is OFF.

In other words it sounds possible that your system is working as it is supposed to, and you may just be unfamiliar with how it is supposed to work. The tank would not be a “reserve tank” (in other words not like some kind of backup), but a storage tank that cannot be bypassed.

But this could be wrong and best to answer questions posted by PJmax in previous post.
 
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Last edited by zoesdad; 08-18-18 at 08:14 AM. Reason: added "(in other words not like some kind of backup)"
  #4  
Old 08-20-18, 08:35 AM
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Great info- if you were in my cellar looking at this- pipe from well comes into house-into pressure pump- this is where the cut off switch is located- from there the water gets sent to the reserve tank and other water outlets ie hot water tank- reserve tank has a float to shut off when full- on the other side of reserve tank is a jet pump- until this issue the only time that jet pump came on is if the pressure tank couldnt produce enough water to feed the house- then the jet pump kicks on and brings water out of the reserve tank,

I sued to be able to actually here the water/pressure tank - now I hear nothing- almost as if either the control box isnt working or the submersible is dead- when breaker is on- there is power to the cut off switch.
 
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Old 08-20-18, 09:18 AM
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...pipe from well comes into house-into pressure pump
Do you mean pressure tank?

What kind of switch do you have at the pressure tank? What does it say on and/or inside the cover?
 

Last edited by zoesdad; 08-20-18 at 09:50 AM.
  #6  
Old 08-20-18, 06:14 PM
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Pressure tank. Low pressure cut out switch is typical found at Lowes- 4 wire- in and out to control box- lever on the side. Im thinking t must be the sub pump in the well- may be 36 years old fro original construction.
 
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Old 08-21-18, 08:02 AM
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So if I understand you have no water at this time –or you are still drawing from your reserve tank but when that’s empty you will be out of water.

reserve tank has a float to shut off when full-
What is the float switch connected to? If the submersible pump is filling the reserve tank then the float switch should be controlling the submersible pump. But you say there is pressure switch by the pressure tank which controls the submersible pump.
 
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Old 08-21-18, 09:50 AM
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The (submersible) well pump should be controlled only by the float switch in the reserve tank. There is no pressure involved. Or is there?

Normally the reserve tank is not under pressure and is vented to the atmosphere.

Someone might have the bright idea that, since the need to top off the reserve tank (stage 1) only occurs when the pressure pump (stage 2) kicks on and pulls water out of the reserve tank. So they link the pressure switch (stage 2) to the well pump (stage 1). Here, depending on how fast (gallons per minute) the pumps are, the well pump might not get enough runtime before the pressure switch is satisfied shutting off both pumps. A possible result is having the reserve tank not getting enough make up water on each cycle and it runs dry.

Some two stage systems have the reserve tank (stage 1) sealed to keep out air from the atmosphere at large. Then the pressure in the reserve tank will go up and down as water is added and drawn from the reserve tank. This is a(n inviolable) law of physics and the effects are actually undesirable. Among other things the result is that the maximum water capacity of the reserve tank is reduced to about two thirds of the tank volume.
 
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Old 08-27-18, 06:06 AM
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Thanks to all for taking the time to offer solutions. The reserve tank had just a ball float shut off ( like a toilet) in the tank which shuts off inbound water when is full. After several hours of checking out many different things with no answers- I brought in a well pump/drilling company. They swapped out the control box with a new one and still nothing. Before pulling the well pipe/pump they did one last thing- checked the voltage from the breaker box to the well pump/cut out switch- wasnt putting enough juice out-we tinkered with the breaker switch a few times and the juice voltage jumped to where it should have been and voila- the system started pumping water into the house/reserve tank. So after all this, it is a bad breaker-not making a good connection that was the culprit by not sending enough juice. I had tried re setting the breaker several times prior to this but didnt have a volt meter. Now I learned something new- simple and an old dog learned a new trick- a case of occams razor! Nice to have water again!
 
  #10  
Old 08-27-18, 10:36 AM
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Well that’s good to hear. Lot better than pulling the pump. Pulling the pump is the only thing I haven’t done to my system so far (don’t know whether I could do it myself). But that’s good it was only the breaker.
 
 

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