I just replaced my shallow well (32') jet pump with a submersible pump. I have problems with water pressure now. I replaced the pressure switch last night and it took over an hour for the pressure to get up over 50 psi. I could hear the pump running but it obviously was not pumping water very fast. When I took my shower this morning the psi was at 56 and when the shower was over the pressure read 20. The pump was on (I could hear it) and it took about 45 minutes to get back up to over 50. The pressure switch is 40/60. With a new switch it seems to me that there is something wrong with the pump, which is also brand new. Any ideas? Thanks.

Rich

 

Maybe the water table in your area has dropped and the suction pipe (now the whole submersible pump) has to be lowered deeper than the 32' in order to remain submerged and not sucking air ?

Working continuously for hours at a time will burn out that new pump in short order.

You say that your PSI was 56 pounds this morning (before showering); do you think that the pump ever achieved the 60 PSI Cut-out during the night ?

For what reason did you replace the jet pump . . . . maybe its suction pipe just needed to be lowered ?

 

Thanks for your input. The reason I replaced the jet pump is because my licensed plumber friend told me that a submersible will give me more water than the jet. In the past two weeks I noticed a leak in my water system because the jet pump would go on every 30 minutes and after checking all my plumbing and not finding a leak I figured it was somewhere with the pump and the line to the well. I was right after the well was dug up after I decided to put in the submersible. The leak was right on the top of the well cap where the water line went in. So while all was dug up we put in the submersible. The water table is very deep. We have rain this year unlike any year that I can remember (I'm 71) and besides we are at the lower end of a hill and there's a small creek on the edge of my yard about 150 feet away. If my well ever dries up this whole area in SE Pa. is in deep trouble. So as far as the water available I don't believe that will ever happen, but you made a good point anyway not knowing the area. I personally believe there is something wrong with the pump and if it gets burned out then my pal the plumber will have to replace it. The switch seems to be working. A short time ago I flushed a toilet and quickly went to see the pressure and I got there as the switch kicked on. It was at 30 psi and was SLOWLY trying to fill back up. Yesterday after I put on the new switch it took over an hour to get the pressure to above 50. That should take only a few minutes if I'm not mistaken.

 

I'm still wondering if you've ever seen the new pump succeed in getting the PSI up to the Cut-Off Pressure of 60 ?

 

As was already mentioned maybe the pump wasn’t dropped far enough down into the well. But it’s supposed to be at least 5 feet from the bottom. If it’s too close to the bottom maybe the pump is becoming blocked with sediment. Also, you have to make sure you have the correct pump for the well depth. Is it possible the pump is undersized? If I’m not mistaken the depth-to-water is an important factor when choosing the proper submersible pump. That determines how far you have to lift the water.

Did you have to piece together the drop pipe or is it one continuous pipe. Could the drop pipe be leaking?

Did you compare the gallons per minute (GPM) of your old jet pump to the GPM of your new submersible pump?

 

The pump was bought by my friend who is a licensed plumber and who has done this type work for ages. The drop pipe is one continuous pipe (rubber) that is the same length as the one that was taken out. There is NO problem with the water in the ground as we have more rain this summer than I can remember (I'm 71). Tomorrow my friend and I are going to pull the pump and replace it with another one. Both pumps are brand new. We are thinking the pump in the well now could be faulty but we will find out tomorrow. I don't like taking a shower and running out of water pressure as I rinse off so we are going to get this thing solved before too long. I really appreciate all the suggestions and I will let you know what we come up with. Thanks.

 

I'm surprised your plumber didn't put an amprobe (current meter) on it to see what it was doing.