We have a well that pumps into a 500 gal holding tank. From there, there is a second pump that pumps the water to the house (it has a Franklin QD controller) and the pressure tank. Recently when the second pump should turn on, the water pressure gets low (about half) and then it will 'spit' as the pressure returns to normal. Every once in a while, the water will just stop (usually when the wife is in the shower). Turning the system off and back on usually takes care of resetting it. My question is what is failing here? Is it the start capacitor? The relay? Is it something that I should just replace (the Franklin QD controller assy)? The capacitor apparently has become very difficult to source being it is a 86-103 mFD so I'm wondering if Franklin has changed or updated this controller? Kind of confused and looking for some direction. Tonight I will actually TEST (what a great idea) the capacitor but I needed to get my good meter back from a neighbor to be able to do that. Thanks for any suggestions...

 

Try replacing the pressure switch and the pipe nipple underneath the switch if you have one. If you don't want to start by replacing the switch the next time the pump doesn't turn on remove the cover from the switch and see if it is engaged calling for the pump to run. If it is not then the pipe nipple or orifice into the switch is possibly clogged.

 

Can we assume the secondary pump is not running ?

Dane's thought is a common problem.

We need a little clarification. You have a submersible well that fills a holding tank. Then a second pump takes the water from the holding tank, increases the pressure and goes to the house.

Typically the submersible well pump is the one that uses a Franklin QD controller. The second pump that increases the pressure to the house should be a jet type pump and does not use a well controller.

 

Good question...there are two controllers out next to the well so I'm assuming that each one controls one of the two pumps. I do know that when we bought the house, we had a well guy come out, since the well was supposed to be dry (we ended up getting the house because it fell out of escro when the well failed inspection). Everything seemed to be done with whatever the original installer had with them. The actual problem with the dry well was the controller for the well pump was bad (it would run for 5-10 seconds and then shut off). Our pump guy bypassed the controller and 30 minutes later the well was still pumping water. Saved us from drilling a new well, but he spliced the wire going down to the well pump, used the wrong nozzle so we were sucking water thru a straw (our well guys words) and the wiring was done incorrectly.

When the water stops, it is the secondary pump that isn't pumping. The holding tank is full of water. I've checked the pipe to the pressure switch (which I replaced about a year ago when I replaced the pressure tank as well) and when the water shuts off, the pressure switch is energized. If I reset the pressure switch, the pump will immediately turn on so it looks like the problem is at the well/holding tank. I'm wondering if the secondary pump is the wrong pump as well. The holding tank is baried about 100ft from the house but the top of the tank and the house are at the same grade (although the house is two story). It looks like (from what I can tell from the controller) that it is a 1hp pump. Should it be that big of a pump to pump water 100ft to the second story?

I'm beginning to think I should have the well guy out again, but I would have thought he would have told me if this wasn't correct (he did tell us that the well pump was bigger than what we needed but had too small of a nozzle on it). Still looking for answers...

 

So the pump to fill the tank is a submersible pump and the booster pump is a jet pump ?
By jet pump I mean a pump at or above ground level that you can hear running.

Your submersible well pump should be controlled by a float switch inside the holding tank. It sounds like this pump is working ok. The booster pump is controlled by the pressure switch. It should maintain high water pressure between the pressure tank and the house. If this pump is not running then the first thing to check is the pressure switch.

 

I JUST went through something similar-

Question 1- do the pipes gurgle upstairs after you flush the toilet?
Question 2- does the water taste different (iron/sulphur) or feel different (clean / oily)?

Answer- Check the air in your pressure tank.

After an "interesting" well repair (first thing Thanksgiving morning "WE HAVE NO WATER and we're hosting 20 PEOPLE?!) and subsequent repair, I found out we had a waterlogged pressure tank.

Seems like similar symptoms to what you're saying - loss of reserve pressurized water capacity, shower drops off, you get a spike of pressure when the well pump turns on; e.g. no buffering of well pressure by the pressure tank.

 

Hal..... the pressure tank only keeps the pump from cycling. You don't need a pressure tank at all. The pressure tank can't keep the well pump from starting.

 

The pressure tank keeps the water pressure constant- which isn't happening per OP. No water, spurting water. That suggests big swings in pressure (spit vs stop) which means, water-logged air tank, which is no longer mitigating the pressure spike when the pump engages so there is no flow unless the pump is running.

 

The second pump needs a pressure tank after it. This pump is turned on and off using the pressure switch, also after it.

Any kind of pump will work as the second pump. A shallow well pump is usually the least expensive.

If faucets spit air then that might mean the pressure tank does not have a bladder (not a real problem) or has a ruptured bladder (requiring replacement since the pressure tank performance will become intermittently and unpredictably erratic). Non-bladder tanks usually need periodic replenishing of the air cushion inside and more often if system pressure goes low due to pump problems and then the air cushion is spit out through faucets.

 

We need to know what the OP has there for a second pump.
It's fairly apparent that the second pump is not running when it should be. My point is that the pressure tank cannot stop that pump from running. It doesn't matter if the tank is water logged or empty. One the system pressure reaches the turn on pressure of the pressure switch..... the pump should start.

The problem could be......
1) defective pressure switch.
2) clogged water supply line to pressure switch.
3) defective pump.