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mdcosta · Jul 21, 2007, 08:55 AM

One day we forgot to turnoff the faucet while watering the lawn and therefore emptied out the well.
After this our well troll 202 seems to have lost all its pressure and therefore we are not getting any water pumped out of the well.

It has the gauge and square D pumptrol.

I have tried to do some research to find an answer online with no luck. Are there are any basics steps I could do, so as to trouble shoot the problem. What type of equipment would I need to do this myself? Do I need to call in a professional to look at the problem.

Any suggestions, is greatly appreciated.

Regards

--Mark

speedball1 · Jul 21, 2007, 12:25 PM

A Well-Trol 202 is the pressure tank. Tell us a little about the system. Shallow or deep well? Surface or submersible pump? Has it been very dry in your area? Let us know. Regards, Tom

mdcosta · Jul 21, 2007, 02:24 PM

This is approx. 200 foot deep well, a surface pump that resides indoors in the basement and it has never been dry in our area. The well to has never run dry in the 9 years we have been using it.

Thank you Tom

Regards

--Mark

speedball1 · Jul 22, 2007, 02:52 PM

Have you tried priming the pump? If so what happened? If not then do it. Regards, Tom

mdcosta · Jul 22, 2007, 06:06 PM

No, I have not. Is this something I can do or does it need a professional? I will try and find some literature on how to do this. Thanks Tom -- regards Mark

scirocco70 · Jul 22, 2007, 06:46 PM

What you have is known as a "jet pump" and it will need to be primed before it can pump water... Essentially this means filling up the pump housing and all the pipes with water. If not primed, the pump impeller runs in air, and can damage some kinds of pumps.

Another point, if your well is low enough that watering your lawn can run it dry, maybe you'll want to think about not watering the lawn... Or at least check pricing on a new well before you do. A new well runs about $18k in my area.

Good luck!
~aaron

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speedball1 · Jul 23, 2007, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by mdcosta

No, I have not. Is this something I can do or does it need a professional? I will try and find some literature on how to do this. Thanks Tom -- regards Mark

There's a plugged opening on top of the impeller cage,(sometimes it has a pressure gage installed). That's where you will pour the water needed to prime the pump. Good luck. Tom

mdcosta · Aug 21, 2007, 09:46 AM

At last, I have been able to prime the tank and get the pressure up to 29psi. When I turn open the faucet connected to the well, the pump does not start up. All the water that I used to prime the tank with just trickles out. I made sure that the power is turned on. Do I need to reset something or could this be an electrical problem.

jlisenbe · Aug 22, 2007, 09:10 AM

When you say you primed the tank I assume you mean you primed the pump and the pump was able to pump enough water to raise the pressure to 29# in the pressure tank. That would mean you would have at least several gallons in the tank. Once you open a faucet, if you have 29# of pressure in the tank, then you should get at least a decent flow from the faucet for several seconds, not just a trickle.

The switch is responsible for cutting the pump back on once the pressure drops to a set point. Make sure (visually) the contacts in the switch are closing. If they are closing, then the pump should kick on.

mdcosta · Aug 22, 2007, 10:01 AM

When I say "I primed the pressure tank" I mean I filled the pump housing and all the pipes are filled with water. What I am not sure of is how much water I should be filling into the pump housing and all the pipes. I think I have put about 10 gallons. Should I put more...

The 29 psi is what I filled the pressure tank with through the pressure valve.

The contacts in the switch are closing.

:confused:

speedball1 · Aug 22, 2007, 10:09 AM

It depends on where your check valve's located as to how much water to prime your pump. If the check valve's located near the pump on the suction line then it's faulty and letting the water go back down into the well. If it's located on the well point then you have over 200 feet on pipe to fill until the impeller cage's full enough to prime the pump. Do you know the location of the check valve? Regards, Tom

mdcosta · Aug 25, 2007, 08:03 AM

Tom, thanks for replying.
There are couple of valve's and I am not sure which is the check valve. Both the valves are not on the suction line i.e. the pipe that goes down to the well. The setup is a T-shaped pipe with the pressure gauge on the intersection and square d shuton/off switch on the vertical section of the pipe that leads into the pressure tank.
I can hear the water fill up into the pressure tank when I prime the tank, but when I open the tap there is just a trickle of water.

Regards,

--Mark

jlisenbe · Aug 25, 2007, 11:53 AM

Unhook from the pressure tank and you can get certain of what kind of flow you have. My well installer never hooked up to the pressure tank until the pump had run for some time and he was sure the pump was good. My pump goes to the pressure tank through a section of 1 inch flexible plastic pipe which can easily be removed by taking off pipe clamps. That's always struck me as a good idea.

speedball1 · Aug 25, 2007, 01:41 PM

Mark, What's the control cut in and cut out poiunts? What's the pressure set at on the bladder tank? Regards, Tom

mdcosta · Aug 26, 2007, 11:14 AM

Tom, the cut in is set @ 30 psi @ cut out @ 50 psi. this is what I see on the outside of the square D switch. I am not sure how to actually find what this has been set at. The pressure set on the bladder tank is 28 psi.

In the setup that I have, I do not have access to the pump. The pressure tank is in the basement and the pump is located somewhere in the well.

Thank you

Regards

--Mark

Flying Blue Eagle · Aug 26, 2007, 05:29 PM

I see you already know to try what I was going to suggest to start with.

jlisenbe · Aug 26, 2007, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by mdcosta

In the setup that I have, I do not have access to the pump. The pressure tank is in the basement and the pump is located somewhere in the well.

Thank you

Regards

--Mark

OK, I don't have a lot of experience with jet pumps, but I don't see how you can prime the pump if you don't have access to it since it is "somewhere in the well". Jet pumps I have seen are above ground and are easily accessible. Am I missing something here?

mdcosta · Aug 28, 2007, 05:23 AM

The way I have primed the pump is to connect the main city water line to the well system.
The water then enters all the pipes, the pressure tank (basement) and down to where the pump is located.

The jet pump is what I call the pressure tank and there is a separate pump that pumps the water into the pressure tank. I am new to all of this and I am learning as I go. Maybe I am wrong in thinking that there is a pump in the well that pumps the water up into the pressure tank.

:confused:

Thanks for replying

Regards

--Mark

jlisenbe · Aug 28, 2007, 08:04 AM

I think, from what you have written, that you are dealing with a submerged pump. This site has a pretty good discussion of wells and pump types.

Water Well Pumping, Well Pump Diagram, Well Pump Prices

As you will see from the diagrams, a jet pump is located above ground. A submersible pump is in the well shaft, below (hopefully!) the water table. It does not need to be primed. It either pumps or it doesn't.