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Jimbonot1 · Aug 1, 2012, 09:48 AM

I am having classic symptoms of a well running dry. There is a 1/2 hp well pump at 150' in a 175' well. I have a square-D 30/50 pressure control switch. We can't seem to keep water coming in the house. First thing in the morning I can flip the lever on the switch and get the pump on, it will come up to 50 and be normal. Then after a couple toilet flushes and a shower, we are out of water. If you flip the lever, (this is some kind of safety feature to keep the pump from burning up), it will come on a little bit, but often only go up to about 30-40 lbs and stop, then sometimes go back down again. I am not sure if my tank bladder is inflated properly, but reads about 30 lbs when there is no water pressure. Am I low on water and need to dig a little deeper in the well, or what else could be going on? The pump was new last February, along with the pressure switch.

speedball1 · Aug 1, 2012, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by Jimbonot1

I am having classic symptoms of a well running dry. There is a 1/2 hp well pump at 150' in a 175' well. I have a square-D 30/50 pressure control switch. We can't seem to keep water coming in the house. First thing in the morning I can flip the lever on the switch and get the pump on, it will come up to 50 and be normal. Then after a couple toilet flushes and a shower, we are out of water. If you flip the lever, (this is some kind of safety feature to keep the pump from burning up), it will come on a little bit, but often only go up to about 30-40 lbs and stop, then sometimes go back down again. I am not sure if my tank bladder is inflated properly, but reads about 30 lbs when there is no water pressure. Am I low on water and need to dig a little deeper in the well, or what else could be going on? The pump was new last February, along with the pressure switch.

Sure sounds like your water table has fallen.

There is a 1/2 hp well pump at 150' in a 175' well.

I would lower your submersible another 20 feet and see if that helps,

I am not sure if my tank bladder is inflated properly, but reads about 30 lbs when there is no water pressure.

Should be 28 PSI
Good luck, Tom

creahands · Aug 1, 2012, 04:06 PM

If the lever is on the pressure control switch, it is a manual start not a safety switch.

What you described sounds like you well is running dry. If your well is 175' and pump150', lower pump about 10' and see if this helps.

If it does not, have a well company check to see if you have to go deeper.

Had trouble with my well and the well company plunged it for 2 days. That was 5 years ago. Knock on wood been fine since then.

Chuck

Jimbonot1 · Aug 1, 2012, 06:21 PM

Thanks a bunch! I think I'll let the well co. look at it, since the man that installed the new pump last year didn't leave any slack in wiring or water line, so all that will have to be replaced anyway, or spliced on. I'm thinking toward the idea of digging deeper anyway, this all seems to have started when a new home was built right down the road, probably tapping into the same aquifer we're on, since there's a huge shale "bowl" underneath the whole area. Just really got bad since it's been dry here lately.

jlisenbe · Aug 1, 2012, 07:17 PM

The lever on the side of the switch is a safety cut-off. When pressure drops more than 10# below the point where the pump should cut on, the switch disables itself, "thinking" that the pump is running dry. When you push the lever, you reset the switch.

It does sound like the water table has fallen too low.

speedball1 · Aug 2, 2012, 07:48 AM

I'm thinking toward the idea of digging deeper

And I'm thinking you're on your way to solving your problem, Good luck, m Tom

Jimbonot1 · Aug 7, 2012, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by speedball1

And I'm thinking you're on your way to solving your problem, Good luck, m Tom

Tom,
Things have gotten interesting. We were gone for a few days, and when we came back, of course the pressure was off again. Brought it back up, thinking this might be the time to confirm low water since we haven't been using. Anyway, it went down overnight, brought it back up, it was up for a while, but it had dropped again, and when I went back down again I thought of your replies to this and my other question about losing pressure. I hung out down there for a few minutes, and noticed the pressure dropped on its own, nobody using water. Cut off the valve to the house, and the pressure still dropped to 30, the pump kicked on and pressure went up to 50 and kicked off, then dropped again; just sitting there going up and down with the house cut off. I bet I have a leak out in the line somewhere? The well is about 70 yards from the house.

hkstroud · Aug 7, 2012, 04:53 PM

More likely a leaking foot valve. Put a check valve on the well line before the pump switch.