Having an issue with the well pump pressure switch and gauge. Woke up this morning with near 0 temps and no water. First thought I probably had a frozen line but, after checking the pressure switch, it had tripped and I reset it. Water flow went back to normal. Everything worked good all day long. Now, the water has again cut off. I checked for the same issue as earlier and found the switch open but, the tank was empty. Also the pressure gauge was maxed out, with the needle all the way past 100psi mark and against the needle. I manually jumped the pressure switch to start the pump and ran a little water into the tank and then let off the switch to turn the pump off. Now, I have water coming from the faucet when I turn it on but, with a lot more pressure than I normally have. So, can someone tell me if I may have a pressure switch problem or maybe a broken gauge or what?
Please help, and thanks in advance

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the tank was empty

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Quote:

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needle all the way past 100psi mark and against the needle

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Those two statements appear to be inconsistent with each other.

Is the tank in a location where it is protected from freezing?
How do you know the tank was empty?

After using some water did the pressure gauge change?

The tank is located outside the house protected by one of the insulated well tank covers that looks like a big rock and also for added protection I have insulation inside the cover plus wrapped around the pipes.
The way I know that the tank was empty is because I can slightly lift the tank or lean the tank just enough to know there isn't any water in it, as when it is filled I'm not able to do this due to the weight.
And no, the gauge never did move any while I was manually filling the tank or when opening the faucet to see if there was any water coming out.


Please if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask and I will answer. Sorry, I didn't include that info with my first post.


Thanks Again

You have insulated the tank and the pipes. Does that include the installation of heat tapes?

Insulation only slows down the transfer of heat, it does not stop the transfer of heat.

It difficult to explain away all the symptoms you described with out knowing the how things are set up, but what has happen is the result of the unusually low temperatures we are currently experiencing. Either the water in the tank (there is always a little in the tank) or pipes froze. All your problems should go away today with rising temperatures.
Assuming you do not have heat tapes, I suggest installing them, at least on the pipes. Insulation does not prevent something from freezing, only makes it take longer.

To say it another way. Suppose you have a uninsulated water pipe and the temperature is such that the pipe will freeze in one hour. Keep in mind that heat travels from the warm side to the cold. So the warmth in the water moves to the colder surrounding air. You now put insulation on the pipe, slowing down that transfer of heat. Now the pipe will freeze in two hours. You then put on more insulation and the pipe will freeze in three hours. No matter how much insulation you put on the pipe it will eventually freeze unless addition heat is provided.

Of course we normally insulate for what we expect to happen in the future but not necessarily for the extreme. Installation of the heat tapes should prevent problems even in extreme conditions.

Post back if what I have said doesn't make sense or you wish to discuss further.

Last night I added a light bulb and left it on all night underneath the well cover. That seemed to help because the pressure switch is now working as it should. Although the pressure gauge still seems to be hung up or something because it is still showing the needle maxed out all the way to peg. Any thoughts on this? Should I just replace the gauge and see what happens?

Thanks

Gauge may be damaged, but unlikely.
I assume gauge is mounted on a 1/4" pipe nipple out of a tee on the well line. Most likely still frozen. Try heating nipple with hair dryer. If gauge doesn't show proper pressure after you are sure that it is no longer frozen, replace.