Returned to the house after being gone for several weeks and discovered that there was no water coming through the faucets. Power was ok. Opened the pressure switch and noticed that the contacts were open. Closed the contacts in the pressure switch, heard water pumping into the bladdertank, the pressure gauge did not rise but after about a minute, water shot out of the pressure relief valve. I turned off the power and emptied the tank. Then replaced the pressure relief valve with a new one, but the exact same thing happened again. What's my problem?

Strange case. You say the points were open and you had to close them. That indicates a system under pressure. Then the prv pops. That indicates a system under high pressure. But you get no water, and the tank seems empty, so let's ask a few questions.

1. You were gone few weeks. Is it possible the system froze?
2. Where is the pump, above ground or in the well?
3. When you say you closed the points, do you mean you took a screwdriver (or whatever) and pushed the points down to make contact? If so, then what happens when you take the screwdriver off? Do the points open or stay closed?

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

Strange case. You say the points were open and you had to close them. That indicates a system under pressure. Then the prv pops. That indicates a system under high pressure. But you get no water, and the tank seems empty, so let's ask a few questions.

1. You were gone few weeks. Is it possible the system froze?
2. Where is the pump, above ground or in the well?
3. When you say you closed the points, do you mean you took a screwdriver (or whatever) and pushed the points down to make contact? If so, then what happens when you take the screwdriver off? Do the points open or stay closed?

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It is very possible that the area around the prv and the pressure gauge froze. I failed to cover that area with heat tape. Yes, I get water when I hold the contact closed and pressure builds up for less than a minute and then water shoots out of the prv. As soon as I take the screw driver away, the contacts open and the water slowly stops coming out. The contacts stay open all the time unless I close it with a screw drver. The submerable pump is in the well about 200 ft down. It was installed about 7 years ago and I've never had a problem before.

Replace the pressure gauge for a starter.

When the prv pops, use a tire pressure gauge to measure pressure at the top of your pressure tank. I'm aiming at getting an accurate picture of what the pressure is doing on your system. Either the pressure is fairly high and the switch is doing its job or the pressure is low and the switch is defective. OR the little pipe leading to the switch is completely obstructed.

Do you have a water softener or filter on your system?