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    Old Farm House's Avatar
    Old Farm House Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Mar 14, 2009, 10:44 AM
    Air in pipes
    Hello. This will be my first question here but I will try to be as specific as possible.

    I have an old farm house that was built around 1890. The plumbing is a mix of galvanized, copper, and pvc. The well is a shallow well. I have a pump and a pressure tank (about a year old). Recently the faucets have been surging or spitting when it use. It seems as though there is a lot of air in the pipes.

    I have drained the pressure tank and adjusted the pre-charge pressure as recommended (2 PSI below the cut-in pressure of the pump) but it seems to have made things worse.

    The only idea that I have is that I have a crack in the line from the well and the pump is sucking air. Do you have any other ideas that I could try before I open up my well? Thanks.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #2

    Mar 14, 2009, 10:49 AM
    The only idea that I have is that I have a crack in the line from the well and the pump is sucking air. Do you have any other ideas that I could try before I open up my well?
    That could be one reason. The other's that your water table may have fallen and the pumps sucking air from that. Any dirt in your water? Regards, Tom
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    Old Farm House Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Mar 14, 2009, 11:09 AM
    At times there is a little dirt in the water but not consistently.

    Also, I don't know if will impact the diagnosis but the intensity of the surges varies but faucet. The kitchen sink (first floor) is the worst. The first floor bathroom (next to the kitchen) is not that bad. The upstairs bathroom is somewhere in the middle.
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    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #4

    Mar 14, 2009, 12:01 PM
    Is your area in a drought condition? Any rain lately? Cheers, Tom
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    Old Farm House Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Mar 14, 2009, 12:15 PM
    I'm in central VT. Not a lot of rain lately but some snow melt. I also have a river a couple hundred feet behind the house.

    The worst offended (kitchen sink) is pvc pipe and it is draped between the hard pipe and the sink location. Do you think that the hanging pipe could contribute to air pockets / build up?
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    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #6

    Mar 14, 2009, 12:20 PM
    Do you think that the hanging pipe could contribute to air pockets / build up?
    Nope! I think you'll find the problem to be with the pump and well system. Can you drop a weighted line down in the well and find out how much water's down there? Let me know. Tom
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    Old Farm House Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
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    #7

    Mar 14, 2009, 12:46 PM

    So... when I take the cover off the well I can see the bottom. The "bottom" is about 4' down with about 15" of water. The pipe is either into the bottom or just above the bottom.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #8

    Mar 14, 2009, 01:07 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Old Farm House View Post
    So... when I take the cover off the well I can see the bottom. The "bottom" is about 4' down with about 15" of water. The pipe is either into the bottom or just above the bottom.
    15 feet of water in the well? That shoots the low water table down. The next thing I would check is the suction line. Good luck, Tom
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    #9

    Mar 14, 2009, 01:11 PM

    Thanks for all the input.
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