[ChadNBeth86]

Hello I have been wanting to fix our well for a long time now. I would like to learn the basics and a few fixes for some things. First off during the winter months mostly our well fills up sometimes 3/4 with water and we have to use a submersible pump to drain it manually. What are the steps I can take to fix this? Also our water pressure is less than desirable. Is there a way I can adjust this? Thank You in advance.

[speedball1]

First off during the winter months mostly our well fills up sometimes 3/4 with water and we have to use a submersible pump to drain it manually.

Why would you want to lower the water level. Most people would consider that a plus?

Is there a way I can adjust this?

Yews! You can increase the cut-out point in the pumps control box.

I'm going to assume that you have a "square D pumptrol and that it has a 20 PSI cut in and a 40 PSI cut off setting. First turnoff the power at the breaker box, then pull the cover off the pressure switch and you will see two spring loaded bolts secured with nylon nuts. One tall, one short. To increase the cut in pressure, turn the nut on the tall bolt down. To increase the cut out pressure,(that's the one that will give you more pressure) turn the nut on the short bolt down until the desired pressure's reached. This should give you the additional pressure you desire. Good luck .Tom

[ChadNBeth86]

Well, it doesn't seem as our well should have any water in it, because when it fills up, the water tank floats. Also, its my mother's well she lives alone I would just like peace of mind for her that she never has to drain it. Under normal operation, I thought that there shouldn't be water in there? I will definitely check out the control box once I drain the well today and post my results here. Thank You!

[ma0641]

?? Water tank is IN the well? Now sure what you are talking about. Can you post a picture? Tank should be above ground, either in the house or a protected area.

[ChadNBeth86]

???Water tank is IN the well?? Now sure what you are talking about. Can you post a picture? Tank should be above ground, either in the house or a protected area.

The above ground portion of the well is encased in block but it still underground. That part fills up with water. I will post some pictures later on today.

[hkstroud]

So you have a pump (I assume) and tank in a pit. I have only ever seen one like that. Probably done to prevent freezing. Probably should install a sump pump to keep the water pumped out of the pit. You will never get the pit water proofed well enough to keep the water out. Not good for any electrical..

You should have electrical to the pit, installing a sump pump fairly easy thing to do.
Show pictures.

[ChadNBeth86]

So you have a pump (I assume) and tank in a pit. I have only ever seen one like that. Probably done to prevent freezing. Probably should install a sump pump to keep the water pumped out of the pit. You will never get the pit water proofed well enough to keep the water out. Not good for any electrical..

You should have electrical to the pit, installing a sump pump fairly easy thing to do.
Show pictures.

Here are some pictures, sorry it took me so long to get them up.

[hkstroud]

What a mess.
Its hard to tell some things from the pictures. I am guessing what I have marked in the first photo is the well casing with a pit less adapter. I am guessing that the well piping is the black polybutle and comes out the side of the pit less adapter and goes to the pressure switch. From the pressure switch it goes to the bottom of the tank. There are two galvanized pipes at the bottom of the tank. If one of these is connected to the tank and the other runs under the tank, the one running under the tank may be the well pipe and the black polybutal may be the pipe to the house. If the tank floats I don't see how things stay connected.

What is the green hose?

This does not look like a bladder tank.

You can adjust the water pressure at the pressure switch but I suspect that adjustment is not your problem with water pressure.

The wiring looks like 240v.

Unless you want do go to major expense and labor, extending the well piping and moving the tank above ground your only option to keep out the surface water is to install a sump pump. The connections of the wiring to the wiring going down the well to the pump is probably water proof or the wiring between the pressure switch and the pump down the well is continuous.

You can just sit the biggest sump pump can find to keep the pit dry. The only problem is the sump pump will be 120v and the well wiring is 240v. You will have to run another wire for the sump pump.

The tank looks like a pressure tank, no bladder. There is no valve stem to pressurize the tank.

A well tank operates like this.
You take a sealed tank, full of air. When you pump water into it the air is compressed. When the tank is approximately 1/3 full of water the compressed air exerts approximately 40 lbs of pressure on the water. When the tank is approximately 2/3 filled with water the compressed air exerts approximately 60 lbs of pressure on the water. You compress air, you cannot compress water.
That is all fine except for one problem. The water will absorb the compressed air over time. As the air is absorbed there is less air to compress. As there is less air the tank must be filled further to obtain the required pressure. At first it must be filled to 1/2, then to 2/3, then completely full of water. It is then said to be "water logged"

So what happens when the tank is water logged? The pump come on and pumps lets say 1/2 gallon of water. The pressure goes from nothing or near nothing to lets say 60 lbs. Remember you can't compress water.
What happens when you open a faucet. The pressure is immediately released and goes to nothing or near nothing. This causes the pump to come on again and runs until you close the faucet, at which time the pressure jumps back to the maximum the pump can produce. Your pump is said to be short cycling. That's not good for the pump. A pumps life depends more on the number of times it starts and stops than the amount of time it runs.

So what is the fix when your tank becomes water logged? You turn off the pump, you open a faucet or provide some means for air to get in the tank and you open the drain valve and drain the tank. Then you close the faucet and drain valve and turn on the pump. Your tank is now full of air.

I suspect your tank is water logged and that you do not have a pressure problem but have a volume problem. Your well may be providing a couple gallons a minute. The water you are getting is what the pump is providing, not what is stored in the tank.

Draining a pressure tank must be done periodically. How often depends on the size of the tank and how much water is used.
That's why bladder tanks were invented.

You really should do something about the surface water. You will never seal the pit to keep it out. You may keep the tank tied down and the water level may never get as high as the pressure switch but once the water level gets to the top of the well casing or where the well piping exits the well casing it will flow back down the well and contaminate the well water. Would you want to drink the water in the pit? That's what you are doing.

[ChadNBeth86]

The first pic is actually a sump pump that needs removed.
So far, this is what I can tell you:


That tank was replaced last year or so, and even before that our water pressure was low. When we got the new tank installed by a plumber it still was the same water pressure. The pump seems only to run when the water is low, and water flow is consistent. Will get more details as soon as I climb down and get better pictures.