[MiloColeman]

I have a Pacific Hydrostar Shallow Well pump model 69302. It was working when I went out of town on July 1. I returned on August 1, and discovered it is not working.

I had previously tinkered with the pressure settings when I first put it in and it would come on and off too frequently I NEVER could get the settings anywhere that made it not come on and off at times I was not using water. . So in the end what I did was put the pump on a switch so when I need water, I would go to the well room turn on the switch and the pump would come on.

So I came home on the 1st, and went to turn on the pump. It makes a whine noise, kind of like the pump is stuck, or God forbid, like the motor is burned out. Well, maybe not so severe, but it sounds like it is starting but doesn't. Just the hummmmmmmm of the motor.

When I look at the 4 page book it came with I see it says maybe the impeller is stuck and to unstick it... NICE, WHERE IS THE IMPELLER?

Otherwise, I can not figure out WHAT would be wrong with it as it was NOT running when I was gone. I have left it MANY times for a month or more and always come back and been able to hit the switch and get water. This is the first time I have ever encountered this. ( And I CAN NOT AFFORD to go replace this thing I just spent ALL my spare cash on getting a truck my dad gave me fixed and running to bring back to Canada from the USA. And this pump would cost me an EASY $350-$400 up here compared to the $125 I paid in the USA for it)

If it is not the impeller, ANY other suggestions as to WHAT it could be? I am a single woman living out here in the bush alone. I do not have anyone who can come help me and I MUST fix this on my own. I wold appreciate ANY help anyone can give me to figure out WHAT on earth happened and WHAT I can possibly do to fix this. I have a good basic repair knowledge and better than the average woman. BUT I also am learning as I go with some things. So, PLEASE do not be afraid to point out the basic or to give me baby steps. But also be aware I do have decent knowledge of home improvements/repairs.

PLEASE HELP ASAP. I have only about 20 liters of water on hand that I can bathe wash dishes, cook clean and water my dogs with until I go to a friends house to dog sit for a week next week. ( My home water is not potable so I would be using the water I bring home for drinking and the dogs) However, I can not BEAR the thought of having to go back to hauling home all the water I need for everything, I almost drove myself insane doing that for over a year before I was able to get the pump in the first place.

THANKS FOR NAY ADVICE ANYONE CAN GIVE ME!

[jlisenbe]

I managed to find this. On page nine there is a parts breakdown you can use to get to the impeller. https://manuals.harborfreight.com/ma...9999/69305.pdf

However, I think you have a poor choice of a shallow well pump. The tank can't be much larger than five gallons. That's why your pump cycles on/off so frequently.

As to the pump cycling when no water is being used, did you install a foot valve at the end of the wellpipe? If so, it should keep water from "leaking" back into the well from the pressure tank.

That pump, as far as I can tell from the limited literature available for it, is more designed to be used for a small irrigation system, or even as a booster pump. As a shallow well pump, I question the size of the tank. Typically what is seen is a 30 to 50 gallon tank.

[MiloColeman]

I will have a look to see if it is the impeller,

As for the pumps, I got it because the previous owner of my place had a pump jut like it but only 1/2 hp. And Harbor Freight sold this pump for $125 US as opposed to the same pump up here would cost me about $400 Canadian. As it is just me alone, it is okay for me. The cycling as happening even when I wasn't using water. This is why I started tinkering with the settings for the on /off levels. And also why I gave up and put it on a switch and just turn it on and off when I need it. And I NEVER turn it on without running water, just so I do not build too much pressure in the tank.
The well does have a foot valve and I believe my friend even put a check valve down there as well. ( I was willing to install the pump BUT NOT willing to go into the well. )

I guess I got to get my big girl pants on today and try to face this thing... You know I moved to the bush to prove to myself I could take care of myself alone without need of a man in my life. And there are times I wonder if I was smoking something fishy when I decided to do this!

The pump has done me OK so far... except of course for some reason not working when I got home. Would you have any idea WHY it would mess up and make this whining horrible sound? Do they just up and die like this? And if for some reason it lost its prime, would it make this noise or wouldn't it still run but just not give water? And is there anything else I should be looking into or for?

I DO APPRECIATE your help... As I am at a loss. I know way more about wells and pumps than I would ever care to know! But, not about this... yet!

[ma0641]

The impeller would stop for a couple of reasons.!. The motor is bad-however, you hear a "whine" so it sounds like it has power. 2. The impeller is stuck, clogged with debris or something else. 3. The foot valve or the check valve you mentioned is stuck closed. Since you most likely have a dug well you may find that 4. dirt has fallen into the well and clogged everything. I would disconnect the down pipe and pull it out. It is a single pipe?

[MiloColeman]

After looking at this diagram, I am BEFUDDLED! LoL! I was somehow hoping I would be able to fold m arms blink my eyes or wiggle my nose and it would be fixed! But, my magical skills aren't what they used to be! I didn't imagine I would need to take it apart to check the impeller... but I am now imagining just that!

I truly was hoping I could do something from the outside to check on the impeller. But I do not see any way around it now. Oh my... well this will either go really well or really bad. My success rate at disassembly and reassembly is about 50/50! So cross your fingers!

[jlisenbe]

Take pics as you go with your cell phone. Makes reassembly easier. This job should not be too difficult. Simply putting the pump on a switch is actually not a bad idea so long as the pump is not losing prime. If it stays off for a number of days, even a very slow leak can result in lost prime. It is, of course, also possible that the well pipe itself is leaking, as opposed to the footvalve.

Is this pump inserted into a well? If so, then it is probably not much more than 25 feet down, so pulling the wellpipe would not be too tough. But I think the impeller is going to be your problem, or either the motor is frozen up.

I think getting to the impeller will be a little easier than you are anticipating. Just keep up with all the parts (especially small parts like screws and nuts) and, as I said earlier, take several pics.

Let us know how it goes. Sorry you are having this trouble.

[MiloColeman]

I will take pics if i have to dismember the poor thing..

But I do not think it is a foot valve nor prime problem either.
I checked the prime hole/nut and when I did I got a nice spray of water. So I believe until I did that it was perfectly primed. And it stayed primed all this time on the switch.

It is NOT in the well. It is in my house. The well is 39 ft hand dug well. The pipe goes into the well about 20-25 ft, and as I said DOES have a foot valve, which was new when we put it in in October of last year. The pump did quite well with it UNTIL now. As opposed to the pump that was here and not operational when I got here, it was only 1/2 hp which I learned was not enough to pull water that far and from that deep. But this pump did well and NEVER gave me any troubles. ( other than ME messing with the pressure switches )

I also believe it is the impeller or GOD FORBID it seized up. I did discover that I can SEE the impeller from the back of the pump. There's a small area, on the back of the pump about 1/2 of the top half of the pump is open so I am able to reach in with small tools to try to manipulate it without opening the pump itself. Yet when I try to move it with a Flathead, I can not make it go EITHER direction. And I surely do not want to force it. I asked a friend which direction it should go and he suggested clockwise. Yet, after speaking I began to wonder, does the SHAFT go clockwise and the impeller go the same or would it be like a gear and go counter clockwise? So if I am at the back of the pump facing the BACK of the pump on the opposite side of the hose connections, facing the impeller NOW do I want it to go clockwise or counter clockwise?! LOL And how much force should I use to try to move it? I do not want to force it so much that I break anything. I read somewhere to use pliers to move the impeller, but I have not done that yet or fear of forcing it the wrong direction.

If it is somehow stuck I would assume it would be something like calcium or rust that settled it in the month it sat still and made it stick. So would it be advisable to put some CLR into the pump priming hole or to spray it onto the part of impeller I CAN access and THEN try to move the impeller? Or am I truly going to have to take the whole thing apart and put it back together again?

As you see I am AVOIDING taking it apart. As I said before I hare a 50/50 history of either fixing something or completely destroying it when I dismember things. Though usually once I have dismembered something I do grow to understand a lot better how the thing works! But it doesn't do me any good if I ruin it! ( I did this with my propane stove last year, I know how to replace the ignition system and all about each part NOW, after I broke half of it trying to repair the thermopile) SO IF I AM able to do anything without taking it apart I would much rather do that. I usually do not resort to dismemberment until I know it is a lost cause anyway, and my attempt at repairing it won't do me any more damage than I have already done up till that point. I am not really afraid of taking it apart, I would more call t being wiser with age, and knowing my weaknesses. I WILL do it if I MUST, but I would rather not if I can free the thing from the small ope area on the back.

If it IS the impeller than I should just be able to free it and go on with my life right? But if the motor seized up... then I am screwed correct? But what would cause either to do that? Especially something like seizing up on me, since it would not have been running at all in that time. Last if it is a seize motor, there is not a way to "FIX" that right? It means replacing the whole pump? ( If so I am so totally screwed! I won't be able to afford that for months. I will be back to hauling water, and THAT thought makes me crazy!! )

[talaniman]

You may as well RELAX, watch the how to videos on YouTube, get the tools together, and go for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZWWkEA4SeM

Call and see how much the kits are for your pump. If needed.

POPCORN is highly recommended.

[jlisenbe]

With the relatively inexpensive pump/tank that you are using, I would take a look at this if you can't get it going.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-hp-s...gph-63407.html

Have no idea what your finances look like, but this is 150 bucks.

But by all means try removing the cover from the impeller and give it a shot. Worst that can happen is you decide it is beyond your ability to fix and then you are back to where you are now. Just make sure you have the power off when you start.