Weird well problem

J R Green

J R Green

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I have no water. To be exact I have a trickle of water enough to build the pressure up in the house but when I turn on a faucet it runs out and then back to a trickle. I checked the well switch and it was not engaging. I was able to close the contacts with a screwdriver and the well pumped and water flowed in the house. The gauge never moved.

So I figured the switch is bad and went out for a new one. Got a gauge too. I get back and the old switch is engaged and the well is pumping. My well has two outlets as it used to run two homes. I turned the spigot on to the outside line and water flows freely, the well switch cycles, still no pressure inside.

What could cause there to be enough back pressure from the house to fool the pressure switch that all is good? I thought frozen line but it didn't stop the flow when the switch manually engaged.
 
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Highly suspect the bladder tank.
Tap on it with a steel tool. Should have some hollow ring to it to a degree. If it just goes thud, the bladder is ruptured and the tank has filled with water.
You can also carefully try to 'move' the tank. Just a wee bit. All you're doing here is to see if it will move. These things don't weigh much even in use. If it won't move, at all, that's a problem. It's saturated.
The air nipple on top can be checked also. Should be right at 30 psi. Use care and try not to let any air escape. If water comes out of the nipple, that's not good.
 
Certainly sounds like the kind of issues that bladder tanks are known for but let me toss out one more variable.........is it possible that you have a partially frozen area in the tank due to the weather conditions? Just bringing this up as a possibility since it appears to have just occurred during the colder conditions we're having.
 
Lot of times the pressure tank will leak when it goes bad. Hope that’s all it is.
 
Or is it possible that all is good at the tank location with water output but the water is frozen somewhere between the pump and house?
 
One thing I noticed about the tanks was the one that I assume leads to the shop (working side) has condensation around it and the other one is dry. It' possible that I have the direction they lead backwards though.

My first assumption was that the line was frozen up but that wouldn't account for the steady flow when I manually held the pump open.
 
It sounds like the line going to the pressure gauge and switch is stopped up, either with ice or rust. Pictures of the switch and lines?
I don't see how the pressure tank could cause this. Depending on location it may not be thawed yet if it froze.
 
OK, I checked the tank(s) one has no pressure and pumping it up did nothing. The gauge went up and bled back down immediately. The other was OK.

At one time the well fed two houses and the water is good at the old site and the switch functions normally, water flows in the house as long as the switch is manually engaged but when you let it off it's like the system still thinks there's pressure on the line.

The system is jerry rigged too with a run of water line that runs 360 degrees around both tanks and feed lines. I called a plumber who says he'll check it out and may be able to simplify the system and run off of one tank.
 
Are there shut off valves where you can isolate the bad tank and still have water in the house?
 
check out past the outside spigot I had roots yes roots from somewhere in the line where the water enters the house. if you got pressure at the spigot you are blocked on the house side of it. mine was a cluster of little tiny roots, don't know how they got inside the pipe but they did, I have a 1 inch pipe from the well and it reduces to 3/4 where it enters the house. it was inside the reducer where they had accumulated blocking pressure from the tank.
 
Clear the nipple under the pressure switch ALL THE WAY to the tank tee or main pipe it is connected to - if you haven't already - from what you have said this should fix it -the switch doesn't know what to do and trash is stopping pressure to it. PM me if you like - Plumbing and well pumps for 30 years.
 
Hey Guys -Just wanted to add - I've been a plumbing contractor and well pump service for 30 years. If any of you have any questions or problems in this area, and while some problems require eyes on to properly diagnose, I will be glad to help with any advice to help you fix it. Just PM me -I'll get back. Hope the OP gets his problem corrected -would love to know if so.
 
Armed4defense said:
Hey Guys -Just wanted to add - I've been a plumbing contractor and well pump service for 30 years. If any of you have any questions or problems in this area, and while some problems require eyes on to properly diagnose, I will be glad to help with any advice to help you fix it. Just PM me -I'll get back. Hope the OP gets his problem corrected -would love to know if so.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind offer!
 
I had a similar situation once. Only it was not the tank. After a bit of troubleshooting I found that a gate valve was not working. I figured it was stuck and only letting a trickle thru. When I removed the valve to replace it, I found it had no guts. I went to the first restriction in the line, a fitting under the house and there i found the gate and spring from the valve. Figured i got lucky on that one, it could have been anywhere.
 
OK Plumber came out scratched his head and tore it down to the pipe from the pump to the feeder lines for the house and replaced it all. One of the tanks was waterlogged there were horizontal check valves installed on both lines vertically, there was a coat button the same diameter as the pipe inserted into the pipe. Somebody wanna splain' that one to me?

Running on a new system now though.
q0v7A_s-200x150.gif
 
J R Green said:
OK Plumber came out scratched his head and tore it down to the pipe from the pump to the feeder lines for the house and replaced it all. One of the tanks was waterlogged there were horizontal check valves installed on both lines vertically, there was a coat button the same diameter as the pipe inserted into the pipe. Somebody wanna splain' that one to me?

Running on a new system now though.
q0v7A_s-200x150.gif
Click to expand...
Amazing how fubar things will work, until they don't.
 
J R Green said:
there was a coat button the same diameter as the pipe inserted into the pipe. Somebody wanna splain' that one to me?
Click to expand...
Sounds like they were trying to replicate a water reducing washer, like you see in new shower heads.
Someone needs to take that persons internet away.
 
Welcome to my world -Some things in plumbing just can't be explained -but that is a new one!
 
J R Green said:
OK Plumber came out scratched his head and tore it down to the pipe from the pump to the feeder lines for the house and replaced it all. One of the tanks was waterlogged there were horizontal check valves installed on both lines vertically, there was a coat button the same diameter as the pipe inserted into the pipe. Somebody wanna splain' that one to me?

Running on a new system now though.
q0v7A_s-200x150.gif
Click to expand...
That button is something I’ve never seen. People do some crazy things.
 
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