Intermittent Water Pump Cycling FAQs 2

Q&A on why a pump runs for no reason

Water Debris or Sediment vs Well Pump Cycling ?

Water nasty, pump running continuously.

We have old farm house. Pressure tank been getting rusting. Few days ago, water nasty, pump running continuously. Put in new pressure tank and all piping around it. Water pressure good. Cleanliness seems to have increased.

Problem: pressure switch not cutting off...will adjust setting.

When turn off switch manually, tank pressure decreases immediatley, which would kick pump back on. Seems to be back filling. Have shut off valve between tank and well, when turn it, tank holds pressure.

Something wrong with well? How would I check to see if foot or check valve is bad and what do I do? water nasty, pump running continuously. - On by Sam

Reply by (mod) List of Repair Procedures for Various Water or Well Pump Problems

1. Intermittent water pump operation:
   
   If a pump is running for no apparent reason and we're not running water in the building (or we think we're not running water there), then I call
   
   this WATER PUMP INTERMITTENT CYCLING.
   
   The time between pump-on cycles will depend on how fast water is leaving the system and might be anywhere from "pump won't stop running at all" (though other problems can cause that too) to "pump runs once in the middle of the night".
2. Short Cycling water pumps: 
   
   Very short pump-on cycles followed by short pump-off cycles is caused by a water-logged pressure tank (lost air charge) combined with a rapid use of water in the building or by a significant water piping leak somewhere.
   
   See WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING. These cycles are typically under 30 seconds.
3. Chattering water pumps:
   
    Extremely-short pump on/off cycling or pump chattering is usually caused by a blockage at the pump or water system output, like a clogged debris filter. This on-off cycling rate will typically be a second or less.
4. Continuous water pump operation:
   
   if the pump won't stop running the cause may be simply a high water usage rate that exceeds the pump or well's capacity to deliver water or there may be a leak or a bad control.
   
   See WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING

Intermittent pump cycling, multiple pressure switch repairs didn't help

We have a shallow well pump and tank in the basement. We have noticed the water pump coming on with no water demand. Today, we replaced the preasure switch for the second time in 6 months.

After replacing the preasure switch, the pump will power on by no water flow follows. After reading some of the articals, I suspect a bad foot or control valve, or even leaky well piping.

Does this sound like the most likely situation?

Thank You for your comments, Carrie On 2013-04-04

Reply by (mod) - most-common causes of pump random cycling & loss of prime

Sounds right.

A leaky check valve or foot valve and less often a leak in well piping are the most common causes a water pump cycling on for no apparent reason (you're not running water in the building), and also are common causes of loss of pump prime following a power outage.

Why is our water pump pressure switch continuously clogging up - the pump turns on and turns right off immediately

Well I replaced the pressure gauge, and the pressure switch. I rechecked the air in the empty tank - it is holding at 28 lbs. The new pressure switch is a 20/40 adjustable, but no matter how we adjust it, the pump kicks on well below 30 and kicks off almost immediately.

It pumps water but then shuts off, even if we have something (faucet, sink) running open. The gauge drops to 0 and stays there for a little while before the pressure switch kicks the pump on again. Then it wont go up past 32 before the pump shuts off again.

The tank is holding water when everything is closed - no seep leak showing, and when we removed the pressure gauge and at a different time the pressure switch, there was water in the line. What is causing this? How do we fix it?

When our water pressure would slow down or completely stop for a few seconds to a few minutes during baths, washing machine fill, etc., it was caused by a stopped up nipple below the pressure switch.

We replaced it, and the water psi came back to normal. We had replaced the pump and box about a year ago, and the last problem we had was as above.

Now the pump comes on, fills the tank (runs for a longer period of time than the intermittent run), shuts off, then after just a few minutes, kicks back on, runs just a couple of seconds and kicks back off. It just started this. We checked the air in the tank last night, it was about 10 lbs low.

We added air to empty tank. It did not fix the problem. I used canned air to blow any debris out of the pressure switch and the controlbox, and that did not fix the problem. I noticed a greasy looking substance inside the pressure switch while blowing it out.

We are going to replace the pressure switch tonight.

We also noticed that the tank is now sitting at an angle - not level. We are going to check this out too soon.

Someone had been messing around because the pressure switch cap was NOT locked on (screwed down) like we had left it. The tank is getting old, so we need to check it for leaks and need for replacement. The pressure gauge needs replacing as it is rusted. If all that doesn't fix it, then I guess we pull the well. On 2012-09-08 10 by Lisa

Reply by (mod) - water supply contains rust or debris that is clogging the pressure switch sensor

Lisa, it sounds as if your water supply contains rust or debris that is clogging the pressure switch sensor or clogging the sensor line conducting pressure to the switch. A cogged water filter between pump and house can have a similar effect.

Water inside that tube bringing pressure to the bottom og the pressure control switch is normal.

if a pressure tank has a sticky internal bladder:

On occasion if a pressure tank has a sticky internal bladder or a damaged bladder the system may also be unable to push water into or draw water out of the tank, also giving improper pump om/off behavior.

I should add tht similar debris clogging can make the water pressure gauge read incorrectly and act oddly too, as he gauge also has a small pressure sensing opening that can become debris or rust clogged.

 

Solutions for mud and debris in the water supply

Hi, I have been in experiencing some major problems with my water. I had unusually high levels of iron and other minerals in my water. I purchased a Master water system. The following items are listed on my receipt (Neut/Softener, Water heater Conditioners, Multimedia filter, Resup kit (feeder & 1 qt).

This seemed to help finally my water was clear. Within a few months I noticed that the water began to look rusty again. The gentleman that installed the equipment later admitted that he didn't have any experience with this type of installation.

Another gentleman came out and he indicated that the equipment was not installed properly. He said that the media filter needed to be rebedded. He did that for me and immediately we noticed a loss of water pressure.

The water will run powerfully initially and then within seconds it diminishes to a trickle until it cuts off. We were told that the switch needed to be replaced so we did that. Then we were told to check the air pressure, we added air. We called someone else and he advised us that we needed to replace the submersible water tank

There was a lot of mud so we were advised to cut off about 10 ft of the pipe so we did that. The water seemed to be working fine for hours but now it is doing the same thing. It sounds as if water is being drained and it sounds like it is coming from the master equipment but they say it is not. Please help. Let me know if you need additional information. On 2011-11-24 by Abbie McCaffity

by (mod) - High levels of any particulate debris in the water supply can and will quickly clog

Abbie I'm not sure I've got the full picture of your installation and I certainly am not sure we have an accurate picture of just what problem substances are in your water supply, but it sounds as if you have a high level of sediment or perhaps even clay (you mention "mud") in your water pressure tank.

High levels of any particulate debris in the water supply can and will quickly clog treatment equipment, piping, pressure control switch sensor ports, even piping and water pressure tanks and on occasion dangerously clog pressure relief valves in the plumbing system.

You might want a more comprehensive water test that describes just what problems need to be corrected in your water supply. Then the proper choices of treatment equipment as well as the order of treatment can be properly chosen and installed. For example, you may need a sediment filter installed ahead of all other system components.