Well water pump diagnostic FAQs set #3:

This article provides more answers to frequently-asked questions about how to diagnose problems with the water pump bring well water to a building or boosting water pressure at a building.

If the well pump runs too often, is noisy, seems weak, runs intermittently with no apparent reason, or is otherwise misbehaving, these questions will help sort out what's wrong.

Problems with well pumps

Questions & answers about well pumps that run too often (short cycling), well pumps that won't stop running, noisy well pump, well pumps won't start.

Recent questions & answers about well pump diagnosis and repair, originally posted at the end of this article or at other water pump diagnostic articles such as WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home.

The diagnostic advice in that article is a good place to start troubleshooting a well pump or water pump.

Question: my well pump has been running more often that it should and has been louder ...

Pump has been running more often than it should & it has been louder than usual. Never lost any pressure just a little noise. Two days ago the breaker tripped. I reset the breaker and it has been fine. Again no pressure lost.

This morning lost pressure and now have no water to the house at all. I checked the breaker and it was not tripped. Where do I start? - Michele S. 3/15/12

(Mar 6, 2014) Paula said:

I am moving into a house that has been vacant for several years. Prior to the house being vacated, the well was operational; however, the water pressure was not consistent. It would cycle from good pressure for 15 minutes or so to low pressure for 3-5 minutes and back to good pressure.

So now it is several years down the road. I had the electricity turned on, and when I flipped the breaker I heard a sound like the electric kicking on in the control box. After about 10 seconds it clicked off. Then back on after 10-15 seconds. Then off after 5-10 seconds. And so on. It never tripped the breaker.

I did flip the breaker to keep it from cycling on and off. Just wondering where to start and what to look at/have looked at.

(June 5, 2015) Christie C said:

Our pump was short cycling. We replaced the pressure switch and checked the pressure in the bladder tank.

Pressure was very low. Its a 40/60 pressure switch so the psi was set to 38. We turn the pump back on and shortly after flushing a toilet, we just keep hearing what we believe is the pressure switch rapidly clicking every second or less. We dont have good water pressure which has been an issue for quite some time now. What could this possibly be?

Reply:

Michelle and Christie:

Several problems can cause well pump short cycling on and off too often, though the most common one is a water-logged pressure tank. See WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING for steps in diagnosing and fixing this trouble.

Paula:

what are we seeing now Paula - no water or intermittent water?

If the switch is not turning on the pump that's one diagnostic route;

If the switch turns on the pump but you are not getting water that's a different one.

For those sorts of trouble see WATER PUMP DIAGNOSTIC TABLE

If you've got water, rapid clicking on and off of the pressure switch, if the pump is a submersible unit in the well, could be telling you the pressure tank is waterlogged. see the WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING link given above.

If you lose water for a time that could be a well flow problem OR a pressure switch clog problem. For that trouble see WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPAIR

Paula's follow-up:

No water, no pressure. I don't believe the pump is coming on. I know nothing about wells (obviously) and am wondering if there is something to look for in a situation where everything has been off for several years. The pump is submersible (I am guessing because there is electrical wiring at the well cap). I don't believe there is any water in the pressure tank...the pressure guage reads 0 and the tank sounds hollow/empty when I knock on it.

Reply:

No water, and pump won't start: I'd start by calling a licensed plumber who has experience with pump and pump control repairs; s/he will doubtless confirm the presence of electrical power, check the pump control switch, then check the pump wiring and possibly the pump motor. To check yourself see NO WATER PRESSURE

Question: water pressure goes high then very low and a device keeps clicking

the pump at 400 feet was re placed

10 tears ago the old one lasted 26 years today when water is on the presser goes really high like normal then it decreases then goes up again it goes high than low cant find any leaks along the pipes thing on the wall in bathroom witch ther are several devices there is one that keeps clicking the others in there have been replaced

when we have a leak the pressure just goes donn this time it goes up and down can you help

Reply:

Loss of well water pressure means that the pressure with which water enters a plumbing fixture has become too slow, or is sometimes too slow or weak in water flow rate, or water flow may stop entirely.

In the ARTICLE INDEX found at CONTINUE READING ,

See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR where we describe Water Pump Problems? How to Diagnose & Repair Poor or No Water Pressure.

Also
see WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING - PIPE LEAK

and check out that short cycling article.

Question: pump pumps very little water and we run it out about three minutes

(June 22, 2015) theresa said:
we are having water problems. pump pumps very little water and we run it out about three minutes and no more water is the well drying up or is it the pump

hubby said the water tank pressure ok

Reply:

Sounds like the well. See WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT

But also see WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING - home

Question: black oil came out of my water pump

Turned on pump before hooking to tank, looks like black oil came out, what did I do wrong? - Michael 7/29/12

Reply:

Michael, I agree it sounds odd to get oil coming out of a water pump; sometimes however when we've been hooking up new plumbing fittings and equipment, the first time we turn things on we see solder paste and oxidized debris in the flush-out of the system. It's a good idea to flush out the water system after working on it. YOu may not have done anything wrong.

Question: how much electricity does my well pump use?

how can i find out how much electricity my well head and pressure tank are using? The well pump is 1/2 horsepower. The pressure tank has no label or information on it. I am in the process of installing a back-up generator and I need to know the amount of power consumed at start up by these systems. - Anon. 3/5/12

Reply: some ways to figure out how much electricity an appliance or well pump is actually using

Anon, here are several approaches to finding out just how much electricity your well pump or any other electrical appliance in your home is actually using:

1. You can record the information on the data tag for your pump motor, noting the RLA figure. See DEFINITIONS of ELECTRICAL TERMS and understand amps, current, volts, watts, and you can calculate the theoretical electricity use.
2. You can turn off every single electrical thing in your building except the well pump, then watch your electric meter spin.
   
   That timing or LCD readout combined with the meter specifications from your electric company can give you a good idea how much electrical power the pump is actually using when it's operating. To that you'll need to monitor how often and for how long the motor runs during an average month.
3. You can also measure the pump's current draw using a clamp-on ammeter.
4. You can also rent or buy electrical use metering equipment that you'd hook into the circuit.

To compare the energy efficiency of different versions of a home appliance such as an air conditioner, refrigerator, or heat pump, see SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS.

Water Pump Preservation or Mothballing or Taking out of & Returning to Service

Question: How to preserve or mothball a submersible well pump for later use

What needs to be done to save a used submersible well pump for later use?

Reply: tips for preserving and storing submersible well pumps:

Jim assuming the pump was previously running and there's no question about the condition of its motor, the minimum is to be sure that the pump is drained of water and stored in a cool dry place.

A more extensive job could include disassembly and inspection/cleaning of the pump impeller assembly to remove any mineral deposits, debris, crud, and to be sure that it is not damaged

Question: At our cabin the well is only used a few times a year - power otherwise left off; lost water pressure: cabin lights dim when pump tries to turn on.

I have a question about a well problem at a cabin in the mountains. The well is only used a few times a year and the power is turned off during the periods of non use. The water has been without problems for years.

More recently the pressure seemed to surge at one point then the next time we used the cabin the water would come on, run for 4 or 5 minutes then the pressure would drop to zero. Then a few minutes later the water would be at full pressure then 4 or 5 minutes later it would drop to zero flow. I turned off the water and when I returned to the cabin again it was the same except this time after three of the above cycles the pressure dropped to zero and didn’t come back.

The next time I returned to the cabin there was no water at all. I replaced the pressure switch and there is no water flow. I noticed something odd, about every minute, the cabin lights would dim slightly for 5 to 10 seconds then return to normal. So, I measured the voltage at the pressure switch and it’s 240 volts then when the light’s dim the voltage drops to 232 volts.

When I turn off the well braker the lights stop dimming. When the pressure switch was replaced water freely came up out of the fitting telling me two things, there was water in pipes of the house and the well probably still had a prime. - Well Pump Problems 6/22/12

Reply: common causes of dimming lights or flickering lights in or around buildings

Well Pump Problems:

Dimming lights sounds like a motor that is seizing and drawing high current. Especially if that's a new condition. Check the current draw on the well circuit and figure you've either got a wiring short or a seized pump motor.

Note: the discussion of diagnosis and cure of flickering or dimming lights occurring when the pump motor turns on has been moved to

ELECTRIC POWER LOSS / FLICKERING LIGHTS

Question: house winterized, pump not working

(Feb 11, 2013) Diana Y said:
getting ready to close on house and it is winterize but we are wondering how it was winterize when the water pump is not working in the well pit..So does this mean that it was not winterize as said? And we may have bigger problems.

Reply:

I can't understand the situation from just this note; you need an onsite expert.

Water used to recover overnight but now the pump won't start and we have no water

5/16/14 David said:

I used to be able to just wait overnight or so and restart the pump and everything was fine. Now, IF the pump starts up (which it won't right now)the flow is abt. 1/2 of what it used to be and trickles down to nothing. This is a Sta-right 1.5 hp motor/pump. Sounds like it's an electrical problem. Any ideas from you pros?

Reply:

David,

It sounds as if your well recovery rate has been slowing for some time. If a pump is run continuously without water it's likely to be damaged. So you may be facing a double problem: low flow rate in the well and a damaged pump.

Question: irrigaion system water flow rate problem

(Feb 23, 2014) edmond said:
Low water rate on irrigation system from a shallow well

Reply:

Edmond, if the problem is a low flow well, see WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT

otherwise search InspectApdia for WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

Question: need a water pressure booster pump?

(July 22, 2014) Stan Johnson said:

Have a well with a 3/4 hp submersible 10 gpm pump on it and a 30/50 pressure switch. The pipe(3" I believe) runs ~3500 feet with about a 50' rise.
Flow at outside hydrant is 7-8 gpm but only getting about 21 psi at the house.

Putting in a booster pump and pressure tank along with a filtration system that includes an ozone injector, catalytic carbon filter and water softener. Should we first put a 40/60 pressure switch at the well?

When the water gets to the house, it will first go to a sediment filter and the the ozone injector, carbon filter and water softener. For optimum results, where should the booster pump go in that line, should it also have a 40/60 pressure switch and should the pressure tank be in line right after the booster pump?
Thanks!

Reply:

Stan,

Best results in my OPINION might be obtained by installing a booster pump and water pressure tank on the house side of all of the other water treatment equipment you describe. In that case you can still choose either pressure switch operating range depending on your building needs, height, pipe conditions.

Question: need a cheap flow test on my well

Paraphrasing:

What's a way to test well flow rate by just using cheap methods like lowering a float into the well and seeing how quickly the water level drops when the pump runs?

I realize this is not the whole accurate well flow story.

Reply:

Cheap

I agree that an accurate well flow test is one that is performed over 24-hours, though you can certainly get an idea of what's going on with a well using a short interval test too.

To test a well flow rate without strings, floats, weights and physical measuarements, a well driller uses an adjustable-rate pump that can be used to pump water for a longer interval to determine the accurate well flow rate. Usually that's done at the time a well is first drilled but could be done later as well.

Watch out: if you just monitor the drop in well water level in the casing when the pump is running you are mostly measuring the rate at which your pump draws water out of the well, affected partly by the water flowing into the well during that interval - the recovery rate. The results are ambiguous.

Question: well not used for 7 years, low yield, should we drill a new well for our irrigation system?

(Oct 8, 2014) LauraC said:
We recently had someone test a well in a house we just purchased.

Our understanding is that the well has not been used for more than 7 years.

We would like to use the well for irrigation for a fairly small yard. The people who tested it said it only yields 4gpm and that is not enough to supply a pump or irrigation and that we should have a new well drilled. This doesn't fit with what I am reading on your page. Am I misunderstanding something?

Reply:

Laura,

If the true 24 hour flow rate of your well is 4 gpm, your irrigation system is limited to a maximum water flow rate of the same number. That's 4x60=240 gallons an hour. The adequacy of that water volume for your needs depends on the area to be irrigated, planting types, soil properties, and climate as well as the irrigation method.

Delivering water directly to plant roots such as is done in Israel is orders of magnitude more efficient than rubnning a lawn sprinkler. In sum, as Mark Cramer says, ... It depends.

5 gpm is a common minimum standard for delivering drinking water to homes.

That figure does NOT include using that same 5gpm source for any sort of irrigation. So unless your irrigation needs are either very modest or are highly efficient and sophisticatednMark and I would probably say yes, you misunderstood flow rates, your well is rather marginal for irrigation.

Before drilling a new well, however, look into companies offering methods to increase the yield of the present one and into alternative irrigation methods for your (unstated ) irrigation requirements.

Question: well runs out of water

(May 17, 2014) David said:

I used to be able to just wait overnight or so and restart the pump and everything was fine. Now, IF the pump starts up (which it won't right now)the flow is abt. 1/2 of what it used to be and trickles down to nothing. This is a Sta-right 1.5 hp motor/pump. Sounds like it's an electrical problem. Any ideas from you pros?

Reply:

David,

It sounds as if your well recovery rate has been slowing for some time. If a pump is run continuously without water it's likely to be damaged. So you may be facing a double problem: low flow rate in the well and a damaged pump.

Take a look at the diagnostics at
inspectapedia.com/water/Poor_Water_Pressure_Diagnosis.php

Question: flushing water noise coming from well pump

(May 25, 2014) Carol said:

When water is continually running such as sprinkler is on, the noise of water flushing coming out from my well water pump. Is it normal?

Reply:

Not sure from just the info in your query. Perhaps the well is running out and the pump is sending up some air

Question: lost all water pressure

(June 3, 2014) Karen Galvin said:

HELP! water just stopped. replaced control box, fuses are good. Where do I go from here? An electrician or well person? I live 25 miles East of Sterling, CO - not a lot of help out this way. I've been without water for almost a week.

Reply:

Karen, this diagnostic article should get you going

inspectapedia.com/water/NoWaterPressure.htm

Question: lost water pressure after a power outage

(June 5, 2014) Dan said:

Had a power outage, then ran out of water. Power came back on and full water pressure. 2 showers and a load of wash later, water stopped. Breakers not tripped.?

Reply:

Look for well pump or piping losing prime or well pump / wiring damaged by lightning.

Question: sprinkler system runs out of water; irrigation well troubles

(June 7, 2014) Chuck said:

My sprinkler system is run off a water storage tank and a pump. Two days ago I turned the system on and everything was working. I came back an hour later to change the areas recieving water. The pump was running but no water was coming out the sprinklers.

Today I cleaned the intake tube, which wasn't really dirty, turned the system on and all I get is a puddle that forms around the sprinkler heads. It seems to me the pump isn't generating enough pressure. Yet it sounds like it's working prefectly. Any ideas on what to try next?

(June 12, 2014) Jay said:

Had good water pressure then turned on one of the zones for sprinkler which had leak in line which is repaired but still no water at all not sure what to do next

(Aug 26, 2014) Link said:

I have a shallow irrigation well. The pump directly feeds an array of sprinkler heads. There is no water and no noise (normally you can hear the pump). How do I go about troubleshooting? Or is this something I'll need a pro for?

Assuming pump needs replaced, what's a reasonable cost? Thanks.

Reply:

Commonly sprinkler systems run into a low well flow rate problem, especially in dry weather or when the water table is lower at your well. At that point the pump impeller may be damaged and even when water returns in the well the pump can't develop pressure.

Check also for a leak in the well piping.

Link:

Diagnostics for pumps that won't start are given At the ARTICLE INDEX at the end of this article

Perhaps our pump diagnostic table will work better for you

Try

inspectapedia.com/water/Water_Pump_Table.php

Question: slow pressure loss until no water at all

(June 9, 2014) charles said:

my well pump slowly lost pressure until no water worked at all. the relay in my control box would do nothing but "chatter". i replaced capaciter and i have 240 volts all the way to the control box. could the coil be bad?

Reply:

Sounds like a low flow rate well - provided the pump was continuing to run.

Question: delivered water into well, today it's all gone

(july 17, 2014) adam said:

Had 1700 gallons of water delivered to tank yesterday as well seemed dry, today, all 1700 gallons is gone is it a leak or could it be something else?

Reply:

Adam,

Unfortunately, if the 1700 gallons was pumped down into your well, and was gone the next day, and presuming no one lewft water running at a rate sufficiently to run out so much water over night, indeed that was probably a total loss - you were back-feeding an exhausted aquifer.

If you have a large cistern or water storage tank and the 1700 gallons was pumped into such a container, either there's a leak in the container or in its piping system.

Question: well pump won't pump water - short cycling?

(July 31, 2014) Henri Picard said:

Small well pump connected to river. Pump will not pump, so I changed the pressure switch. It still will not pump. But if I by-pass the pressure switch, the pump works perfectly, but will not stop of course.
Any idea what the problem is?

Reply:

Henri,

Your comment suggests that the pump and its wiring are OK, which leaves the pressure switch OR the ability of the switch to accurately sense system pressure. If you changed the switch and wired it correctly but it won't turn on the pump, and assuming you've checked for power, I suspect the switch is not sensing water pressure

- e.g. if the mounting tube is clogged or the switch is not in the proper place.

Reader follow-up:

... thanks for your response. Not certain what you mean by "the switch is not in the proper place".

I have changed the switch twice before and it has never been a problem. When I first replaced this last pressure switch; the pump would give me water for about 5 minutes and then the water pressure would drop to zero.

If I then did not use the pump for a few hours; I could then get water but again for only 5 minutes. I checked the air pressure in the tank and it is 20 pounds.

Reply:

IF the switch worked in the location previously you're OK. Some installers might mount the pressure sensor too far from the pressure tank or on piping that can be turned off by control valves - interfering with its operation.

The latter part of your comment certainly suggests a very low flow well - recovering during the time you don't use it - in fact it sounds inadequate.

I add that

Some pressure control switches include a pump protection feature that will shut down the switch if the pump is drawing air. Some such switches have a manual re-set lever.

see
inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Protection_Switches.php

The fact that you've changed the switch twice suggests a systemic problem: switch burnups from short-cycling or dirt/debris clogging for example.

Reader follow-up:

From Henri, the pressure switch has a small metal lever on it's side to turn the switch on and off. it makes it easier to prime the pump when I put it in the river in the spring.

From your comment; "Some pressure control switches include a pump protection feature that will shut down the switch if the pump is drawing air. Some such switches have a manual re-set lever."
When I by-pass the switch, to pump works very well. Would it still do that if there was drawing air?

Thanks for being here because I live in the country and it is a long way to a water pump company and I would not want to have to pay for a service call.

I am not a mechanical type of person, but your comments made me think. I took off the small clear plastic hose that goes to the pressure switch; I took the fittings off and noticed rust. So I cleaned it up and the pump now works.

The only problem is that the pump come on every 5 seconds. It starts with good pressure but then diminishes for 5 seconds down to almost no pressure and then starts again. If I turned up the cut-off screw would that work? My pressure tank is a very small one, probably the smallest tank available.

Reply:

No Henri, you're quite right. If the pump were pumping air, that is not able to obtain water, it would misbehave regardless of the use of the pressure switch or direct-wiring to turn on the unit. If the pump provides water at good pressure when you omit the pressure control switch then we think the pump and wires to the pump are OK and we're back to the switch.

The small plastic hose that goes to the pump is how it senses water pressure. If your system is under pressure and you disconnect one end of the hose you ought to see water squirting out of the supply pipe. If you don't, either there's a valve closed or something is clogged.

Re Henri's last update - running pump but short cycling:

DO NOT try to fix that by changing the pressure switch cut-in/cut-out adjustment.

The problem is a short-cycling pump, caused by one of several possible problems (such as a waterlogged pressure tank or a piping leak) discussed in these two articles found in More Reading links in the ARTICLE INDEX at the end of this page.

WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING

WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING CAUSE: WELL PIPE LEAKS

Reader follow-up:

(Aug 3, 2014) Henri Picard said:

Dan thank you so much for your comments. I am not mechanically minded and had no idea what to do to remedy my pump problem. But with your comments and direction I was able to read the articles you recommended, and after having read them many times, I was able to solve the short-cycle problem

...

Continue reading at WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE for table listing causes & cures for well pump or water pressure problems, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see WATER PUMP DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-4 BREAKER TRIPS - more recent diagnosis & repair questions and answers for well & water pumps that keep tripping the circuit breaker or blowing fuses.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS of if you can't keep the pump primed
• WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
• WATER PUMP CONTROLS & SWITCHES - home
• WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
• WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home
• WATER TANK: USES, TROUBLESHOOTING - home

...

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER PUMP DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-3 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS

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