Well Runs Out of Water FAQs

Water Pump Won't Stop Running & Our Tank is Out of Water

I live in the North (Nunavut) and our water is supplied by truck and held in a 700 gal. tank. Sometimes when it storms and the trucks fall behind schedule and we run out of water.

The problem is when this happens the pump continues to run and if we don't catch it quickly it heats up and ruins the impeller centre or the bearing.

My question: is there a shut off I can install on the pump or water line that will shut the pump off when the tank is empty. (Apr 25, 2012) Ernie Parsons

Reply: add a float switch to turn the pump on and off and maybe a pump protection switch to avoid pump damage

Ernie,

The simplest method of controlling a water pump that is delivering water out of a tank that might run out would be to install a float switch. It's basically a float on an electrical cable that contains an internal switch or an electrical relay that turns off the pump if water level drops too low.

Shown below is the Superior Pump tethered float switch that would work for a 120VAC pump. You'll see that the float switch power cord plugs in to an electrical outlet and the pump power cord plugs into that adapter. When water level drops in the storage tank the switch will turn off power to the water pump.

Another float switch that can operate your water pump safely is a side mounted switch such as the one I show below, a Magnetrol T5x or T6x Side Mount float switch:

Here's a description from Ametek, a vendor of these switches:

Magnetrol® side-mounting float switches mount horizontally to any tank or vessel through a threaded or flanged pipe connection. Standard models are normally equipped with a single switch mechanism for high or low level alarm or control applications. Tandem models, with two switch mechanisms, are available for two-stage applications.

There are more sophisticated water pump controls with sensors that can shut off the pump it it's pumping air.

Typically these work by monitoring the current draw of the pump, the pump motor temperature, or actual water flow.

See WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH for details.

For other readers: Watch out: If your water pump keeps on running and won't shut off,

1. TURN IT OFF manually so you don't burn up the pump motor.

2. Then if you don't know why the pump was staying on, diagnose the trouble, starting at WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING

Well Runs Out of Water After New Water Pump Installed

We run out of water quickly after installing a new pump.

I have a problem with my shallow well pump; its a Saer M 100 and we converted it to a single pipe system.

After installing the ejector and casing adapter as shown in the diagram, there is water coming up but the pressure coming up is not strong and after about 5 to 10 minutes the water coming up decreases,

and then there will be no water coming up at all. Is there a problem with my motor? On 2018-07-08 by mar

Answer and suggestions by (mod) - new pump's pumping rate exceeds well's flow rate

Bottom line: you installed a powerful pump system that draws water out of your well faster than it's flow rate and your well appears to have a very slow recovery rate when exhausted.

I doubt that the problem is the SAER (Saue) water pump's motor unless you see that it's tripping off an overheat or thermal overload switch.

Details: guessing at your well's static head

You don't give the lift height or head your pump has to overcome, a key factor that impacts the pump's gpm or lpm pumping rate, but I suspect that you are pumping faster than the well's flow rate.

The SAER or Sauer M100 deep well jet pump is capable of delivering 13.2 gallons per minute.

So a rough calculation using your numbers on how many minutes you have water before you run out, the well's static head is between

5 min x 13 gpm = 65 gallons before you are running out of water

and

10 min x 13 gpm = 130 gallons before you are running out of water

So once you've exhausted the well's static head you are getting no water at all - which says your well's recovery rate is quite poor.

For a detailed explanation and some ways to get more water see

• WELL DYNAMIC HEAD & STATIC HEAD DEFINITION
• WELL FLOW RATE
• WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT

And to protect your pump from being damaged also see

• WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH 

The Saer M 100 230V pump specifications are given in the images provided here.

Saer is an Italian pump producer with operations world wide.

SAER ELETTROPOMPE S.p.A.

Legal and administrative headquarters:
Via Circonvallazione 22, 42016 Guastalla (RE), Italy
Tel. +39 0522 830941 – Fax +39 0522 826948

From abroad: » info@saer.it

Below are the pumping capacities

in GPM, cubic meters per hour or liters per minute

for Saer pump models

We Run Out of Water: How do We Fix our Pump & Well?

We run out of water after 30 minutes

I've got great water pressure for about 30 minutes then it drops way down .If I turn water off and wait 30 minutes pressure is great again On 2017-06-12 by John

by (mod) - well runs out of water

John that sounds as if the well is being exhausted, probably because there is a low flow rate of water into the well.

The first supply of water comes from a small volume in the water pressure tank and a larger volume in the well's STATIC HEAD (explained and illustrated in my drawing below).

Once that static head volume of water is exhausted, your system may be limited in flow rate by a protection device that prevents the pump from running "dry" (which will damage it).

Also see WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT

I Ran out of water during a shower, 30 minutes later water came back but pump is not shutting off

I was taking a shower and then there was no water. I checked the pressure on the tank and there was no pressure.

I waited about 30 minutes and I heard the pump running and I had water again, but when I checked the pressure on the tank because it wasn't shutting off was 60 and climbing. I was forced to cut the electricity to the pump. I really need your advise on what I should be looking at. Thanks. On 2017-04-21 by Pamela D. Massey

by (mod)

Sounds as if the well is running low on water.

So once you've drawn out the water that was in the well bore itself, what's left is only the rate at which water runs from the aquifer (water in the ground around your well) which is flowing into the well more slowly than the pump tries to pump water out.

A WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE installed in the well is one method of protecting your well pump from damage: when water level falls low in the well it limits the amount of water that is removed from the well bore without letting the pump run dry.

A WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH is a second method for protecting the pump from damage: it turns off the pump if the water supplyu is exhausted.

But let's get some objective data about why you run out of water (as there are other causes) so that we know what is the best approach for your system.

This diagnostic table should help: TABLE 3: PUMP RUNS, NO WATER or INSUFFICIENT WATER 

My Pressmatic pump controller & pump loses pressure and we run out of water

Hi, my well water is pumped into a 2000 litre storage tank, which works great, however when I use water in the house or to top the pool up, which is on a separate pump,

it starts with good pressure but after a while it starts losing pressure until it stops completely, so I have to keep switching the water of for a while, then switch on again, but after a few minuets the same thing happens: help required.

Many thanks in advance On 2018-05-11 by Georgina -

by (mod) - check the well flow rate or recovery rate

I would expect your plumber or well contractor to check the flow rate of your well.

The fact that you are filling a 2000 litre (530 gallon) water storage tank suggests that someone already knew that your water well itself has a very limited flow rate or capacity to deliver water.

So when your water storage tank has run low and you're trying to re-fill it or when you're using a lot of water to fill or "top off" a swimming pool, you are probably drawing so much water that you are exceeding your wells flow capacity.

There are two articles you should read for suggestions to deal with this situation

WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT  - how to get more water out of an existing well

and

WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH - how to protect your well pump from being damaged if the well runs out of water

For a complete analysis of why your well and pump run out of water see DIAGNOSE & FIX POOR PRIVATE WELL WATER PRESSURE

For short term measures to deal with a limited capacity well

see WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES 

Install Larger Water Storage Tank to Cope With Low Flow Rate Well

We run out of water even with a new pump: do we need a water holding tank?

I have been reading the information that you post on your website.

So we replaced our well pump last December because we had no water and that was what we were told was the problem.

It was good for about 9 months and now have lost water a few times again.

We have great water pressure throughout the house and than all of a sudden out of no where we have no water at all.

My husband shuts of the well pump and waits while and than the water fills back up in the well. He turns the pump back on and the water is ok again.

We have had professionals come in and they say we may need a new well or they suggested putting a water holding tank in our basement.

To me it does not seem possible for our well to be dry.

We do have a water softener system with reverse osmosis because we have hard water.

Any advice would be appreciate. We are still waiting to hear back from a well compliant that my husband called. But in the meantime I am trying is figure out what is going on? On 2022-01-21 by No Water TP

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - possible signs that well is running out of water

@No Water TP,

It sure sounds as if your well is running out of water.

Drilling a new well might give you a better water flow rate into the well that would support your water usage rate, OR you can try continuing with the present low-flow well rate by installing a larger water storage tank (see LARGE CAPACITY WATER STORAGE TANKS )

combined with a WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE - that will prevent the pump from being damaged by low water flow into the well.

There are also other devices that protect a water pump from damage, described at WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH

Why Can't Our Pump and Well Fill Our Large Water Tank?

Why does our 5000 gallon water tank sometimes not fill up properly?

May I ask a Well Question as my Water Well Repair man is stumped. Our Well is a gusher. No water level issues. The Well Pump is working inconsistently.

For example, our 5,000 gallon Storage Tank will be half full and the Well Pump will not fill the tank.

I turn the Well Pump off then ON right away and it works again.

As I use the water in the tank it will pump just fine for days then, days later, I will check the tank.it is half full. I turn the Well pump on and off and it starts up again.

My Well repair man replaced the PUMP SAVER in the electrical box. Still having this issue. It did not resolve it. Our Well Pump is only 4.5 years old.

We replaced the Float Value about 4 years ago. The Booster Pump is 4 years old. So everything is fairly new. We live in California in a mild climate. No snow, no freezing. Any thoughts/suggestions would be gratefully appreciated Y.A. 11/14/2014

Reply: not sure, but check the pressure control switch first - but you may have a well flow problem

A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that would permit a more accurate, complete, and authoritative answer than we can give by email alone. You will find additional depth and detail in articles at our website.

That said I offer these comments: I was  a bit baffled too, and I'm not sure what's going on.

But I think an important key is your observation that switching the pump off and immediately back on seems to cure an intermittent problem.

From that I suspect a problem with the pressure control switch. The problem could be electrical, in the switch itself, or more likely in the pressure sensor component of the switch.

If debris clogs the tiny opening that lets the switch sense water pressure the switch may not respond properly. Switching it on and off can be enough of a mechanical disturbance to get it running again.

Next time you see this problem, before turning power on and off, try just tapping on the pressure switch. Leave its cover on (shock hazards), just rap on the exterior of the box.

If the switch starts and runs normally for a while we may be on to the problem.

See WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPAIR

or WATER PUMP PRESSURE SWITCH INSTALL / REPLACE

Watch out: about your comment that you observe the pressure tank just half full.

The water level in a pressure tank indeed will be below "full" if users stopped running water before pressure in the tank fell below the cut-in pressure.

But if you keep running water and pressure falls to zero and the pump does not turn on, then indeed there is a control or switch problem

Also, to be clear, water pressure tanks are never completely full of water. That condition would lose the air charge, the tank would not work properly and the pump would short cycle - that's a waterlogged pressure tank.

WATER TANK AIR LOSS SIGNS

Watch out: The real problem may be lack of water in the well.

Something you wrote makes no sense to me. If your well is a "gusher" with no water quantity or flow problems, it would be, well frankly, bizarre to have installed a 5000 gallon water pressure tank.

And on a "gusher" well you would probably not need a pump saver. Those components are things we associate with a water well with very low flow or recovery rates.

So if your well's recovery rate is slow or poor, the immediately-available volume of water that the well can give you is pretty much limited to the volume in the static head in the well - as we use the term.

Where there is a low flow rate well, often the installer installs a very large water storage tank and sets up the system to draw water from the well very slowly (or not at all depending on well condition) so the large water storage tank is what assures a ready water supply to the building, not the well itself.

In such circumstances, even a small change in the water table or aquifer supplying the well could mean loss of well water and loss of water in the system - seasonally or longer.

Reader follow-up:

When I mentioned TANK – I meant water Storage Tank, not pressurizer tank. We have A LOT of landscaping and pump water into a 5,000 gallon storage tank with a float value. Our pressurizer tank is the normal size. We only use our Well water for landscaping, not our house.

Reply:

Thanks for the clarification; let me know what happens when you mess with the switch.

I forgot to mention that the two common clog places are at the base of the switch itself and in the small diameter tube or pipe that is used to carry water and pressure to the switch base.

Typically we'd replace both of those parts if we thought that was the problem. The risk of debris clogging of the pressure switch is greater for wells that deliver water with sediment.