Well Pump Runs...CONSTANTLY....

So, this has been an ongoing thing for a while and while before it didn't bother me as much it is now becoming an issue.

I'm not sure of the make of the pump but it's 240 volt to the switch then it should be 240v to the pump. I say should be because I have a fleeting suspicion that it's got a bad leg. I'd like to check the easy things first before I pull the well head and the unknown hundreds of feet of wire and hose out of the hole.

So, I'm going to readjust my pressure switch and change the gauge. I think I have a decent handle o. How to adjust cut-in and cut-out.

I'd like to check the tank pressure but don't rightly know how. Do I have to drain the tank to check the air pressure or can I leave it witness water in it? I've never done this so any input would be appreciated.

If both of those check ok and I have to pull the pump, is it a matter of unbolting the well head and separating it fro. The well then pulling the hose and wires and pump assembly? I'm also positive this is a multiple man job. Last time I did this was at my mother's house and she has no head on the well so it was just a matter or uncovering the well and taling the cover off and pulling the nightmare out of the ground.

Thanks for the help.

I got the same issue! The tank never gets up to full pressure, and the pump runs until the internal temp sensor trips it off. It lost one leg because of a bad Pressure Switch up by the tank. One leg of the 240 was grounding out against the wire tension clamp.

Heres the link to the details.....
Coffee 3-17-2012
We are limping along on low water pressure, and complete loss of water pressure, until the new pump arrives.
Our new Grundfos pump will be here friday.
I'll install it Saturday.

I replaced the pressure switch two years ago. Thr diaphragm decided it no longer wanted to be apart of the switch so it let go, spraying water all over my basement. I bumped the pressure switch to 35 psi from it's 25 psi.

I didn't even think of looking at the electric disconnect switch after the pressure switch. Maybe one side of it is shot? I'll pick a new one up today and throw it in tonight. Hopefully my pump isn't bad, but it has been running like this for a few years so it probably is.

Thanks for the link to your thread.

Also, where did you get your pump from? Was it expensive?

Heres the one I ordered.
https://www.pexuniverse.com/grundfos-5s ... p-81595185

Yours maybe cheaper depending on depth of well, expected GPM, Internal/External starter, voltage, etc....

I was just on that site. I'm gonna have to pull it to get the info off of it anyway.

Pull the unit out of the casing & check the condition of the seal on the foot valve. Betting dollars to donuts its shot.....

009to090 wrote:Heres the one I ordered.
https://www.pexuniverse.com/grundfos-5s ... p-81595185

Yours maybe cheaper depending on depth of well, expected GPM, Internal/External starter, voltage, etc....

Please report back and let us know how the job goes and what you think of the pump.

The air pressure at tank is set when the water pressure is zero.

If a submersible pump is running constantly, there is either a hole in the water line, or the impellers are completely worn out.

You might want to remove the well seal and listen, with the pump on, and the pump off.

I changed the gauge on the tank, it reads 80# psi. I tried adjusting the cut-in, cut-out on the pressure switch and nothing changed. Still reads 80#psi and the pump still runs. Contacts on the pressure switch don't open up. They didn't even open when I killed the power to the pump and drained the tank. I tried to take a pressure reading on the tank's air pressure but I don't have a tire gauge that fits. So, I have no idea what the pressure on the tank is.

So, do I replace the pressure switch and see if that changes how the pump operates or do I change the pump?

I don't really know how any of this works and I don't quite understand the cut-in/cut-out screw or the cut-in screw.

The pressure switch is going to be a lot cheaper and easier to replace right now. I'm still leaning on the pump being shot. So, I may end up frustrated and replacing everything.

It's just running and running and running. My electric bill was $500 this month and I know it's because of the infernal well pump.

Yes, buy a new pressure switch. They are preset for specific pressures, so don't mess with it after you install it. The big Box stores carry the 30-50 psi switch, and the 40-60 psi switch. Its right on the label. They run between $20 and $25.

I'll pick one up tomorrow on the way home from work and get it changed when I get home. Hopefully this fixes it. I'll keep you updated.

Start with the cheap and easy fixes first...
Like others have said stick with a stock switch setting...
I have redone the 'rents tanks and piping...
mostly common sense...
The issue at the 'rents was an old steel tee...
Started out 1.5" but over the years had choked out to maybe .25"...
Replaced all with PVC and full flow ball valves...
Have the pressure set 50/70...
Why won't a std. tire gauge work on your tank?...

It's 2:47 am and I'm up. Might have something to do with the misses snoring like a freight train.

Anyway, the standard tire gauge didn't fit over the valve. The gauge was too big. I had that problem the other day while putting air in the tire on the wheel barrow.

I never thought it could be crud building up in the pipe itself either. When I change the pressure switch I'll chexk the piping at the same time. There isn't much piping in my house. Good thing it's small, plumbing is fairly easy in my house.

If not already mentioned.... When you check the air pressure in the tank it need to be done with the water turned off and all water pressure relieved from the tank. The air pressure should be two pounds lower then the switch cut in pressure. That is, if your pressure switch is 30-50 the air pressure should be 28. Here's a pretty good article: http://inspectapedia.com/water/Water_Ta ... Adjust.htm

$500 electric bill? Yikes! I'd be shutting off the circuit breaker until this is resolved.

i have seen also the 1/8" vertical riser pipe that the pressure switch sits on plugged with crud and the ability of the water pressure to act on the switch accuratly get compromised. so put a new 3" riser nipple on when changing the switch.....


recently found a serious leak at the o-ring where the well pipe connects to the "pitless" connector.....thats the point where the well pipe makes a 90 and interfaces thru the well casing on its way to the house...

its visible down the well at the point below the frost line.....