Which makes one wonder, did the motor/pump give up due to the mechanical woes of the system? How much longer would the motor/pump have lasted if the issue with the check valve/pump was caught early? Does any of this even matter when the problem is 200+ ft down the hole? (Spoiler: Nope!)
About 15 years ago I installed a Cycle Stop Valve in my water system. The CSV limits the pressure and minimizes the cycling of the pump working together with the pressure tank. Throttleing the output pressure the same so the pump runs more steady. Constant Pressure Pump Control Valves
Those are a pretty neat solution if you don't have room for a big pressure tank or just don't want to go that route. All it is, is a Pressure Reducing Valve with a "calibrated leak" past the valve seat. As long as you are flowing more than the leak, the pump stays running since the pressure regulator is typically set just under the cut-out pressure of the pressure switch. Once the demand stops, the leak will allow the system pressure to rise slowly until it pops the switch. Caveat being that the leak needs to be big enough to maintain motor cooling while the system pumps up to the cut-out. If you have a big pressure tank (as I prefer), you may want to run some maths to make sure the bypass flow is adequate, or that the pump motor won't run long enough after demand stops for it to overheat.
The impellers and shaft/ bearings were all bogarted. Being 200ft down, it's a send it down and let it run for as long as it can deal. The ones with a remote starter circuit in the well room, and not on the pump help in the case that the starter does out. No pump removal needed if that goes out.
Running the well pump is the expensive part. Seems like a solution to a problem that ends up wearing the pump out sooner, and giving you a bigger electric bill. Put a decent pressure tank on the system and it will work more efficiently.
Ok I was wondering about that. Just thinking it threw, I assumed on my well, pumping the water 150 feet up and into pressure tank was the most amp used. 2 years ago when my well died upgraded to bestt biggest tank
The biggest tank you can get is your best bet. You can even add tanks anywhere in the system. For instance if you do a lot of summer sprinkling you can "T" in a outdoor tank and reduce the amount of cycling.
The higher supply line pressure will actually reduce the pump motor's running (not the starting) current draw, but it will run for somewhat longer. It's an efficiency hit, but that doesn't matter if the starter windings of the pump motor are fried prematurely. It's also a system than many homeowners would be able to install, and troubleshoot, themselves. A bigger pressure tank isn't always an option, especially in areas that get cold enough to freeze for a night or three, but don't commonly have basements under small to average-sized homes. If running the pump was the dominant expense, we'd all have variable speed pumps that soft start and match pump output to demand. Coincidentally, that would extend the life of all that expensive equipment down the well too. But the standard is, single-phase motors, controlled by a pressure switch contactor, and a minimally sized pressure tank. Why? Because it's the cheapest viable solution, that can be installed and serviced by the largest demographic of skilled labor. To heck with your electric bill. Sound like you wore it out right proper! What was it, 30 years?
Just remembered you went from almost the North to the South.. years ago, I remember telling builders; I required a basement in other areas.. the looks I got!!
I don't think I've lit a split on fire in years. My current home is no slab on grade, no basement. We see a day or two of single digit lows every couple years. Just enough to make things complicated and top-up the plumbers' retirement funds.
Surprisingly, you have to go a little farther south if here for consistent 90+. Down in clemsonfor 's neighborhood (he's about 45 mins from me) and farther south is where you get into some brutal summer heat/humidity. It gets warm here, high 80's on the regular and that Carolina sun is STRONG - but I haven't found it oppressive like I feared I might when I moved.
We even added 20 more feet to the existing down pipe, to aid with watering and in case the water table lowers. I want 30 more years out of this pump. They put the same exact pump in that was taken out. At some point I'll need to put in a bigger/ better tank. I've got plenty of room in the" pump room" in the basement. Can't go with the bladder tank as they put in the check/ bleeder valves that you can't with a bladder tank. It's been great since replacement, just a clogged whole house filter that was like cement, and a laundry/ utility sink nozzle screen that was clogged from the same sediment.
Bold move......now the pick up tube/foot valve is closer to the sediment at the bottom of the casing. I have seen drilled wells where 3-4 feet made all the difference in sucking up sand and obstructing water system resulting in low volume.
No issues so far. It was the well guys advice. He has a lot of experience with wells around here. He looked and 2 of the neighbors have it where we do now too
I am in the camp of "bigger tank is better". We got the biggest we could find on relatively short notice. I might add another. We put our own well in, but not everyone can use a sand point because of water table, ground formation, etc... Sand points are very easy to maintain yourself.
