Pump on well keeps pulsing

robdunne

Hi,
I have a private water supply from a well and had the vessel replaced about 6 months ago as the bladder was burst. Upon installing the new one the plumber informed me that bladders are not covered by guarantee but was not too upset as the vessel we were replacing had worked the whole 6 years we've been there and who knows how long before that.

However, the the pump is pulsing again quite aggressively. I hate to think the new vessel is shot already. At times, after a shower/dishwasher/washing machine use the pump seems to get stuck pulsing even after water has finished coming into the house.

An ideas? Pressure switch maybe?

Robbie

reilig

The vessel is most likely low on pressure and needs to be topped up.

ntpm

Could also be problem with the pressure switch. Either faulty or not sensing water pressure correctly. there may be a blockage in the fitting/ switch.

alibabba

Hi

my bladder tank has started pulsing too.
It started with the cold weather but Im guessing its low on pressure.
Does anyone know where I can get a DIY guide how to top up the pressure on the tank ?

I had a google but not sure ?

mchammer

just out of curiosity what type of pump is it? I have a lowara hydrovar variable speed pump which does a similar thing if the pressure in the expansion vessel goes below the pressure in the water pipe... my guess would be that air when very cold decreases in volume thereby reducing pressure in the expansion vessel... just top it up and it with a compressor to whatever the recommended psi is - should sort it:)

alibabba

mchammer wrote: »

just out of curiosity what type of pump is it? I have a lowara hydrovar variable speed pump which does a similar thing if the pressure in the expansion vessel goes below the pressure in the water pipe... my guess would be that air when very cold decreases in volume thereby reducing pressure in the expansion vessel... just top it up and it with a compressor to whatever the recommended psi is - should sort it:)

Not sure of make or model, its one of those free standing diaphram pumps. I'll top it up this evening and see how it goes.

Does this top up steps sound right ........

Turn power off to pump.
Turn a tap on to drain water from pump.
Leave tap open while topping up air to pump.
Close tap.
Turn power back on to pump.

mchammer

alibabba wrote: »

Not sure of make or model, its one of those free standing diaphram pumps. I'll top it up this evening and see how it goes.

Does this top up steps sound right ........

Turn power off to pump.
Turn a tap on to drain water from pump.
Leave tap open while topping up air to pump.
Close tap.
Turn power back on to pump.

you can turn the pump off but don't turn on a tap as pressure in your pump and pipes will drop to nothing. if when you turn off your pump and pressure drops off without any tap on you might have a leak!

so, just turn off pump

I would look at the pressure in your system then if you have a pressure gauge and then then top up the pressure in the expansion vessel to .2 to .4 bar (3 to 6 psi) less than your mains pressure . Then turn back on your pump and you should be ok hopefully

at least that is what I do and it has worked for me...

alibabba

mchammer wrote: »

you can turn the pump off but don't turn on a tap as pressure in your pump and pipes will drop to nothing. if when you turn off your pump and pressure drops off without any tap on you might have a leak!

so, just turn off pump

I would look at the pressure in your system then if you have a pressure gauge and then then top up the pressure in the expansion vessel to .2 to .4 bar (3 to 6 psi) less than your mains pressure . Then turn back on your pump and you should be ok hopefully

at least that is what I do and it has worked for me...

Hi

the pressure on the gauge is showing at 2 bar.
I have seen it in the past closer to 4 bar.

I turned off the power to the pump and tried pumping it up but the pressure wont rise. I wonder should i release the pressure first (by turning on a tap) before i try to pump it up ?

mchammer

alibabba wrote: »

Hi

the pressure on the gauge is showing at 2 bar.
I have seen it in the past closer to 4 bar.

I turned off the power to the pump and tried pumping it up but the pressure wont rise. I wonder should i release the pressure first (by turning on a tap) before i try to pump it up ?

I would say the pressure when not being used is 2 bar and when a tap is turned on or there is other demand for the water it goes to 4 bar?? you need to keep the pressure in your expansion vessel lower so you will need to measure the pressure on the expansion vessel separately to the pressure in your mains... if the pressure is not rising in the expansion vessel it might be burst!!! a good way to check is to release some pressure from expansion vessel and if you get water squirting out you can be sure that the bladder is fecked...
hope that helps a bit

may2001

I had a similar problem with my system during the cold spell around last Christmas which was due to icy grit getting stuck in the pressure switch. I took off the pressure switch and cleaned it out with compressed air to solve the problem

alibabba

mchammer wrote: »

I would say the pressure when not being used is 2 bar and when a tap is turned on or there is other demand for the water it goes to 4 bar?? you need to keep the pressure in your expansion vessel lower so you will need to measure the pressure on the expansion vessel separately to the pressure in your mains... if the pressure is not rising in the expansion vessel it might be burst!!! a good way to check is to release some pressure from expansion vessel and if you get water squirting out you can be sure that the bladder is fecked...
hope that helps a bit

The pressure gauge is at 2 bar when in standby mode. Draw some water and it goes up to 4-6 bar, but it pulses up and down. There is still water coming into the house and it has pressure, but you can see it pulsing too, you can also see the lights pulsing too.

I will turn off the pump this evening , run the tap until the pressure drops, and try to pump some air into the vessel.

Thanks for your help.

alibabba

may2001 wrote: »

I had a similar problem with my system during the cold spell around last Christmas which was due to icy grit getting stuck in the pressure switch. I took off the pressure switch and cleaned it out with compressed air to solve the problem

Thanks for the reply.
Ya it only started having trouble when the temp dropped below zero.
The pressure switch ... i assume this is the black box connecteded to the water pipe next to the pressure tank ?

You couldnt explain how to remove this and clear it out ?

may2001

alibabba wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.
Ya it only started having trouble when the temp dropped below zero.
The pressure switch ... i assume this is the black box connecteded to the water pipe next to the pressure tank ?

You couldnt explain how to remove this and clear it out ?

My memory is not great for these things and I constantly find myself making the same discoveries about how things come apart! Anyway, I'll give it a go.

1) Take out the fuse for the pump power supply
2) Open lowest tap to release water from the system
3) Take off the cover of the pressure switch and make a note of the wire connections
4) You can now screw off the pressure switch - I think an open spanner will fit on the bottom of it - I'm not going out now to check!!
5) I can't remember whether the jet screws off with the pressure switch or not.
6) As far as I know the jet is brass on mine and the pressure switch is aluminium
7) Take the jet off and blow compressed air throgh the small end to remove any sediment in the jet.
8) Once you take the jet out any water remaining in the pipes will spew out on top of you - so be prepared to get wet!

May be slightly different to what I recall, but thats most of it anyway. Let us know the outcome.

bbam

may2001 wrote: »

My memory is not great for these things and I constantly find myself making the same discoveries about how things come apart! Anyway, I'll give it a go.

1) Take out the fuse for the pump power supply
2) Open lowest tap to release water from the system
3) Take off the cover of the pressure switch and make a note of the wire connections
4) You can now screw off the pressure switch - I think an open spanner will fit on the bottom of it - I'm not going out now to check!!
5) I can't remember whether the jet screws off with the pressure switch or not.
6) As far as I know the jet is brass on mine and the pressure switch is aluminium
7) Take the jet off and blow compressed air throgh the small end to remove any sediment in the jet.
8) Once you take the jet out any water remaining in the pipes will spew out on top of you - so be prepared to get wet!

May be slightly different to what I recall, but thats most of it anyway. Let us know the outcome.

On a side note I fitted a new switch to our pump last year and noticed they are making the bore of the hole in the switches much larger which will reduce the chances of crap getting stuck in there...

alibabba

Update:

took out the pressure switch and it didnt help.

I have a heat lamp on the pressure tank for the last few days and it hasnt improved the situation.

I just cant seem to pump any air into it at all?
And when i press down on the air valve, nothing comes out, no air or water.

Looks like i might have to get it replaced altogether.

may2001

Unfortunately it looks like a replacement is needed.

I had to replace a 10 year submersible which burnt out in June 2009 and I ended up replacing that one which burnt out again on the day before Christmas Eve last year - lasted just 6 months. Boy, I was so happy to locate a place open to buy the pump at that stage that I was prepared to pay well over the odds to get my hands on one.

Amazing how we take a water supply for granted until it starts acting up. This year I have left an infra red bulb running in the pump house all the time during cold spells. I know that its wasting money, but it gives me peace of mind.

alibabba

My brother-in-law fixed this today, fair play to him.

He opened the tank up altogether (:eek:), he said he emptied any water that was inside. He also blew the pump valve out the way.
Closed it all up again and it kicked in straight away.

He was able to pump it up with pressure and its working fine since.

A few pints at the weekend wont set me back too much.

alibabba

Looks like I need to change my pressure vessel. Can anyone tell me if this is much of a DIY job?

may2001

alibabba wrote: »

Looks like I need to change my pressure vessel. Can anyone tell me if this is much of a DIY job?

It is not a massive job, but getting the connections on the right thread on the new vessell may be a bit tricky. Try and get the same type of vessel so that the connections will be the same. Make sure you allow the system to drain down before disconnecting or you will get a nice cold shower! Ask the supplier of the new vessel what the pressure in the top part of the tank should be - I can't remember what mine was - but I think around 20 psi which is easy enough to get with a foot pump.

alibabba

Looking underneath the tank where the pipe enters, there are about 8 nuts. Is this how I remove the old tank. Does it just pull up from the pipe after I loosen these nuts?

Thanks.

may2001

alibabba wrote: »

Looking underneath the tank where the pipe enters, there are about 8 nuts. Is this how I remove the old tank. Does it just pull up from the pipe after I loosen these nuts?

Thanks.

There should be no need to remove the 8 nuts. It shoudl be possible to unscrew the pipe entering the tank.

As far as I can remember, I removed the pipe from a tee junction on the floor of the pump house and then removed the pipe from the tank in the workshop.