well pump\tank

7mm-08

Twelve Pointer
Ok. So I had a fiasco a couple weeks ago after several years of my water pressure declining, and most recently the well not cutting off at all, yet providing extremely poor pressure. I suspected multiple problems, and I needed water. To save a few bucks I decided to give it a whirl myself and did all the tests that google gave me to do and knew I needed a new bladder tank. Off to Lowes I go. I come home with a new 36 gallon tank and yank out the old 20 gallon tank, reinstall and hit the switch. Well to my disappointment the well pump ran constantly and I had worse pressure than before. The pump was many years old an leaking around the shaft so I figured the pump wasn’t pushing enough water. It’s an above ground deep water pump. I yank the pump and splice in the new one and pressure switch. Set it to 30-50 and the empty tank to 28lbs. This time I hit the switch and presto! Now about two weeks later I still have good pressure and constant pressure as all seems to be working, but when the pump cuts off after refilling the tank after a long draw time it fills up, cuts off, then immediately short cycles once or twice for just a second or two then acts fine until the next time we use a lot of water. All my google searches come up blank for this one. I did add a check valve between the pump and tank when I was doing all the above. What gives?
 

Cainsable

Guest
I am not an expert but it sounds like you may have some air still in the lines,this happen to me years ago,very similar the air stayed at the tank,it eventually went away
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Let all the water out of your tank and set the pressure in your bladder to about 30# that should cure your problem, it needs to be at least 30# if your switch is 30-50#. If it doesn't check your pressure switch, it could be bad from the factory or the orfice could have a piece of sand in it. That thing is small going to the diaphragm in the pressure switch and may have an obstruction.
 
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7mm-08

Twelve Pointer
That's always a chance I didn't change that just the pump. I'm kind of thinking it has more to do with an air pocket in the lines or the check valve between the pump and the bladder. It only does it once or twice right when the pump cuts off. If it were something else I think it would do it all the time.
 

7mm-08

Twelve Pointer
Could the check valve between the tank and pump make the switch feel like there is no pressure on it once the pump cuts off and the valve closes the only pressure on the switch is what's between the valve and the switch. If the valve were taken out the switch would feel the water in the tank also.
 
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