Water going back into well

[ColtsNeck]

I have a jet pump with one inlet and outlet(Shallow well). I'm not a plumber but I know my problem. The water is leaking back into my well. after the water is pumped in, the pump shuts off and like a couple of minutes later the pump turns on. I know my check valve is leaking but the well is so old that is seams easier to just put another check valve in between the well and the pump. Can i do this? I know my pressure tank is holding the water fine because I have a valve in between the pump and the tank. When the tank fills up I shutoff the valve. Water stays in there fine. The problem is that I'm now the check valve where I manually turn on the pump to fill the tank up(man is it getting annoying). Please advise. thanks in advance Damon

[bumtracks]

might try leaving the valve between the tank and the pump open to let the pressure better hold close the well check valve closed - otherwise replace that check valve after lookin for any sign (or sounds of) of air leaks between pump and well points which will also cause it to loose prime and usually give you a lot of bubbles when its running.

[Harry K]

I don't follow that at all. YOu seem to be saying your system is as follows:

Well-valve-pump-valve-tank. Is that correct?

Where is the pressure gauge located? If it is at the tank, the pump would never come on until you told it to (unless the 2nd valve is leaking). If it is at the pump, it should be short-cycling, i.e, turning on/off rapidly (again unless the 2nd valve is leaking).

If it is cycling every few minutes (when you do nothing) the only way I can see that happening is if the tank pressure is bleeding down. Yet you say teh 'water stays in there fine'.

The first check valve -should- be the foot valve. There should be no other valve between that and the pump.

Harry K

[nonsense-master]

If you well is that old, I suggest you not use the water. The water is much too old to be used until the water is changed. Do this the same way you change the oil in your car, and be sure to change the filter too.

Far too many people neglect to change the water in their wells. This is normal maintenance for a well owner and should be performed yearly.

I personally change the water in my well, the same time I change the oil in my car, and change the air in my tires at the same time too.

[Randd01]

Ha Ha Ha! I think its an air leak on the suction side of the pump. If the check valve is bad it still should not drain back to the well unless there is an airleak. you can get some waterpump grease and coat the outsides of all the joints and see if the problem goes away.

[ColtsNeck]

I have the following well>>Spring Check Valve>>Pump>>Ball Valve>>Tank

the spring check valve seems to need a lot of pressure for it to fully close(meaning the new one I just put in) when I close the ball valve the psi meter goes to zero, but when I open the ball valve the meter goes to like 38 psi then it does not leak anything. The pump will not run until it needs to(until the next time it fills up), but it just seems the valve needs a lot of pressure for it to close. could it be I'm using a wrong valve or are there valves that are for a specific psi. I used a brass spring check valve. I saw a swing check valve would that work better, I only ask because maybe it would not need as much pressure to close.

Please advise.

[science-is-fun]

You could always add a valve on the pipe going to the well, and right after the pump runs, shut it off until the pump needs to run again. You'd be using that valve pretty often, but the valve would never get stuck that way. If you got lots of money, you could even have an engineer design a relay operated valve that could be radio controlled so that a remote control could turn it off an on, and you could just carry the remote control with you wherever you are in the house.

[Harry K]

The water will leak back without an airleak. It is under pressure from the air in the tank.

Try replacing the checkvalve. It sounds like the footvalve (that is at the end of your suction pipe) failed and someone installed the checkvalve you are talking about vice replacing the footvalve. If changing that checkvalve doesn't work, try asking here again.

From your post it would seem that your pressure gauge is on the pump vice the tank (or at least on the pump side of the ball valve) correct??

Harry K

[ColtsNeck]

Hi Harry,

yes your are right it will leak without an air leak. I actually removed the spring valve and put a swing valve right behind the pump and it seems to be working great so far. the spring was the wrong choice. The pressure gauge is on the pump side. I hope I do not have to deal with this pump for a while.

[Harry K]

Maintaining well systems is an ongoing thing. There really isn't much to them and if you have a basic understanding of how they work, it is just a matter of tackling the problems logically. Unfortunately, it seems that Murphy's Law applies and the serious problems (out of water) only appear at 2:00 a.m. on at -20 degree night. You actually had the problem nailed in your first post.

Harry K