Shallow well sears jet pump w/pressure tank in basement. 30' well and 15' horizontal run to same. VERY mineral rich water. When the pump kicks in it sounds like its straining a bit lately. Im thinking I should pull the pump, dismanle it and clear what Im guessing are serious mineral deposits.
Any thoughts on the matter?
Could well be running dry or be sucking gravel?
Definitely not Definitely not dry well or sucking gravel 30' deep x 3' diameter. water table is about 5' below ground level (lakefront propty)
The "dip Pipe" is about 5' above the bottom of the well. Well only ran dry once a few years back due to a "running" toilet for 2 days straight, and even then it came back up within a few hours..
I don't think you described the noise, so it's hard to guess if it is due to pump wear but.... since you suspect something is blocked, it is probably the foot valve screen in the well. Biomass or scale buildup can do that. If you pull it you might want to cut off 2-3' of the drop pipe to prevent it happening soon. The best would be to clean the bottom of the well if you see any evidence of biomass.
You can get a feel for the blockage by the time it takes the pump to build up pressure and shut off. Normally it shouldn't take much longer than 2-3 minutes max. If it's longer than that, then the pump can be worn or you have a blockage. This assumes that you aren't finding air in the water which says the pump is sucking air due to a leaking fitting or broken line.
Gary Quality Water Associates
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