Bugger.... ;0/

That sucks! is there some kind of regulator on your system that could be fouled. I will never admit that I have tapped holes in air lines and water lines that had out of control pressure to where I needed it. Especially with air-no mess. Some may call this oilfield roughneck technology. Goes with fixing anything with a lot of torque and/or great big hammers.

of course your service feller will checkout for sure but in the meantime, a thought is that with old pressure switches, due to repeated on-off cycling, the trip contact points (or 'contacts') become so degraded that they'll actually weld together, thus constant "on" until either you trip the panel breaker off or the breaker trips itself.

The fix ?: if a pressure switch problem then 1) contacts "might" be able to be cleaned up, or 2) to install a new pressure switch ..... or worsely, if you have a submersible pump then that's a bigger problem.....but, this gives you some info to prepare yourself for. Troubleshooting = checking the simple stuff first.

Anyone especially who lives rurally, off-grid, homesteadly, or similarly deals with these infrastructure problems regularly so I think you fit into that category??

And, I keep multiple spare parts handy for those rare but inevitable times when the heating system shuts down on a Christmas Eve (as personally experienced).

...so, i wish you best luck with your water situation - please report what the fix was.

Its common for the solonoid to get stuck and is considered a wear and tear item on a pump housing. Itll be fixed in 15 minutes. No worries. WD40 and a screwdriver can unstick it for a few.

NotA..... the pump I wuz thinkin of was a downhole pump......my submersible is at 188 feet. And, to repair a pump motor at that depth it takes a min 1/2 day of labor X 2 guys + svc truck = soup for supper.

Jet pumps obviously not so complicated and could be, under right circumstances, a DIY fix.

Another pressure switch vote. Can you elaborate on the weird noise ?

Imo, run your water to reduce the pressure on the system before something bursts. I assume there is a pressure gauge somewhere...I'd watch it to ensure you lower the pressure to below 50 psi. You could test it...typical turn on pressure is 20 psi...system on you could run the water to below 20 to get the pump to turn on, then watch the pressure gauge to see if it cuts out like 50psi or so...if it keeps running and building pressure there's your problem.

...say Baddur > (and Sherry).... again, your plumber or expert mechanic, if the pressure switch needs replacing, imo, should continue by replacing the pressure gauge. A new gauge is only a few bucks - but the existing one could be irreparably damaged. Inside the gauge is a metal or neoprene diaphragm that drives the pressure indicator needle that likely is damaged, if not trustworthy, when subjected to extreme pressure.

I'm chirping in here about this because frankly, I'm surprised by what simple and inexpensive components are NOT routinely done, or recommended to the homeowner, when they're called in on an emergency basis. And, when those folks do show up at $200+ for the first hour (followed by $150 each hour thereafter) it only makes economic and common sense to have any other peripherally related hardware to be replaced or at least checked over.
....say Baddur ?

(...and don't ask me to describe the dumbfounding statements the fridge repair hack said to me 3 months ago. That's another gem.)

Well, Dave could have fixed the problem, but I have no idea what to do when it comes to electrical things and I'm not going to take a chance on getting electrocuted out in the pumphouse.

Pressure has come down overnight, so I was able to brush my teeth and flush. I figured there might be enough pressure left where I could use the water sparingly and so far, so good.

Will call a repair person at 8 when they open and hopefully they can get here today.

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I'm just not good at stuff like this.

Hope they come right out fer ya...
Good luck..

A Woman with no water..
Is ..never a good thing... :0/

If it's a pump with a bladder/tank what's the air pressure in the bladder also. If it has a valve (should look like a bicycle air cap) on the top of it you can check it with a bike tire gage before proceeding. Common fail point is the bladder. Post a pic if you can.

I tried to do a repair on my water pump back whens I had one,,, accidenttaly endid up bypasin my water meter thing,, water company came by, slapped me with a fine!! I couldn't pay it so they took the whole thing out!! better to get someone to get it out,,then risk it! I miss my running water,,,, yipes

Sherry: "... not going to take a chance on getting electrocuted out in the pumphouse."

Yes!! Much better to get electrocuted in the comfort of your house.     

There's a bit of ice on some of our roads, but anyway, yesterday we went to a pancake breakfast two towns down the road.  A lady said/exclaimed/??:  "You drove all the way here from Russell?!?!" So I replied, "Oh no!  We only drove as far as Binscarth and then walked the rest of the way."  Fwiw, her husband seemed to think it was kinda funny.

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Jedediah, why not accidentally tap off of the main line ... but run enough water through the meter so ... what you don't kow won't hurt you.  I'm no expert on town water distribution systems, but what I've experienced is that when it's metered, the supplier is providing the pressure [i.e. consumer wouldn't have a pump in his/her house]???  ... or is it like an irrigation system... the user pays for the water he "draws off"?

Well, it turned out to be one of those domino effect things. The pressure valve wasn't working and the high pressure in the water tank messed up the bladder so..... instead of a simple replacement part, I got a system upgrade with a pressure regulator that now has a relief valve and a new water tank. The new system also has a faucet you can turn on and relieve pressure, although I'd have to get down on my hands and knees to hook a hose up to it. Got it all done in about an hour and a half and they ran out of insulation, so they have to come back and finish that.

Instead of costing a few bucks, it cost $1,700 .... ouch! That plus the dentist this morning and I'm broke!

Glad you've got the upper hand.  I haven't done much on the supply end of things since we sold our rural property 2010ish, so I'm out of the loop so to speak,  but $1700 sounds plenty high ... even though it is those funny looking ones y'all use down there [i.e. about $2200 of ours]. 

Doesn't opening any tap/faucet relieve the pressure?

I've got a root canal scheduled for Wed. a.m.  Apparently the cost is $1100 [of ours], but I expect the dental insurance plan our federal government instituted this past summer will cover it.   Livin' the dream, I tell ya!!

Ouch! But glad it got sorted out...and you have a reliable system now.

quote:

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Originally posted by Owen

Glad you've got the upper hand.  I haven't done much on the supply end of things since we sold our rural property 2010ish, so I'm out of the loop so to speak,  but $1700 sounds plenty high ... even though it is those funny looking ones y'all use down there [i.e. about $2200 of ours]. 

Doesn't opening any tap/faucet relieve the pressure?

I've got a root canal scheduled for Wed. a.m.  Apparently the cost is $1100 [of ours], but I expect the dental insurance plan our federal government instituted this past summer will cover it.   Livin' the dream, I tell ya!!

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Yes, opening any tap/faucet helps relieve the pressure, however this one you can attach a hose to and empty the water tank rather than opening faucets all around the yard.  Came with the rest of the system as part of it. 

Its about 800 worth of equipment so 1700 isnt bad. Just a shame they recommended a whole new system for a sensor fail.

Reminds me of an AC guy who recommended a 12k total restart when a 65 dollar grainger motor fixed it. But getting a reset gets it over with long enough.

Yes, as I understand things, it's main purpose would be to facilitate repair work.

Sherry >

I'm supposin but hope you paid with credit card ( ? ) > Air Miles ya know.

Sounds though like a person should be reassured by the fixer/plumber that the system will be healthy for another 10 years.

tip: if you have hard enough water or sediment then the valve at bottom of new tank is to drain out the buildup occasionally to keep tank sort of cleanish.

tip: depending on water PH etc., I learned the hard way to insist that the basic system fittings be bronze rather than the most commonly used galvanized.

(...never know what a person can learn here "Off Topic.")

If your well has bladder tank to regulate pressure, those rubber bladders inside the metal tank can break after so many years, waterlogging the tank , so your pump will pump full steam ahead when water is asked of it. Check your pressure tank if you have one.

I just had my pressure tank replaced. Caught the pump continuously running and cut the power. Called a well guy, and he came the next day. Brought a replacement tank with him just in case. On our phone call he asked me how old the pump and system was. I told him we’d been here for 30yrs and everything was here working when we moved in. That told him to throw a tank on the truck. All the work was done in 2 hrs with the water back on. $1,200. Internal bladder had ruptured and bottom rusted. It was leaking like crazy when I discovered it.

The well guys showed up yesterday morning about 9 and finished the insulating of the pipes. Now it's all ready for winterrtime.

I always wonder if I'm being taken advantage of when things like this happen. However, I used a well-known and respected company so I don't think so. Just glad I decided to check on it Sunday before the pressure ruptured a pipe or pipes and really caused a problem.

Going back to the OP .... shouldn't a system have a pressure relief valve that opens before the gauge "pegs out"?

quote:

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Originally posted by Owen

Going back to the OP .... shouldn't a system have a pressure relief valve that opens before the gauge "pegs out"?

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I'm sure it should but this one didn't.  It does now.

Oops, sorry I didn't read the full thread before I posted above, I see that the bladder tank was part of the issue. My brother is having the exact same issue with his well right now, but he does all his own work (he's a retired contractor) so it's only costing him less than $500 all-in.

He's installed, and I am installing, a pressure regulator on the system. I have city water near the end of a line and have been advised that it's a good idea to have a pressure regulator in place. So it's included in the full re-plumb the house I'm renovating.

Your repairs will last your lifetime and beyond. I'm glad it worked out and is fixed. This stuff is never fun.