Last May I turned up the cut-on pressure to 40 and the cut-off pressure to 60psi on my well pump. Until December we were enjoying the increased force at the shower head and the outside faucets where I wash the vehicles. In December, January, and again today the screens inside the washing machine hoses stopped up as did each faucet aerator. When I inspect them I find pieces of brown felt stopping up the flow. Watching the pressure guage everything appears to be normal, but I'm guessing the debris is disintegrating felt seal(s) inside the submersible pump. The pump is a 1/2 HP 10gal/minute and about 18 years old. Any advise from you deep well plumbers would be appreciated. I don't want to pull the pump but it looks like I'm gonna have to.
Nat

 

In our area, we tend to have calcium or other minerals build up in the screens. Most of the time it's rather soft. The felt, I don't know. I think all the pumps have o-rings and compression seals.
18 years old????? Might be time to replace or possible rebuild.
Pulling the pump ain't a big deal, unless it's 200 ft deep.

 

I agree, pulling a pump ain't that big of a deal (as long as it is someone else!!). Anyhow, have you thought of an inline filter? You can pick up a filter assembly that takes the standard 10" filter just about anywhere. You can get just sediment, or you could get sediment and taste, or just about anything you want for cartridges.
Tom

 

With all the brown stuff in your wells up there, you need an in-line filter. You have had a bunch of rain - - probably changing things. My friend in Franklin changes his in-line once a month, minimum or his water turns red.

 

A filter is a must. Put it someplace you can easily service it. Felt? No clue. I've never heard of brown felt in a water pump. The seals aren't made of felt or they would degrade badly. Most of the seals are neoprene or teflon. You have a strange one. We get alot of calcium in our water here. Looks like little white rocks. Occasionally I see iron deposits but you know what rust looks like. Maybe they installed felt around the pump to protect it against freezing if it's shallow and maybe it degraded and fell into the intake????????

 

Down here our iron content is huge.

I have 2 inline "wholehouse" filters right on my back porch. They filter the water just before it enters the house. I use the cotton filters, and they only last about a month.

If we didnt have these, our white clothes would turn orange after about the 3rd wash!!

We also have a filter on our sink faucet for drinking water. It really makes good drinking water.

 

OUCH that hurts! Have you guys been talking to my wife again? She said, "Why don't you put the water filter back in maybe that'll take care of it." The old filter had not been changed in years and it was still grey not brown so I left it off when I moved the water tank to a different location in the basement in May. (Required burying new pipe to the well and a new concrete base and cover). Alright, ALRIGHT! I'LL ADD A BRAND NEW WATER FILTER TO MY TO-DO LIST. I hope you guys are happy now!

 

Are you sure you're not talking about the septic system?
Nat

 

EEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

 

Nat,

My parents live just north of Mount Airy so it is kinda the same rock type as what you are drilled into. After 18 years, 12 years full-time, they still get rock dust whenever the water table changes significantly. Well is about 400 feet deep so there is alot of rock wall for stuff to fall off of.

I put a centrifugal filter on their system many years ago to catch the big stuff. This is plumbed in before the pressure tank. After the pressure tank I installed 2 parallel wound cotton string filters with cutoffs on each side so i could pop them out without having to depressurize the entire system.

My Dad doesn't usually check them very often but I tend to look in on them every time I go up there. For what it cost for the centrifugal filter those many years ago it has saved no telling how many of the wound cotton filters by stopping the big stuff before it got to them.

I have in-laws that just drilled a 700+ foot deep well on Lake Lure that I am waiting to hear them ask me to help get the grit out. It is sometimes a pain being the the only handyman/engineer in the family (but I do have keys to a really nice house on Lake Lure with a view of Chimney Rock out the living room glass wall )

 

And, is the RV pad installed yet? I need 50a service, please.

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you guessing is right on your pump is going south and it sounds like it has given you a long life!!! . A 1/2 hp is not a big pump and is will only pump around a 100 to a maybe 125 feet. It should be a easy pull and swap. Might suggest when you change the pressures on the pressure switch you need to change the air pressure on your tank also as it depends on the pressure the switch is set too. Goodluck,,,Rick

 

Thanks guys for the input. Let me add some more info. The well is 250' and the pump is sitting 5' above the bottom of the well. There is a small amount of rockdust in the bottom of both the toilet tanks so I know the pump needs to be pulled up another 10 feet or so and yes an inline filter would catch that. Concerning the felt gathering on the aerators and washing machine screens, it rolls off with a finger and stays together in a ball until it dries. Tearing it apart after it dries it apears to be fiberglass felt just like felt electric motor oiler pads. I'm wondering if the pump is about finished because the lights dim more now than they used to each time the pump cycles. I'm betting the impellers on the pump have felt washers between the seals.
Nat
I did change the airtank precharge to the same as the cut-on pressure when I changed the switch settings.

 

FiverBob,

No way you could get a fiver in and back out of the road up and around the mountain and back down to their house. I had my 28' gooseneck drop-axle up there this weekend delivering an awning for them. Came close to highsiding it a couple of times and I know I scraped the back brace at least twice. Was running an orange beacon on top because I knew I was going to be using all of the road and then some on the curves.

Backed in down the gravel drive (they redid the gravity walls when they bought it and haven't gotten the pavement done yet) that is probably a 30* slope. Took a running start and full throttle to get the beast up the hill - crappy stock torque converter actually saved me from spinning the wheels on the gravel. Spiked the trans temp a couple of times on some of the slower hills but that was expected.

The roads up there are much more fun in the Porsche than the truck.

Beautiful area, great place to visit (especially when the rent is free), but I can't afford a house on that lake. And I don't think the neighbors would take too kindly to having my 1973 Winnebego Brave plugged into the house up there for a weekend (not that I could afford the gas to get it there or that it would survive the twisting).

 

That is remarkable 250ft with a 1/2 horse!! Might look into at least a 3/4 if not a 1hp. I also set all my pumps min 15 to 20 ft off bottom. If you have the room for a larger capacity press tank I would suggest to look into one to help with the cycling. I have a pulling unit, but with a couple of buddys you could still pull it yourself if it is piped with pvc. We used to do it when we were younger Ha Ha. If steel then forget it and hire someone. Goodluck,,,Rick