Pump works but is not pumping water

sounds like you still might have a leak. but in the short term bleed off 5 pounds of air from your bladder tank and the pump will turn off quicker. Your pressure switch my has a weaken a bit from age which would effect it turning on and off

Best of luck Tom

Hi jandh40...

You have an air leak somewhere in your piping, housing of the pump or maybe the mechanical seal and that is causing your pump not to pump.
Try to disconnect the piping and hook a water hose up to the pump and turn the pressure on, it should show you where the air leak is by spraying water out of the leak area.
Please take time to rate me

I am going to take a stab at this it sounds like the bladder has gone bad it the expantion tank. Try letting some air out of the bladder tank and see if you get any water if you do then the bladder has gone bad the tank will need replaced. After the replacement turn the limit switch back to normal settings. You can also tap on the tank to see if it is full of water.

Hi, Tom, W/D here.
You shouldn't really need a check valve as the foot valve is in effect a check valve.
Next time that you are near the pump when it kicks on and you are using no water, let it achieve full pressure and kick off. Close the discharge valve, isolating the pump and suction line. Watch the pressure gauge. If the pressure falls, you either have a leak in the suction line, possibly a leak at the well head (sucking air), a leak in the casing riser pipe or bad foot valve.
If the pressure holds steady, open the discharge valve and note the pressure. If it falls immediately upon opening the valve, the leak would be on the house side if the pump. Look then for any sources of water usage (ice maker, drips in the tub, water from the pop-off valve at the water heater, etc.).
Best regards, and good luck.
If I can be of any further assistance, please post back.
--W/D--

The water and therefore the pressure has to be going somewhere. If you are sure that there are no leaks in the house or outside, then the water is going back into the well. There is a check valve either in the suction line of the pump between the top of the well and the pump or down in the well.
If this check valve fails, it allows water to go the wrong way and back to the well. The result is that you lose pressure.
Secondly, you have to be sure that there are no air leaks between the top of the well and the inlet to the check valve. Leaks in that piping will make repriming difficult.
Write back with more and I'll try to help more.
Gary

The pump should only run if you are using water. If you have a leak it will cycle on and off. If it only cycling fast when you're using water, you may need an expansion tank, sometimes referred to as a bladder tank for newer style. If you have a "bladder" tank , the bladder may be leaking and lost it's air charge. This bladder will have an initial air charge, and when the pump runs it will compress the bladder even further. When the pump shuts off the bladder is compressed. When you begin to use water, mainly low flow like one faucet, the bladder will begin to expand expelling the water from the tank until the pressure drops below that of the pump pressure switch. This makes the pump start and stop fewer times.

I have had the same problem there are a few things that can cause it to take longer to shut off, if you are running a sand point well that's usually a sign that the sand point is clogging up,if you have a sistern or a dug well check the screen on the end of the suction pipe,another possible cause is the water level has dropped low enough the pump is having to work harder to pull the water up, you should also check your pressure tank and the points for the pump if the points are sticking the pump will keep running till it builds enough pressure to trip them.Check for leaks in the suction line, if it is sucking air that would cause it to run longer to.I hope these suggestions will help fix the problem. Have a great weekend

I had a similar problem and as a last resort took the pump apart and cleaned it and the jet. It's a very old pump but works ok now.

very iffy to get to seal properly and for the $40 bucks cheaper to get new one

it might be that the pump is prewired at 230 volt and you are running a 115 power supply to it, if motor just humms and little water comes out this might be your fix