Here’s Why Your Well Pump Is Running Constantly

Well pumps are integral in houses that rely on well water. But being a mechanical contraption, it can run it problems like running constantly without stopping. It is a problem you should not ignore whether you have a jet pump or a submersible well pump. Here is everything you need to know about it.

Well Pump Basics

When it comes to having your independent water supply, things sound quite easy. First of all, you have a well, which is, by far, the cleanest source of water there is, or maybe you don’t have access to municipal water, which is why you opt for a water well.

Secondly, you need a mechanical machine to drive the water from the well up to the places where you need it. For that, a well pump is used by many people. A well pump is basically a contraption that follows the basic mechanism of pulling water from the deep well through pressure difference and drive force, and pulls it up to where you need it in the house.

How Many Hours Does A Well Pump Runs Typically?

On average, a well pump runs for almost 6 to 8 hours, and sometimes even 10, depending on the use of water around the house.

However, what isn’t normal is the constant running of the pump. This is actually bad for a lot of reasons. You might think that the water pump running doesn’t mean anything crazy but it does.

Constantly running the well pump will not only cause the electricity bills to rise, but it will also cause the pump to overheat and eventually turn useless.

So, if a pump is running on empty, then you need to figure out what the problem is so that you can tackle the issue and get rid of the pesky issue.

For this, you need to troubleshoot the pump to figure things out. You want to know why the pump is constantly running when it doesn’t need to. Well, there are a couple of reasons behind it that will make sense once you know why it happens.

Causes Of A Well Pump Constantly

Here are some of the most common causes of a well pump that keeps running without stopping.

Someone Is Using Water Or A Tap Is Left Open

The first and most obvious sign is that there is water running somewhere inside the house. This might seem like it’s not the case, but it has to be. Is there a fixture in your house that is left unattended? Is someone using water in the house which is causing the pump to work constantly?

This can happen because the pump will run when you need water in the house, so you need to first check whether all of the faucets are closed or not.

Faulty Pressure Control Switch

If running faucets isn’t a problem and you’ve checked that there is no water tap unattended and running, but the problem persists, then there might be an issue with the pressure control switch.

The pressure control switch in a well pump is a crucial part and it can be out of calibration or faulty because of burning or faulty wires, then you need to do something about it. The pressure control switch controls the pressure cut-in and off values, so it’s something that you need to check beforehand and see if there’s a problem with this.

The Well Pump Is Not Primed

A lot of well pumps are self-priming, but not all of them. So, what you can do in this case, especially if your pump is too old or is a jet pump that needs to be manually primed from time to time, is check the pump and see if there is any fault in the priming assembly.

Usually, there might be a leak in the pipe that causes the pump to lose its prime and that is bad because priming of the pump ensures lubrication and that is something that can lead to the pump losing its efficiency and running constantly.

Water Level Dropped

When it comes to a well pump, there needs to be a certain level of water for the pump to work. This can be the case with submersible pumps and if they’re not fully submerged then they won’t work effortlessly. So, if the well is losing water and the level has decreased then you can expect the pump to run constantly without any actual performance and that is something frustrating.

You need to find a solution to this problem and see why it’s happening. Is it because the well is not cased and the water is somehow escaping? You need to figure out the problem before things take a turn for the worse.

Leaking Pipes

The basic mechanism of the well pump is that it works by shutting off after the pressure in the well pipe reaches a certain value. After that, it will only turn back on once the pump gets a signal that the pressure is dropping.

Well, if the pipe has a leak in it, then it can be a problem because it will constantly bleed out pressure and water and the pump will be alerted again and again to fire up. This can cause the pump to keep running and that is bad for the assembly in the long run.

The Well Pump Is Faulty

Your pump may also be very old and there might be too many things wrong with it to keep repairing it. The better option is to simply replace the pump and call it a day.

There are inexplicable issues with older and faulty pumps that need to be addressed and sometimes it’s better get a well pump replacement MD than to keep repairing the problematic pump. It will save you a lot of time and money in the future.

Fixing The Problem

Well, now you know exactly why a pump can run constantly. This is really bad for the pump and you need to ensure that you’re solving the issue right away.

For this, there are a couple of fixes. If your pump is old, then you can simply replace it with a new one and while you’re at it, make sure to get something that will last you a good time and is a self-priming assembly. If you can get a pump that is easy on the maintenance side of things too, then that’s even better.

Secondly, if there are mechanical issues with the pump or the pipes leading from the well to the pump, then you need to address those too. You can either take a look at them by yourself, or you can get an expert to help you out in this regard too.

This is something that is very important because you can’t possibly know everything about pumps, and while you can do some work, you can’t do all of it, so sometimes, it’s better to hand the work over to the big guys. They’ll do what they need to bring the pump back to normalcy.

Conclusion

A well pump running constantly can be a major problem, so troubleshooting is crucial in order to determine the cause of the problem. You can try the above tips yourself. A better way to deal with this issue is to get help from well pump services Montgomery County who can inspect, spot issues, and perform repairs or replacements as required.