Jet Pump Pressure Switch
And this pressure switch also will shut the pump off if the pressure drops below 19psi.
And this is the problem.
Most of the time, everything works great. But, if the well runs dry the pump will continue to run, overheat, melt the fittings, then stop. Water will spray everywhere as the fittings fail and the pressure finally plummets below 10psi and the pump finally shuts off. Or, there’s a thermal switch in the motor that triggers the shut down.
Either way, the pump runs dry, and heat softens and destroys the fittings that attach to the inlet and outlet side of the cast iron housing. Now this is a pretty specific problem to have but, I think anyone with a shallow well might run into this from time to time. So I hope this video could help someone out.
I was not addressing the problem
And (I’m embarrassed to say) I’ve rebuilt these sections too many times without finding a solution to this issue. I keep thinking I’ll turn off the watering system before the well gets too low — catch it before it runs dry in the summer. But I miss that and have to keep replacing the melted fittings. Or, if there is ever a leak in my system, we don’t notice it (like a leak underground), and the pump just keeps running it will also run this shallow well dry.
I am really surprised that this pump still works. It does not run quiet like it did when it was new so, I’m sure there’s some damage inside and I’ll have to replace it soon.
So, I’ve been scratching my head trying to find a way to switch off the pump if the well runs dry. I could rig up a float system inside the well that would control a switch in the pump house but, I can’t find one that would work in my particular setup here.
What I think would work is a thermostat on the pump that would shut it down if the housing temperature got too high. Like it would in a run-dry situation.
And it’s just a coincidence that my last video featured a thermostat solution as well. The one I did modifying and RV Roof Vent Fan.
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Well run dry this Spring
We happen to have an unusually dry spring and I was pulling extra water from the well to add to my rainwater tanks and I just over did it and the well ran dry a few days after that. I didn’t give it enough recharge time. That’s just how things have worked out.