Hydropneumatic pump does not stop

[dimitris]

I have a water pump system installed in my house, connected to a tank before the central water supply. The professional that installed it cold it "hydropneumatic". In general it works fine and there is good pressure in the house. Normally a few seconds after using tap water the pump stops. Recently it started not stopping i.e. it continues to work making noise and I have to get out and switched its electrical supply off. This is more likely to happen when I use water for longer time but it sometimes happens when I use water for just a minute or so. I have done a few experiments and it can stay up even up to 45 mins at which point I switched the electrical supply off i.e. it wouldn't stop at all. Usually when I switch the electrical supply off and then on, it goes back to normal. However, sometimes it still continues working after I switch it back on even if I don't use water.

The pump is fairly new, it is now about 1 month old and started presenting this issue at about 2 1/2 weeks after installation.

This now happens quite frequently and I think it will damage the pump if not addressed - let alone consuming electricity when not needed. The professional that installed it is not responding and living in a remote village I kind of have to fix it myself. I am not a plumbing professional. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Valveman]

Hydro-pneumatic just means air over water style pressure tank. There are a lot of different type pumps out there. Will need to know what kind of pump you have to be of any help? Maybe post a picture as that is worth a thousand words. But you are correct that it will destroy the pump and it doesn't take long to cause damage.

I am also assuming you are pumping from a well? Or is this pump boosting water that comes from a central water supply?

 

[dimitris]

The water goes from a central water supply into a tank, then through the pump into the house. I'm posting photos and a video with the sound that it makes which is the same when it is working as it should, it just doesn't stop after the water flow is stopped.

Thanks

 

[Valveman]

I had a hard time finding specs for that pump, but I finally found it. Yes, that is a straight centrifugal pump. It will only build 36 PSI max. I don't know how it is working at all with a pressure switch as 20/40 is usually the minimum. I guess it will work if the switch is adjusted to 10/30, but that is very low pressure for a house or anything. You really need a "jet pump" as the jet doubles the pressure from the centrifugal impeller. The same 1HP pump with a jet will produce 65/75 PSI max and will work with a 30/50 or 40/60 pressure switch.

With a jet pump and a PK1A kit to control the pump and deliver constant pressure to the house, the pressure would be so much stronger that you will no longer even need soap in the shower. Lol!