Pump not pushing past 30psi

[JayyAllaire]

Hey guys! Long time lurker first time poster.
I'm no plumber but I know my way around plumbing a bit. Let me try to give out as much information as possible. The pump is an AO Smith 1hp deep well jet pump with injector in the well(2 lines) and a foot valve which was replaced < 4 years(not my doing been living here for 2 years) the well is about 80' deep as per previous owner recollection. My problems started about 2 months ago when the pressure switch stopped working or so I thought. The pump was filled with sediment(hard water here) and the port to the pressure gauge was completely blocked off along with the pressure gauge. So I cleaned as best as I could and installed a new pressure gauge and new lines to the pressure switch. At that time I had to have the pump body emptied and then I refilled from one of the plug up top(note the priming plug was kind of stuck and the top screw was broken by my fault trying to get it moving). The pump was working kind of ok after that but couldn't push past 40psi(its rated 40-60) and when I got the house I believe it was at about 30-50 maybe due to well depth? Anyway it started acting up this week again and now it wont push past 30psi. The needle on the pressure gauge is also dancing around a lot like flickering when the pump is pumping. My first thought was air in the system so I got the priming plug loose with a big boy pipe wrench and there was water to the top. So I closed it again and ran the pump, drained the water that was in the discharge side(not sure if there's supposed to be pressure at the priming plug but there is) and the water was gurgling, going down and then back up in an instant. That's when I noticed that the the is actually lower than the hole in the foundation going outside to the well(upward slope from the pump). I'm not sure how to go about this. My initial thought was to raise the pump with a little home made platform?

Sorry for the long post trying to give out as much info as I can and looking for insight.

 

[Valveman]

You can try to adjust the back pressure valve with the screw to the left of the discharge pipe. But usually low pressure from a deep well jet pump is the jet nozzle clogged. My guess is the ejector will need to come out and get replaced.

 

[JayyAllaire]

You can try to adjust the back pressure valve with the screw to the left of the discharge pipe. But usually low pressure from a deep well jet pump is the jet nozzle clogged. My guess is the ejector will need to come out and get replaced.

View attachment 47967

Yeah I also thought about the possibility of the ejector being bad. Its winter here now and the well is like 8 inches underground(not 100% why they did it that way I'm guessing not pitless?). Also the pipes are pretty shallow in the ground. Could the ejector line be frozen or partialy frozen? If you're talking about the priming plug screw, I broke that off trying to back it off a little. It was seized solid

 

[Valveman]

If the pipes were frozen I don't think you would see even 30 PSI. I don't think that is a priming plug. It looks like a flow or back pressure control valve. If you loosened it at all you may not have enough back pressure to make the ejector work. Try removing the whole brass fitting and see what is underneath.

 

[JayyAllaire]

If the pipes were frozen I don't think you would see even 30 PSI. I don't think that is a priming plug. It looks like a flow or back pressure control valve. If you loosened it at all you may not have enough back pressure to make the ejector work. Try removing the whole brass fitting and see what is underneath.

You're right its the control valve l. I just found out. Its got some sort of metal plunger that blocks out a port. The thing is seized up solid and cant be turned. Any place I could source this valve? The pump is actually a MJC-100 from Monarch Industry. Also wonder if this could be the culprit since I couldnt play with it while priming

 

[Valveman]

Wasn't hard to find one.
https://minuteman1.com/store/parts/xd-parts/hydraulic/relief-valve-monarch-pump-335/

Without the proper back pressure the ejector will not build pressure. I would add some back pressure before working on anything else. You can replace the back pressure valve or simply put a ball valve on the discharge line and hold back pressure that way.

 

[JayyAllaire]

Wasn't hard to find one.
https://minuteman1.com/store/parts/xd-parts/hydraulic/relief-valve-monarch-pump-335/

Without the proper back pressure the ejector will not build pressure. I would add some back pressure before working on anything else. You can replace the back pressure valve or simply put a ball valve on the discharge line and hold back pressure that way.

So a supplier near by had an old pump from warranty that was sitting around. He gave it to me for free and its the exact same. When you say add presure you mean screwing it so the plunger goes deeper? I know instruction says to turn it back a couple turns after its primed.

Edit: He gave me the control valve not the pump.

 

[Valveman]

Just tighten the adjustment while watching the pressure. If the back pressure valve was the problem the pressure should rise normally.

 

[JayyAllaire]

Just tighten the adjustment while watching the pressure. If the back pressure valve was the problem the pressure should rise normally.

Control valve didnt fix my issue but I was wondering if it could possibly be a suction leak?

 

[Valveman]

Control valve didnt fix my issue but I was wondering if it could possibly be a suction leak?

Sorry it didn't work. Suction leak usually goes to zero pressure. Like I said earlier, 30 PSI is most likely a problem with the jet nozzle.

 

[JayyAllaire]

Sorry it didn't work. Suction leak usually goes to zero pressure. Like I said earlier, 30 PSI is most likely a problem with the jet nozzle.

I appreciate your help! Just trying to grasp on anything that could save me from digging up the well through the ashalpt in this -30 degree weather

 

[Valveman]

I appreciate your help! Just trying to grasp on anything that could save me from digging up the well through the ashalpt in this -30 degree weather

I'll wave my magic wand as well. Lol! But I am afraid the problem is down hole.

 

[JayyAllaire]

I'll wave my magic wand as well. Lol! But I am afraid the problem is down hole.

Im not sure if this is relevant, I had totally forgoten about this. One evening my wife came home with the pump doing weird noises. God knows how long it was running for. This is the sound it was making. She took the video and she turned it off. When I got home I turned it back on and everything was fine. On the video you can see the pressure gauge frozen as it was full of sediment.

 

[JayyAllaire]

I'll wave my magic wand as well. Lol! But I am afraid the problem is down hole.

So I do have an update on this. My buddy came by with his hot water pressure clean. We opened up the lines going to the well. Making sure it wasnt frozen. He got his nozzle down one of the line and water came flowing out of the other(I did not notice if it was from the ejector line or suction line but logically it would be come out of the suction from the ejector). So we figured it wasn't frozen but if the water was flowing from side to the other wouldn't that confirm that the ejector is not clogged? Or could it be partially clogged? I primed and ran the pump again after and it was the same thing, won't go past 30psi.

 

[Valveman]

The pump can only build about 30 PSI. The ejector doubles the pressure and that is not happening.

 

[JayyAllaire]

The pump can only build about 30 PSI. The ejector doubles the pressure and that is not happening.

But the real question is why did the water go from one line to the other? Could the ejector be malfunctioning instead of clogged?

 

[Valveman]

The jet maybe washed out or the venturi not the jet is clogged.