Problem with home Water pump cycling on

jlw919

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Sep 18, 2003
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My house located in Santiago water pump cycles on every 10 minutes or less whether water is being used or not. I have had the water company check pressure to house with their equipment and it is good. I have had several different plumbers?? check for pressure leaks with no results. Without pump being on have no pressure to 2nd floor and little to lower floor. I have checked the sinks, showers, toilets. With pump on good pressure everywhere. It?s obvious something is causing the pressure leak that is still to be determined. Has anyone had a similar problem and resolved it? Ideas?
 

AJL6767

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Apr 14, 2011
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Pump cycles on/off depending on pressure within the system. You probably yhave a loss of water in the system that is not detectable by normal means. The CAASD in Santo Domingo has a dedicated person with specialized equipment for this purpouse. The special stethascope type equipment can locate leaks by sound in areeas where ears cannot pick it up. I had this problem several times and was able to locate and correct. I am thinking about purchasing one of these modern units but they rub between 1,500-2,500 USD$
 

TheHun

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May 4, 2008
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There could be a bad check-valve (one way valve) which leaks back, releasing the pressure. This is a cheap part, most hardware store sells it, easy to replace too.

The Hun
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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"Bleed" your pressure tank,if you have not already done so. It can get a lot of water inside the tank,then there is little air in the tank to maintain water pressure.Then the pump cycles on and off a lot. Do you have a tinaco,cisterna??They can be part of the problem,or the solution depending on pressure and leaks.Cisternas have a one-way-valve ( Check Valve)that allows you to draw water,and not let water,and pressure, to leak back into the cisterna.

Isn't this a GREAT Country!
You have to have your own "Water Company,Electric Company,Police force,Teachers,Garbage collection.

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"Great Minds Run Together!"
Like the "HUN" saiys! "Check",your "Check"!
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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I had this twice with different reasons - the first was that there was no air in the pressure tank it was all filled with water so when you used the slightest bit the pump came on .......the second was a worn wheel in side the pump which wasnt pumping enough water so the pump was on for longer periods than it should have been


where are you located I can recommend a nice man in Sosua
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
First I would check the bottom seal in the tank of all of the toilets to make sure they are securely sealed. Even a little water leaking into the toilet can cause the pressure drop and is not always easily recognizable. Then as others have noted you need to check the pressure tank/pump assembly specifically the tank and the check valve.

If this isn't it and you aren't having any filtration problems that are noticeable AND if you have an outside hose spicket that's separated from the house it could be the underground line feeding it.

Good luck.
 

Ringo

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Mar 6, 2003
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You have a leak or water running somewhere. Check to make sure that a toilet is not ?running?. We have to replace the seals at the bottom of the tank that is connected to the outside flush handle or adjust the overflow every few years.

You may also have a ?water logged? pressure tank that needs to be drained, letting in air that is the pressure cushion for the system. When the tank is empty, check the control valve on the tank by removing and cleaning any rust that has built up. You can ?Google? and get more information on how to do this, have a plumber do it or just ask here for directions. Not a difficult job but can take a couple of hours or so depending on the size of your tank and system.

Good luck.

(I see others have had the same problem.) ;)
 
May 29, 2006
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It may not be a pressure issue, esp if it's been raining or very humid where you live (and it is the tropics). Pressure switches are prone to arcing in damp conditions which will cause the switch to throw even when a signal hasn't been sent to it. The dampness causes the switch to arc and trigger the connection and eventually the metal contactor screws will burn out.

Check for it being a leak by shutting the water off right after the pump (in an ideal world, you should have a cut off valve before and after the pump.) If it is still cycling with no change in pressure, then there is a problem with the pressure switch.

Shut the power off to the unit. There should be a gray or blue cover over the switch about 2"x3" held down with a small hex nut. If you lift it, you will see two vertical screw posts(one large, one small) with springs on them and four connectors about 1/4" diameter with a small gap between them. When the pump comes, on the connectors come together to complete the circuit. But because the gap is so small, it can arc when it is damp which can burn out the switch and stress the pump. If there is any blackening on the contacts, you need to have the pressure switch replaced(under $20 in the US)

If the contacts look good and if the weather hasn't been very too humid, the other place to check is the water feed to the pressure switch. This is a narrow copper pipe between the switch and the pump with large brass fittings on either end. If some debris partially clogs it, the pressure switch won't work properly. Shut the water and power off and undo the end closest to the switch. This will be a bit wet to do. Turn the water on enough to flush the line of any debris out and reconnect it(ideally with teflon thread tape).

Sometimes the problem will simply go away when the weather gets dryer. If you think it's dampness, I'd shut the power to the pump off so it's not arcing when you're away for the day. A small fan to reduce condensation may work too, but I've never tried it.

PressureSwitch001DJFsm.jpg


If none of this works and there is pressure loss without an visible leak, then try replacing any check valves. A check valve is a one way valve. If the pump was not installed with a check valve and then you can lose pressure with water back washing through the pump. They can be identified with an arrow on the fitting pointing in the direction the water should be going and there should be one right after the pump. They can be prone to failing with a bit of grit blocking them open.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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we had the same problem. in layman terms: some thingy inside the pump is filled with water. someone above explained it better :)
in any case, have someone take a look at a pump, empty it and clean valves or whatever they're called. very cheap to fix.
 
May 29, 2006
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Here is one type of check valve. It's the brass fitting just in front of the pump:

JetPumpCheckValve020DJFs.jpg


However, they come in several shapes. Some can be taken apart to clean out any grit that may have caused them to fail. If your pump doesn't have one of these in front of it, then that would be where you should start.
 

avi8or57

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Nov 25, 2010
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I had this twice with different reasons - the first was that there was no air in the pressure tank it was all filled with water so when you used the slightest bit the pump came on .......the second was a worn wheel in side the pump which wasnt pumping enough water so the pump was on for longer periods than it should have been


where are you located I can recommend a nice man in Sosua

Can you please give me this guy's info in Sosua...I might be in the need of his services. Thanks!
 

jlw919

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Sep 18, 2003
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Update on water system:
Finally gave up on trying to fix the issue a piece at a time. Got a new plumber, had him rip out everything connected to pump and the pump and the tank . Replaced all with new parts with me watching the install and all my problems gone. Good pressure throughout home and no more cycling of pump. Cost a little but just got tired of supposedly plumbers not being able to fix.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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YOU COULD have just "bled" the water out of the pressure tank ( as was suggested above) with the same results.Takes any plumber,even the most ignorant Dominican plumber,about 15 minutes,costs 3 to 500 pesos.
When your new system shows the same,"Old Symptoms" are you going to replace the whole system yet again ?

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