Water Pump Problem

[Artisi]

JusMe - looks like a leak somewhere in the system and not a pump problem. Best of luck

[xylophone]

Always start at the place which most recently has had work done on it.............in your case you mentioned ripping out a bath, installing a shower, and putting in a new sink.

Start there first and good luck.

[JusMe]

SUCCESS!!

Found the leak and replaced the pipe. All sounds silent, which means the pump isn't coming on every couple of minutes to renew the pressure.

We first put valves in between the two pipes leading to the bathroom and kitchen. Turned the one to the bathroom off, and waited. Very quickly the pump kicked in. That meant the leak was in the kitchen pipe, between the pump, going underground to the back corner of the house, around, and then into the wall at the kitchen. We also tested by turning that off and opened the valve to the bathroom wall. Nothing - pump stayed silent.

That meant that we didn't have to rip open the bathroom wall. We simply cut off the kitchen pipe, and replaced it with one going around the outside of the wall, and then through the wall directly to the kitchen sink.

So, it wasn't where the most recent work had been done. Not sure if it was underground (probably) or in the portion inside the wall coming into the kitchen, but if something goes wrong again, it's all easily accessible.

Cost me a total of 1,200 baht - supplies and labour total.

Result: success, and peace of mind.

[longball53098]

Super news and now the pump is working a lot less and saving some electrons for another day.

[xylophone]

Good to hear a success story, esp one concerning a pump which keeps going on and off..............heard many like that!! And will remember the advice about running a new pipe on the outside of the house!!!

[rideswings]

Im installing a new pump in my rental apartment because the water pressure to the third floor is very low and the pressure in the rest of the apartment varies throughout the day. Im not sure how old the pipes are here, but am I making a mistake by adding a pump and tank to an old house? Should I expect some leaks? The installer of the pump said that the lines in the house are thin and I might have a problem in the future, so Im wondering if I should just replace the old pipes now? It would give me peace of mind even though it is only a rental.

[powderpuff]

Lots of times Thai workmen don't install shut-off valves at each toilet. Below is a picture of a proper valve. Can buy at Homepro or tile/bathroom shops. Totally you should add them if your toilets don't have already.

[lopburi3]

Actually this thread was about leaking pipes rather than tolet valves (which have little to do with leaks - but are nice for troubleshooting). In the case of Thailand that is not what should normally be used as there is need for two outputs - one for tank and one for spray - and the spray valve needs to be independently adjustable.

[powderpuff]

At the risk of sounding as pedantic as some people the thread was about a pump cycling too often - which is a symptom of a leaky toilet.

Far be it from me to question a mod on here.

Congratulations on finding the leak.

Edited December 27, 2009 by powderpuff

[Pdaz]

I have exactly the same pump..

There are two posible problems..

The easy one is air in the system and it needs to be bled out.. on the highest part of the pump assembly you will see what looks like a big plastic phillips/crosspoint bolt head.. Turn it slowly anti clockwise until either you get a fart of air out or water runs freely.. Don't undo it completely or it will pop off and you will have water everwhere.. just loosen it a few threads.. Okay with done wait and see if your pump still runs on it's own..

It's still doing it ? Okay..

In that case it is a suggested probably a leak.. But not necessarily in the pipework..

There is a lot of grit and debris in Thai domestic water and it often gets stuck in household water valves..

Best idea is to go round to your toilets and turn off the water to each cistern ( small 1/4 turn valve is usually next to the inlet) once that is done check to see if the pump is still running.. If not the problem is one of the toilets ball valves.. Open them one at a time to isolate which one is causing the problem.. Then either clean or replace it. Other places similar are dripping taps or leaking valves into strorage tanks.

If all of this fail then it will be a pipe leak.. and yes they are very common here.. Somchai just can't get the sand the pipe, clean, dry and use good quality glue business.. It's just to difficult..

If it does turn out to be grit, debris in the system you can install a large strainer/filter unit after your water meter it will help solve the problem in future..

Just realised you'd fixed it already.. well done

Edited December 27, 2009 by Pdaz

[Pib]

It takes "only a very small leak" to cause the pressure pump to kick on and off. I had a water hose connection/very small leak that drove me crazy for while in causing the pressure pump to kick on and off. I kept looking for a larger leak while not realizing how a very small leak can cause the problem. I now know.

The key is realizing that a leak of only a few drops in size over a few minutes will cause a pump with small tank reservoir/plenum to kick off an on all too often.

Edited December 27, 2009 by Pib