New Water pump, rapid cycling On Off On Off...

[Satcommlee]

Hi,

About a month ago 2 guys masquerading as plumbers installed a tank and a water pump at my house, because I was fed up of the low water pressure from the Moo Ban water tower.

It didnt seem right from the start to be honest and has got prgressively worse..

Now the pump rapid cycles (while Water is being drawn), on 1 second, off 1 second, on 1 second, off 1 second... sure you get the idea...

If you are running a water tap then this cycling is also evident in the flow of the water - it also pulsates.

The water pump is this 150 Watt model..

I'm sure this sort of rapid cycling is not good for the motor, and a similar unit I had in my last house did not have this problem.

The pump sits right next to a 1000 Liter Tank which is about 2 Meters high.

The house is single storey and has 2 bathrooms and 2 showers.

Any suggestions guys?????? much appreciated..

Lee

[ubonjoe]

The pressure tank has to much water in it.

Unplug the pump.Turn off the water supply.

On the side of the tank near the bottom of it there should a plug. Pull the plug out and let it drain until no more water comes out. It will be slow draining.

Then put the plug back in. Turn water supply back on and reconnect the power and let it run until it shuts off.

This should solve the problem.

[nonthaburial]

I had the exact same set up in Manila, and the same issues. The problem turned out to be two fold, the actual pressure setting and an air leak at the inlet. In my case the on off on off was due to the pressure dropping below the preset pressure which was aggravated by the air Inlet. I got totally pissed off calling the suppliers who constantly sent people to sort but couldn't. In the end I did it myself.

[Satcommlee]

The pressure tank has to much water in it.

Unplug the pump.Turn off the water supply.

On the side of the tank near the bottom of it there should a plug. Pull the plug out and let it drain until no more water comes out. It will be slow draining.

Then put the plug back in. Turn water supply back on and reconnect the power and let it run until it shuts off.

This should solve the problem.

This did cross my mind, and I did give it a go....

Maybe I was releasing water from the wrong valve, because it poured out rather than dribled.

I will take a closer look tomorrow... thanks for the advice.

This particular model does not have a gas charged bladder, unlike the square formed pumps..

[Crossy]

As others have noted, rapid cycling is invariably a waterlogged pressure tank.

Make sure the water supply and power are off. Open a tap and let the pressure bleed off, then open the drain tap on the bottom of the tank, there's usually an air inlet on the top too, open it (or take out the pump priming plug).

Wait a while (have a beer).

Button everything back up and test.

If it works, great, if it doesn't, problem

[ubonjoe]

It will work. I have even done a connection to the drain with a valve and piped it outside before to save the trouble of pulling the plug.

[Satcommlee]

As others have noted, rapid cycling is invariably a waterlogged pressure tank.

Make sure the water supply and power are off. Open a tap and let the pressure bleed off, then open the drain tap on the bottom of the tank, there's usually an air inlet on the top too, open it (or take out the pump priming plug).

Wait a while (have a beer).

Button everything back up and test.

If it works, great, if it doesn't, problem

Thanks Crossy, tried that and it is a lot better..

Is still cycling but now it 3 seconds on, 3 seconds off... (Is this normal)

Plus, I now have beer coming out of my taps!

[Crossy]

If you turn on two taps does it cycle less?

The baby pump that Wifey uses in the veggie garden cycles every 5 seconds or so with one hose but runs continuously with two.

[Satcommlee]

If you turn on two taps does it cycle less?

The baby pump that Wifey uses in the veggie garden cycles every 5 seconds or so with one hose but runs continuously with two.

I gave it a try...

It seems to go about 4 seconds on and 2 seconds off

[Crossy]

Sounds reasonable, you could try gently adjusting the pressure switch in an upwards direction, that would reduce the cycling when on one tap.

[Satcommlee]

Sounds reasonable, you could try gently adjusting the pressure switch in an upwards direction, that would reduce the cycling when on one tap.

As always excellent advice, much appreciated.

[Beardog]

It seems like the pumps you have & now I own one cycle way more than the EP models that are square. it took me 3 days of fiddling with the tension on the pressure switch set up to get ours right. It should cycle less with a tap or 2 wide open. The 250-300 would have been a better choice as it should cycle less. The other way to fix the cycling is to add a small inbetween tank that can be topped up with air with a compressor or a bike pump when needed.
This is a picture of the tank from a previous post from another esteemed member.

The tank could be as small as a 5-10 gallon tank for your setup.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Beardog

[Longtooth]

Ubon Joe nailed it at the top.  I had the same problem.  You are truly a Star, Ubon Joe!

[Yellowtail]

If the pump is installed with a bypass, the bypass could be providing enough pressure to shut the pump off if the bypass walve is open, 

[Crossy]

Thread is from 2014, whilst the advice is good a new thread would be a better choice if you have a problem.

 

I'll close this one.