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dan dan is offline
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Default Water pressure pump keeps turning on

On Mon, 7 Jun 2021 13:43:50 -0700, Bob F wrote:
5 turns each at 2-3 PSI per turn is 20-30 PSI lower setting for the
peak PSI and 10-15 lower for the start PSI. Not surprising at all.
Why did you adjust both, and why so much?


To tell you the truth, I went out there with the wife yelling at me to stop
watching that video and just turn the water on and I was writing to you
taking time and she got frustrated and said she was going to turn the water
on herself (she was doing her Monday cleaning and she likes it just so).

I brought only a set of nut wrenches with me but found that the 3/8" center
bolt was too tall so I only was able to loosen the side 3/8" nut the five
turns and then I tested to see if the pump shut off.

I am not the first owner so I can only assume the original range was 20psi.
If I assume the top end was set at 60 (the nut was far down the bolt),
then dropping that top end to 50 should, theoretically, get me below the
52psi the pump was capable of.

The pump didn't stop but that setting is plus or minus a lot of guesswork.

Luckily, given the cleaning chores of the wife, the water soon ran out, so I
then loosened the center bolt the five turns, and that's what solved it.

If the top was originally 60 and if I dropped the top by 10 loosening the
side nut and then by another 10 loosening the center nut that makes the top
end 40 which seems to be just about where it may be.

The range, if it was 20 is now only 10 though, so that makes the kick-on
point about 30 which makes the turn on at 30 and the turn off at 40.

It has been working automatically all day since but I haven't been able to
catch it on the start since I'm doing things around the house. It may take a
few days before I get a feeling of what the new interval is but I'm ok with
the one observed 1-1/2 minute running to 37 psi.

BTW, she asked me what happens to a washing machine when water runs low?
I told her I didn't know.
Do you?

I'd put the small spring back where it started, and adjust the big
spring for 48 or so PSI shutoff. that would give you a range of 28-48 PSI.


I can do that and I very well might do that as that was the original plan.
What I will do is get an idea of the cycles during this week & then decide.

You could replace the "L" under the switch with a "T", and extend it
with suitable pipe fittings so you can screw a new valve on
where you can see it.


For visibility nothing beats the top of the blue bladder tank.
Do they sell bicycle gauges that screw into the valve but which don't leak?

There is not a shut off valve for the water coming in?


Yes. It's not all that great but it's there. When I shut that main valve
(which is just a foot from the pump inlet) to put the 1-inch plugs in, I
noticed water still came through at a good clip - maybe at the clip where it
would take a minute to fill a glass of water. So those valves are leaky.

Switches wear, pump impellers erode.


Logical. I must agree.

Put the gauge back at least, or you might have a flood some day.


Oh I put it back right away. No problem there.

You could use a bent coat hanger or other such tool to probe into the
gauge hole and try to break the plugging material loose.


Maybe. But I like your idea of a gauge in the 1-inch tapered hole on the top
of the pump better. Nice & solid and nothing to gunk up inside.