Hello,

I have a GOULD jet pump and lately the pump will not run and the water
will run out. (Usually when I am in the middle of a shower..
If I wait about 15 to 20 minutes it will come back on and fill up and
usually work fine again for a day or so. This happens about once every
day or two. Anyone have any ideas what may be going on?

thanks!!!
Shawn

"SP" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I have a GOULD jet pump and lately the pump will not run and the water
will run out. (Usually when I am in the middle of a shower..
If I wait about 15 to 20 minutes it will come back on and fill up and
usually work fine again for a day or so. This happens about once every
day or two. Anyone have any ideas what may be going on?

thanks!!!
Shawn
Had the same problem this Summer. Turned out to be a bad starter on the
motor. Replaced the whole pump although I suppose a person could repair the
motor if you don't have to climb down into a 10ft deep pit to work on it.
Tom G.

Does the motor have a thermal protection switch? Look for a round, red
button sticking out from the motor somewhere. Sounds like it's
overheating when it runs a certain amount of time then resets itself
after cooling off. If this is what's happening, then you need to
figure out why is it overheating (bad bearings? stuck start-up
switch?).

That reminds me of another possibility: the starter capacitor that
these usually have might be going out. If you look at the motor, there
should be an oblong-rounded rectangular cover on the side held on by a
couple of screws. Take off the cover and look at the capacitor in
there (it's usually a cylindrical object with electrical connections on
one end). If it's leaking, it should be replaced. Even if it's not
leaking, you can remove it and have a motor shop test it (possibly any
place that services and sells well pumps could test it).

Hi I own a water well and pump service co in southern md. usually the
symptoms you describe would indicate a problem with the motor or
switch. after the water has stopped feel the motor if it is hot the
problem is there and will most likley need to be replaced. if it is not
hot it may be dirt, sediment, or iron in the tube that goes from the
bottom of the switch to the head of the pump . if this gets clogged the
switch wont know the pressure has dropped on the system and it wont
start the pump. thanks scott

According to SP :
I have a GOULD jet pump and lately the pump will not run and the water
will run out. (Usually when I am in the middle of a shower..
If I wait about 15 to 20 minutes it will come back on and fill up and
usually work fine again for a day or so. This happens about once every
day or two. Anyone have any ideas what may be going on?

Others have mentioned problems with the motor or switch.

Next time it does this, go and check the pump. Is it humming or
getting hot? If it does, it's the motor start cap most likely.

If neither is true, thwap the pressure switch with a screwdriver
handle. If that helps, you may have a stuck switch.

And finally, another possibility is that the small tubing going
from the pump to the pressure switch may be getting clogged, and
only very slowly permitting the switch to "see" the pressure drop.

The latter is what happened to our gould pump. Unfastened
the tubing, reamed it out with a pipe cleaner, and reinstalled.
Problem went away.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.