On 6/7/2021 12:46 PM, dan wrote:

On Monday, June 7, 2021 at 12:46:57 PM UTC-7, dan wrote:
On Mon, 7 Jun 2021 10:34:39 -0700, Bob F wrote:
So the smaller spring adjustment lessens the top of the range, the
difference above the turn on setting determined by the bigger spring.
That's a good way of putting it.

The video said the spring on the bigger screw is more forgiving as if
we're
supposed to be changing these things a lot? I'm surprised they said that.

What's a good range and high end? I don't know.
The video says to play with the 20# range if you need to lower
pressure.
It says to play with the high end cutoff only if you specifically
need it.

The manufacturer usually says to use a 20# range. If you adjust the
larger spring, you will keep the 20# range, but your lowest
pressure of
the cycle will be a little lower. If you adjust the smaller range
spring, the lowest pressure will remain the same, but the pump will
cycle a little more often.
After both adjustments, the water pressure pump has been cycling on
its own!

I only caught it starting once (which I timed at 1-1/2 minutes to
shutoff).
I tested the pressure at the top of the bladder at the end at 37psi.

I am glad you got it working.
Test it by turning on a faucet full blast until it starts.


It's kind of low but not so low as to make me worry.
I'm surprised though that it's that much lower than 52psi given only
5 turns
each of the two adjustment screws (the start of the range & its top
end).

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?




However it has only been doing this since my last post and I'm busy with
other things so I haven't figured out the new on/off/rest interval yet.

But the GOOD NEWS is it's "automatic" again!
Your advice to LOWER the cutoff pressure at the switch did the trick!

I will probably drop it lower than I really need to just to debug.
Then bring it up later as close to the 30:50 as I can get it.

It can (carefully, with a socket wrench) be adjusted while the pump is
running at it's maximum pressure and the pump should stop when the
setting is down to the pressure the pump is providing. Then turn it
another turn to get 2-3 PSI below the pumps limit.
Oh. That's a great trick!
That trick of adjusting it while the pump is running wasn't in the
video.
(And yes, I'm aware the pump is likely 220 volts and the switch is hot.)

BTW, you can't use a socket on my center bolt because the nut was
down too
low but it's just a 3/8ths inch nut so an open end wrench works just
fine.

Ah, the joy of having a deep socket set.


As I see it, the two bolts are above a plate where the pressure from
below
pushes the plate up and the bolts simply hold the spring which pushes
down.

Therefore, for debugging, since the pump never shut off, I could have
loosened the center range bolt until the pump shut off and then
loosened the
side topend bolt a few turns to get it to shut off a few psi below that.

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.


That's a great debugging idea to find out exactly where the pump
shuts off.

When I change the cutout pressure point I have to measure the
results.
Is the pressure at the top of the blue bladder tank an accurate
pressure?

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.



It is as accurate as your gauge, but lets a little air out each
time you
do it which will need to be replaced at some point.
The air in the bladder is easily enough replaced.

It's only slightly inconvenient that I have to let the water pressure
go to
as close to zero in the house as possible. I don't know the "correct"
way to
fill the bladder since it will always have some water pressure from the
tanks feeding it. But I don't know how much that might be.

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


I think you solved all the mysteries (except perhaps what changed to
cause
the problem in the first place but I'm not so worried about that really).

Switches wear, pump impellers erode.


I will add to the idea of having water pressure in the system when you
probe to clean out the gauge passage. Have some pressure in the tank,
but the pump turned off so the crud will not get pushed around by the
impeller, but instead will go with the water pushing it out the gauge
hole. Have enough pressure to make sure a bunch of water is there
to get
it all out as you probe.
For now, if the gauge on the bladder is good enough, I'm fine but I
do agree
that having a gauge at the pump is far better as I can watch it drop and
then I can see when the pump kicks on and off (although it's not in a
convenient spot for watching it).
t spot for watching it).

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

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.