Low pressure help

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Cherokee513

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So i have a shallow well jet pump, with a 52 gallon pressure tank. My issue is my pump will not build up pressure to the cut off (40-60 switch) It stops around 45 or 50 psi. This is the main source of water to my house. It comes from our cistern and we have a pipe coming from the ground in the bathroom, thats wat goes to the pump. I've attached pictures of my set up to see if everything looks normal. Any help, ideas, tips would be greatly appreciated!!! Its been this similar set up for years, and out of nowhere it started doin this, so i decided to redo everything to eliminate any problems and its still the same.
 

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Most likely you developed a suction leak. When the pump fails to shut off when it should, it gets hot and melts the pipe on the suction side. I prefer metal piping on the suction for a foot or two away from the pump as the plastic pipe that threads into the pump will leak air after being hot. The first time it didn't shut off it probably suck air from union on the suction side. Unions hold pressure fine but not so much a vacuum.
 
That's what I thought happened the first time so i put brand new piping and made sure the pump stayed cool. In regards to the pipe going into the ground, its a hard plastic pipe. I have a 1 inch pvc pipe lathered in pvc glue shoved inside it about 2 feet then hose clamped it. Its been like this for that with no problem, im at a loss right now
 
Also does this sound like a problem in my cistern? Like a bad foot valve or something?
 
Sorry didn't know you were pumping from a cistern. If the cistern is above ground and you have positive pressure to the pump, a suction leak is less likely. You might check to see if the jet nozzle in the pump is clogged or your foot valve is stuck closed.
 
The top of the cistern is ground level, but the bottom is about 8ft down underground. Water is pulling about 7 1/2 ft straight up, then 90 degrees into the house, from the cistern to the pump is around 35 ft. If that matters
 
Oh, then you do have suction lift. A suction leak is going to be a problem. PVC unions are bad about leaking air on vacuum. Use some foamy shaving cream to check for a suction leak. You can see where the air is sucking in. Suction leaks happen worse as the pressure increases, which decreases the flow, makes a small amount of air dominant, and you loose prime.
 
I only have the union on in case something happens i can remove the pump without redoing the entire pipe, it there an alternative? Or a better way to hook up he suction side? I was thinking a brass barbed fitting with a flexible pvc type hose
 
So i replaced the foot valve and piping inside the cistern. Also took out the union. It worked fine for a few days then stopped sucking water. It would build pressure and shut off but when it kicks back on it builds and stays at 50psi. If i let it run the motor warms up because no water is being pumped in. Any thoughts?
 

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