Sediment after well pump kicks on

[Jbrzozka]

I recently installed a check valve before the pressure tank. I am now experiencing orange water with sediments only when my well pump kicks on. It last for about 10 seconds then clear and sediment free water. I have clear water and no sediments all the time until the well pump kicks on. It happens with any faucet. It is also only on cold water. It does not happen on hot water at all. Any ideas on what my issue may be? Thank you!

 

[sarg]

Submersible pump ? Water hammer between check valves ?

 

[Jbrzozka]

Submersible pump ? Water hammer between check valves ?

Yes, it is a submersible pump. I have a spring assisted check valve. It should now be a water hammer issue.

 

[sarg]

So you now have two check valves. Was the one at the pump leaking down ?
If you have a pressure reaction between the checks it might be bouncing the pump and piping against the walls of the well .......... creating the sediment.
I'm sure there will be folks with more experience & knowledge responding soon ...... they usually do.

 

[Jbrzozka]

So you now have two check valves. Was the one at the pump leaking down ?
If you have a pressure reaction between the checks it might be bouncing the pump and piping against the walls of the well .......... creating the sediment.
I'm sure there will be folks with more experience & knowledge responding soon ...... they usually do.

There is only one check valve. There was not a check valve before and I installed one because the pump was kicking on about every 30 minutes when no water was running. The pressure tank is brand new in October 2020 and there was never an issue with the sediment and orange water when the pumped turned on until I installed the check valve.

 

[sarg]

Just info ... Your situation with the system cycling was very similar to mine. There is a check valve on your submersible. ( without it your system would have never worked ) Mine was leaking down and also causing my system to cycle about every thirty minutes ........... which is why I replaced the 28 year old Franklin pump in November. ( pump itself worked fine ) .
The check valve at the pressure tank is a band aid ( my system was set up like that for over 30 years because I never knew better ) and is holding your pressure at the tank so it doesn't cycle .... But it may be causing issues between the two valves creating a "rattle" ........ disturbing the crap on the inside of the well pipe. Hang on for the experts to visit. They know much better than I.

 

[Jbrzozka]

Just info ... Your situation with the system cycling was very similar to mine. There is a check valve on your submersible.( without it your system would have never worked ) Mine was leaking down and also causing my system to cycle about every thirty minutes ........... which is why I replaced the 28 year old Franklin pump in November. ( pump itself worked fine ) .
The check valve at the pressure tank is a band aid ( my system was set up like that for over 30 years because I never knew better ) and is holding your pressure at the tank so it doesn't cycle .... But it may be causing issues between the two valves creating a "rattle" ........ disturbing the crap on the inside of the well pipe. Hang on for the experts to visit. They know much better than I.

Thank you very much for your time and information!

 

[sarg]

Here is a short blurp copied from a large article by Valveman ...Mr. Cary Austin who is a member on this forum.


Many times, multiple check valves do work OK when everything is new and working perfectly. The problem comes when any check valve leaks a little bit, or doesn't close quite as fast as the check valve above it. Then a negative pressure is created below the top check valve.

If the top check valve is above ground, the vacuum can draw contaminates into the line. No matter if the top check valve is above ground or in the drop pipe, the negative pressure will allow the pump to start to the right of it's curve. (In other words "wide open") The pressure above the pump will change from negative pressure to positive pressure in a fraction of a second. The effect is, the column of water below the top check will "punch" the top check. This is much like a Boxer "punching" you in the face. It creates a shock wave that travels throughout the water lines. At every outlet valve, elbow, tee, and dead end in the pipe, the shock wave turns into water hammer. Water hammer causes everything in the pipe system to experience pressure 10 times what you see on the gauge. On larger pumps it usually causes the pressure switch to bounce on and off like a telegraph.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Do you have any steel pipe in the system near the pump ? It does this every time the pump cycles even if the cycle is back to back ?

 

[Jbrzozka]

Do you have any steel pipe in the system near the pump ? It does this every time the pump cycles even if the cycle is back to back ?

Yes, it does it back to back. I am Not sure what the pipes in the ground are made of. The well is 23 years old.

 

[RS]

I suspect you have a leak in the line coming from the well. When the pump shuts off it sucks dirty ground water into the pipe, and when the pump starts it pushes the dirty water into your system. I had a similar thing happen once.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I suspect you have a leak in the line coming from the well. When the pump shuts off it sucks dirty ground water into the pipe, and when the pump starts it pushes the dirty water into your system. I had a similar thing happen once.

Wouldn’t the system stay pressurized when the pump shuts off is the bladder tank ?

An easy check would be to turn the pump off and see if you hold pressure.....

 

[RS]

Not if the check valve in the pump has failed, and I thought that is why the check valve was installed by the tank. Our system had an air bleeder system to vent hydrogen gas, didn't use a bladder tank.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Not if the check valve in the pump has failed, and I thought that is why the check valve was installed by the tank. Our system had an air bleeder system to vent hydrogen gas, didn't use a bladder tank.

Sounds like you know what the problem is. .

 

[Valveman]

The bottom check valve has failed or there is a hole in the drop pipe. This is what was causing the pump to come back on every 30 minutes even though you were not using any water. That water leaking back can stir up the well. Also, may times just the pump cycling on and off will surge the well up and down making sediment. Replace the check on the pump and make sure there are no leaks in the drop pipe. Pump the well out for a few hours to clean out what is already stirred up. Then install a Cycle Stop Valve or a PK1A kit to stop the cycling and stop surging the well when water is being used.