Vibration from water well pump - Water Pump Switch as cause?

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I agree that flowing water can make noise. I guess you’re saying the dynamic pressure is higher when the pump is moving water ? I agree with that.

The OP should try to recreate the noise while the house is static, no flow.
 
Here are the videos that I took trying to recreate what is going on.

The first one (12 second video) I closed the ball valve to the rest of the house and completely drained the system down to no water pressure. I kept the ball valve to the rest of the house closed and turned the water pump back on. As you can see in the video there is hardly any vibration noise and nothing can be heard on the floor above.

The second video (18 seconds) is right after the first video but in this video, while the pump is running, I open the ball valve to the house. And the vibration increases dramatically.

In the last video (17 seconds) I do as @Twowaxhack suggests - drain the water tank through below the ball valve then turn off the ball valve off to the rest of the house. The vibration seems to lessen a little when the ball valve is closed but definitely still present and can hear it on the floors above.

Don't know what to think from these three videos. The system starts with no vibration. Then has vibration when the ball valve is opened but the vibration does not go away completely when the ball valve is subsequently closed again. The only constant factor, in my mind, is the pump motor itself.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks.
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That kind of vibration, making the pressure switch cover vibrate, could be from a worn pump. But usually if they are worn enough to vibrate like that they pull high amps and trip an overload. But they do make pumps really cheaply these days. :mad:
 
Well, I bought an amp clamp meter and the well pump is pulling ~6.7A. Seems to be rated for 5A with a max of 6A per the control box diagram.

Does this definitely represent a bad/failing pump? Or is there anything else that could cause high amp draw?

Two points of consideration...

1) It has been making this vibration noise since we bought the house 5 years ago, so I assume we have been pulling >6A that entire time. Interesting that the pump motor hasn't failed yet.
2) I am still dumbfounded by the fact that there is no vibration when the yellow ball valve to the entire house is off. Once again I shut off the pump, drained the entire tank to 0 PSI and turned the pump back on with the ball valve still closed. No vibration heard and also pulling ~6.7A.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

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I think I’d replace the air tank. How old is it ? It’s easy to replace.....

but that’s just a guess. I think everyone’s guessing at this point. 🤣
 
If you drained the tank then turned the ballvalve off and turned the pump on, you trapped a lot of air.

Do you have a way to run water with the ballvalve turned off ? Like with a hose faucet ? Try that.
 
If you drained the tank then turned the ballvalve off and turned the pump on, you trapped a lot of air.

Do you have a way to run water with the ballvalve turned off ? Like with a hose faucet ? Try that.

Yes, when I turn the system back on I keep the ball valve closed and run a few cycles emptying the hose faucet into the sump pump basin. There is no vibration for all of these cycles. As soon as I open the ball valve the vibration kicks in.

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Yes, when I turn the system back on I keep the ball valve closed and run a few cycles emptying the hose faucet into the sump pump basin. There is no vibration for all of these cycles. As soon as I open the ball valve the vibration kicks in.

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Even when the house system is full pressure and no water is flowing ? It still vibrates when you open the ballvalve ?

Have you replaced the ballvalve ?
 
So there’s no vibration if the pump is off and water is flowing in the house, like a shower running ? It’s only when the ballvalve is open and the pump running ?
 
Even when the house system is full pressure and no water is flowing ? It still vibrates when you open the ballvalve ?

Have you replaced the ballvalve ?

Yes the house would be pressurized anywhere from 40-60 PSI depending on what it was when I turned the ball valve off. When I open it again there is a little bit of pressure equalization based on what the pressure above and below the ball valve is.

No I have not tried to replace it. The thing is, when I close the ball valve again the vibration is still there when the pump is running. The only time the vibration is not there is when I first turn the system on from a 0 PSI.
 
Drawing 6.7 when the max amps show to be 6.0 is not good. Most likely the thrust bearing in the motor is bad. With a bad thrust bearing the noise and the amps go up as the pressure increases. When you start at zero pressure and no noise, then as pressure increases the noise and amps go up, the motor is on its way out.
 
Drawing 6.7 when the max amps show to be 6.0 is not good. Most likely the thrust bearing in the motor is bad. With a bad thrust bearing the noise and the amps go up as the pressure increases. When you start at zero pressure and no noise, then as pressure increases the noise and amps go up, the motor is on its way out.

If I replaced the pump I would also replace the bladder tank.

In this situation for kicks, I’d replace the tank first and see what happens.
 
If I replaced the pump I would also replace the bladder tank.

In this situation for kicks, I’d replace the tank first and see what happens.
As always I'll keep you updated. Might take some time/motivation before I get to either of those steps.
 
Replaced the pressure switch today with a Square D Pumptrol and it fixed my vibration issues completely! Absolutely nothing heard on the floors above.

Such an easy fix after all that hunting. Thank you for all your input and responses to my posts.

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From your post back in march, I think it will just get worse and quit all of a sudden. Get as much out of it as you can as motors are not fixable. And remember it was probably too much cycling on and off that caused the problem to start with. :)
 
Have you replaced the pump yet ? Find the cause of vibration ?
 
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