Diagnosing and Fixing Well Pump Short Cycling

The other day, I noticed that my well pump was running a lot. If you want to search the symptoms, it's called "short cycling" and is absolutely horrible for your pump. Short cycling is when your pump runs, pressurizes your tank, and then immediately runs again. This leads to overheating and failure.

To me, this seemed like a simple thing to fix because I knew that my pressure tank was way past its warranty (it's 25 years old) so I assumed that it was that. It turns out that my pressure tank is fine but that it's too small. This overworked my pump to the point of failure.

This instructible covers my process to diagnose and remedy the problem. It is also directed at 2-wire systems, not 3-wire systems. If you have a control box, you have a 3-wire pump. If you don't have a control box, you have a 2-wire pump.

Super important note: My well is only 50ft deep and my pump is only 20ft down the hole. This makes my process very easy. Some states maintain a record with the DNR of well depths which you can find by typing "State Name DNR well records" into Google. Here is Indiana's. Fun fact, nothing creeps your neighbor out more than knowing when, how deep, what their pump depth is, and who drilled their well.

Also, you should have stickers somewhere that tell you what kind of pump you have and when it was installed. I used this and the pressure tank's drawdown levels (available at the manufacturer's website) to calculate how long my pump should be running and then checked it against what it was actually doing. It's also good to know how old your pump is so you can plan for failures.

First, let's go over what I don't have. I don't have a license in electrical, plumbing, or wells. I also don't have $4000+ to hire a pro. What I do have is a shallow water table, tools, and access to the internet.

In other words, if you're reading this, you're reading the ramblings of a just a random guy who has done it once who happened to read a lot of tutorials and watch some Youtube videos on well systems. I'm not an expert by any means and I encourage you to consult a professional.

As always, please work safely. Shut off the power at the breaker and the switch before working on your well because most run on 220v or 230v. You will get wet, you will be standing on the ground, and those voltages can kill you.

Second, if your pump has failed it is crucially important to understand why. A quality pump should last 10-20 years from my readings and personal experience. Mine failed after six years. Simply replacing the pump with a new one without investigating why it failed will likely lead to the new one failing in six years.

When I bought my home, the sellers had to install a new well pump because the old one was not supplying enough pressure. They did that but never changed the pressure tank. The new pump needed a much larger pressure tank than what was left in my home. This caused my pump to run three times as often as it should and not long enough to cool, leading to a drastically shortened lifespan.

Third, any time you open your well head, you're going to want to sanitize the well. It's a gross place that can breed bacteria which can make you sick. I have a step specifically covering that.

Fourth, again, attempt this project at your own risk. It really isn't that difficult but I can see how it can become incredibly difficult really fast. It isn't that costly given the parts but if something goes wrong, I bet that it can become incredibly expensive. Realistically, you should probably not listen to my advice and just hire a professional.