Do-it-yourself pumping station repair: frequent malfunctions

Unfortunately, even the most reliable pumping equipment can fail. Among the violations in the work there are serious failures and the banal wear of rubbing parts or seals. Fixing the simplest problems can be done by a home craftsman, but you must agree that even elementary repair operations need to be known how to carry out correctly.

We are happy to assist you in mastering the hard work of a home appliance repairman. The article proposed to your attention describes in detail all the typical types of damage to pumping units. The effective methods for eliminating failures in the operation of water supply installations are presented.

Those who want to repair the pumping station with their own hands, we will find answers to all questions that arise in such cases. Useful information is supported by step-by-step photo instructions, diagrams and videos.

Device and features of operation

With the help of a pumping station you can solve several problems related to water supply:

• organize the automatic flow of water from the source to the water supply system at home;
• adjust the water pressure in the water supply, bringing it to an acceptable level;
• protect the plumbing system from water hammer;
• create some water supply in case of problems with water supply.

Can be purchased pump station in a ready-made form, which will slightly ease its installation, or assemble it yourself, selecting individual elements depending on your own situation.

For example, if a deep well is used as a water source, it makes sense to replace the surface pump with a suitable submersible model.

Understanding principles of operation of the pumping station helps to understand the features of the repair of this device. Its important part - hydraulic tank - tank with integrated rubber liner. With the help of a pump, water enters the membrane part of this container. There is air on the other side of the membrane (sometimes pure nitrogen is supplied to the hydraulic tanks, but this is rare).

This combination creates a certain pressure inside the tank. On the one side of the tank, a standard car nipple is installed, through which excess air can be blown out or the missing one can be pumped.

On the other hand installed pipe. Through the special fitting on the five outlets, the remaining elements of the pumping station and system are connected to it: a pressure gauge, a pressure switch, a pump hose, a water pipe, etc.

Hydraulic tank connected to the plumbing at home. When the water is opened, the tank is emptied, and the pressure inside the tank decreases. When it reaches the set value, the pump automatically turns on and water flows into hydroaccumulator until it is filled, and the pressure value does not reach the set maximum level.

Switching the pump on and off is controlled by a pressure switch. This is a small device connected to the accumulator and to the pump. The presence of such a station has an extremely favorable effect on the state of the water supply system and on the operation of the pump.

The hydraulic tank serves as a buffer that protects the water supply system from sudden water hammer. The pressure switch reduces the number of on and off of the pump to the desired minimum, which prolongs the life of the equipment.

Although a small amount of water inside the tank is always there, you should not consider it as the main place for storing large amounts of water. The greater the volume of the tank, the higher its price.

If you need to stock up with a solid volume of water, it is better to supplement the system with an inexpensive plastic capacity of a suitable volume. And with protection against hydraulic shocks and a small hydraulic tank will cope quite satisfactorily.

In addition, it is important to competently pick up a pumping station, focusing on the characteristics of the water source and the location of the points of water pumping.

Example of replacement parts

To begin, let us consider an example of the replacement of the working rings and seals of the automatic pump. The unit worked in the format of a pumping station, pumping water from the reservoir to consumers.

After several minutes of the “dry run” that occurred due to a breakdown of the submersible pump, the capacity decreased, the system was turned off even when the taps open at the points of water dispensing.

The purchase of spare parts for automatic pumps produced in the CIS countries was not difficult. In Russian monetary units it was spent about 900 p.

If, when inspecting the unassembled part of the pump, foci of rust are found, they should be removed, everything that is available should be cleaned of contamination.

If the new parts of the automatic pump are installed incorrectly, the unit will not work, it will have to be redone again. Therefore, it is better to immediately memorize or mark the sequence of location and the side of the installation.

Common Problems and Breakdowns

Since the pumping station consists of several nodes, a breakdown may be associated with one or several of them, for example:

• pump clogged with dirt;
• pump motor broke;
• lost pressure switch settings;
• the integrity of the rubber membrane in the hydraulic tank is broken;
• there are cracks in the hydraulic tank case, etc.

As a result, the pumping station either works unsatisfactorily or stops functioning altogether. Sometimes it’s not a station at all, but a breakdown in, say, water pipes.

In order to determine the cause of the problems, it is necessary to consider how the most frequent failures manifest themselves during the operation of the equipment. For example, figuring out why the equipment turns on, but does not turn off, you need to take into account the peculiarities of work and pressure switch settings.

When troubleshooting a pumping station, it must be remembered that in virtually all models of surface pumps, dry running is not recommended. Before you turn on the pump to check its operation, you should make sure that it is filled with water. If this is not the case, the device must be filled through a special filling hole.

# 1: Pump running, water not running

If the pump is turned on and you can see (hear) that it is working, but water does not enter the tank, you should figure out where this water will go. The first thing to check is - check valve. If it is spoiled, the water just spilled back. If there is water in the intake hose, then the check valve is not to blame for anything, you need to look for another reason.

If the hose is empty, remove it and inspect the check valve. It may happen that the pumping station does not pump water at all due to simple clogging of the valve holes. It is enough to wash the device so that it starts working correctly again.

Sometimes you need to replace the spring or the entire valve. Of course, after replacing parts or repairs, you should check the operation of individual components of the pumping station, and only then perform the final assembly and commissioning of the device.

If there is water in the intake hose, you need to check all the joints and pipes between the pump and the tank for leaks. Perhaps water just flows through a crack or hole. The damaged pipe must be replaced, and the leaky joint must be cleaned, sealed and re-sealed.

There is a third reason why water does not go to the hydraulic tank: low water source debit. This happens if for some reason water does not flow into the water receiving part of a well or well.

This happens, for example, as a result of silting or dusting. Or the pump for the source is chosen incorrectly, it pumps out water too quickly, its reserves do not have time to recover.

How to choose, install and connect pump station for water intake, set out in the article, which we recommend to read.

The pump will most likely have to be replaced, there are special models for low debit sources. To increase the debit of the well, it makes sense to pump it, i.e. wash the accumulated pollution. For flushing wells should use a separate pump, and not the one that is equipped with a pumping station.

As an urgent measure, it is sometimes advised to take water from a greater depth, but this recommendation should be applied with caution. If the source is unclean, too deep immersion of the water intake or submersible pump can lead to contamination of pumping equipment and serious damage to it.

Another possible reason why the pump stopped pumping water is the wear of the impeller. In this case, it will rotate idle. We'll have to remove the pump, disassemble it, wash it, replace the impeller, and possibly the pump casing. Sometimes it's easier to put a new pump.

If the above “diagnoses” are not confirmed, it makes sense to just check the voltage in the electrical network. If it is too low, the pump will turn on, but it will not be able to supply water. It remains to establish a normal power supply so that the pumping equipment again functions in the required mode.

# 2: The device turns on, but does not work

This happens with pumps that have not been used for a long time (for example, during the winter period). Since the clearance between the impeller and the casing is small, these elements, while stationary, can simply stick to each other.

When turned on, the pump will regularly buzz, but the impeller will remain stationary. In such a situation, the device should be turned off immediately.

It is not difficult to cope with this problem, it’s enough just to turn the impeller a couple of times. If after switching on the pump was resumed, then the obstacle was removed.

Of course, before starting operation, a pump that has not worked for some time will not interfere with rinsing. Sometimes the impeller had nothing to do with it, the capacitor simply failed. The damaged item needs to be replaced.

# 3: Pumping station jerky

Such behavior of equipment is most often characteristic of situations when there are problems with pressure inside the hydraulic tank. First of all, you need to check the behavior of the gauge. If the pump shuts off as water comes in, as expected, but soon there is a sharp drop in internal pressure, problems should be found inside.

Most likely, the membrane in the accumulator was torn. To make sure of this is simple: if you open the nipple located on the “air” side of the tank, water will flow from it, not air.

Hydraulic tank should be removed, carefully disassemble, remove the damaged membrane and change it to a new one, exactly the same. Trying to somehow repair the damaged liner is usually useless, it will quickly deteriorate again.

The sequence of work on the replacement of the hydraulic tank membrane is shown in the photo selection:

There are other reasons for the pumping station to work with jerks. If the liner is not damaged, then air will escape through the nipple. In this case, you need to check its pressure. If it is noticeably lower than the 1.5-1.8 atm recommended by the manufacturer, you just need to pump a certain amount of air with a suitable pump.

However, first it is better to find out exactly where the air goes. It is likely that there is a crack in the hydraulic tank case due to corrosion, mechanical damage or similar reasons.

It is necessary to seal the place of air leakage or replace the hydraulic tank. Finally, you should make sure that the pressure switch is functioning without fail. If this is not the case, the relay must be reconfigured or changed.

It happens that the pressure relay is simply clogged, especially if for some reason water has entered the station with a large amount of contamination. There is a clogging relay and salt deposition, if the water has a high rigidity. Relay must be removed and inspect the inlet. After flushing and decontamination, the instrument usually works correctly.

If the relay needs to be replaced, it is worth considering purchasing a more modern model of this device. Such devices are regulated with the help of arrows and screws, and not with springs, as in models like RDM-5. If you believe the reviews, setting up such a relay is much easier, and the cost is quite acceptable.

# 4: The unit does not respond to shutdown

This picture is typical for situations where pressure switch settings got off, so the pumping station does not inject water with the required pressure. Not always the reason for the failure of the pressure switch.

It happens that the wear of the impeller of the pump does not allow to provide the desired working pressure. In this case, you need to slightly tighten the large spring on the pressure switch in the direction where it is marked “-”.

As a result, the upper pressure settings will be slightly reduced, the pump will start to turn off. Relay adjustment should be done very carefully so as not to knock down the settings completely and not to spoil the device. In addition, you need to think about repairing the pump to restore its working life, or about replacing it with a new device. Incorrect operation of one element can cause imbalance of the entire system.

# 5: Water flows unevenly

It so happens that the pump is buzzing and running stably, but the water flows in uneven portions, it is, that is, it is not. Most likely, not only water but also air enters the pipeline in some way.

It is necessary to check whether the water intake equipment is at the correct depth and whether the water level at the source has changed. By adjusting the position of the water intake hose, the problem is usually solved.

# 6: Pumping equipment does not turn on

If the pump stops turning on, it means that either the device is broken or it does not receive power. First you should check the device with a tester and inspect the contacts of the pressure switch. It often happens that they need cleaning. It is possible that after cleaning the contacts the pump will turn on without problems.

Much worse if the pump broke down due to the fact that the motor winding burned down. If this is true, you can feel the characteristic smell of burning rubber. The engine, of course, can be rewound, but only an experienced electrician can correctly perform this operation.

It is better to order the rewinding of an electric motor from specialists at specialized industrial enterprises. In most cases, it is easier to replace the engine with a new one than to rewind it.

Recommendations for installation and operation

To reduce the number of problems in the operation of the pumping station, it is important to properly install the equipment, as well as to observe the recommendations for operation and maintenance of the device. Required adjust pump station in accordance with the technical characteristics of the source and the required water pressure.

Regulations pressure in the water supply system private houses and ways to achieve the required parameters of pressure are given in the article proposed by us. We advise you to read the useful material.

Here are some important points:

1. To prevent vacuum compression of the water supply line, it is recommended to use either metal pipes, or PVC pipes that are sufficiently rigid, or a vacuum-reinforced hose.
2. All hoses and pipes should be mounted evenly, avoiding deformation and twisting.
3. All connections must be sealed and sealed, as well as regularly checked their condition during routine inspections.
4. Do not neglect the installation of a check valve on the water supply hose.
5. The pump should be protected from contamination with a filter.
6. The immersion depth of the hose leading to the pump must exactly match the recommendations of the experts.
7. The pumping station should be installed on an even and strong base, using rubber gaskets to dampen the effects of vibration when the pump is running.
8. To prevent the pump from running without water, a special circuit breaker must be installed.
9. In the room where the pumping station is installed, it is necessary to maintain the correct mode of temperature (5-40 degrees) and humidity (no more than 80%).

It is recommended to check the status of the pumping station at least once every three months. Separately, you should check the readings and settings of the pressure switch.

Another important preventive step is to release air that is released from the water and fills part of the volume of the liner in the hydraulic tank. For large containers for this there is a separate faucet. To remove unwanted air from the membrane of a small tank, you have to fill it several times in a row and completely drain the water.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Interesting practical experience in repairing the Pedrollo pumping station:

This video clearly demonstrates the disassembly of the pump station and the process of replacing the stuffing box:

However, before performing this procedure, experienced craftsmen recommend inspecting the shaft located under it. If the metal is excessively worn, the new gland will quickly deteriorate. It is necessary either to restore the shaft (if possible), or to completely replace the engine.

As you can see, a number of problems with the pump station can be eliminated by yourself. In the event of complex damage will have to turn to experts. With proper care, the number of breakdowns can be significantly reduced.

If in the course of familiarization with the material presented there are any questions or a desire to share own experience in the restoration of the pumping station, please post comments.