06/02/2026
๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป โ ๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ฃ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐โ๐๐๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด: ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ
June is the month when well systems in Pennsylvania start acting up:
โข Pumps turning on and off rapidly
โข Pressure bouncing up and down
โข Water surging at faucets
โข Pumps running every few seconds
โข Pressure tanks feeling โfullโ or โemptyโ
Homeowners think the pump is dying.
Most of the time, itโs ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐บ๐ฝ โ itโs the ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ and ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐โ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ถ๐
Shortโcycling is when the well pump turns on and off too quickly, too often, or under very small water draws.
A healthy system should:
โข Build pressure
โข Rest
โข Deliver water from the pressure tank
โข Then call for the pump again
A shortโcycling system does the opposite โ the pump runs constantly because the tank isnโt doing its job.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ
๐ญ) ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฒ
โข Gardening
โข Lawn watering
โข Filling pools
โข More showers
โข More laundry
โข Outdoor hoses
๐ฎ) ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
โข Heat expands water and air
โข Air charge drifts
โข Bladders flex more
โข Weak bladders fail
โข Tanks waterโlog faster
๐ฏ) ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
โข Rubber softens
โข Springs weaken
โข Pressure fluctuates
โข Pump cycles more often
๐ฆ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐โ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด
โข Pump turns on every few seconds
โข Water pressure rises and falls
โข Faucets surge
โข Shower pressure pulses
โข Pump runs with tiny water draws
โข Pressure tank feels โfullโ or โemptyโ
โข Clicking from the pressure switch
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐
๐ญ) ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟโ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ
โข Bladder fails
โข Tank fills with water
โข No air cushion
โข Pump cycles constantly
๐ฎ) ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ
โข Tank air pressure doesnโt match cutโin pressure
โข Even a few PSI off causes cycling
๐ฏ) ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต
โข Contacts wear
โข Rapid clicking
โข Pump turns on/off constantly
๐ฐ) ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐
โข Warm weather causes sticking and overshooting
โข Pressure swings trigger the pump
๐ฑ) ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ
โข Pinholes
โข Cracked fittings
โข Bad check valves
โข Leaking pitless adapters
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐โ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฝ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐
โข Motors overheat
โข Contacts burn
โข Windings fail
โข Pump life drops from 10โ15 years to 2โ3
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐
๐ถ๐
๐ญ) ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ
โข Tank must be empty
โข Charge to 2 PSI below cutโin
๐ฎ) ๐ง๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ
โข If ruptured, tank waterโlogs
โข Waterโlogged tanks must be replaced
๐ฏ) ๐๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต
โข Look for burnt contacts
โข Listen for rapid clicking
๐ฐ) ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ
โข Even tiny leaks trigger cycling
๐ฑ) ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ฉ
โข Warm weather causes drift
โข Drift = unstable pressure
๐ฒ) ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ
โข Bigger tank = fewer cycles = longer pump life
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น:
โข Only shortโcycles during heavy use
โข Pressure swings on hot days
โข System stabilizes at night
โข Air charge slightly low
๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฒ:
โข Tank waterโlogged
โข Bladder ruptured
โข Switch clicking nonstop
โข Pump runs every few seconds
โข Pressure never stabilizes
๐๐ผ๐๐๐ผ๐บ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ
๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ฝ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐โ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ โ ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ.
๐๐ถ๐
๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ, ๐ณ๐ถ๐
๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต.
If youโre seeing this in your own home, drop it into the Workshop and weโll walk through whatโs going on.