Anybody have experience with shallow well pumps?

[Dan]

I have a cabin with a shallow well pump. It kicks on but today it stays running and won't shut off. I turned it off at the switch. Then I would wait a few minutes and when I turned it back on it worked. It continues to be an intermitent problem. My brother-in-law thinks it is the pressure switch. He ran a piece of fine sand paper through them. It worked for a while, but then it went back to same ole, pump running and won't shut off. While it is running and won't shut off the water pressure in the cabin is a just above a trickle. I think it seems to be more a question of the pump losing its prime. But, if that guess is correct why would shutting off the pump a while and restarting it work??? If it loses its prime wouldn't I be dead in the water until I reprimed it??  Thanks

[EKennedy]

Depending on the quality of your groundwater...you might fing build-up (crud) in the valves, or through the pressure switch.  We have a LOT of Iron in our water...and it builds up heavily on the insides of our sump as well as pump...before the prefilter and water softener.   Everything corrodes in eventually in water... Hope that's an easy and inexpensive fix.  The trickle of water says to me that something is blocked downstream?...is there adequate pressure actually in the tank?...  no pressure in the tank might mean that the intake screeen down in the well is clogged...pump would run...never build up pressure in the tank.  When our prefilter (before the softener) gets plugged...tank has pressure...but very little flow.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.

[Dan]

Thanks for the help. I got some help at a local hardware. They were quite sure it was the pressure switch. I bought one for $18 and put it in and so far it's working.