My electricity bill just went way up! Is my submersible well pump the problem?
Homeowners that rely on a submersible well pump may occasionally experience a large increase in their electricity bill, sometimes on the order of several thousand dollars in a single month. In this blog we’ll explore some of the causes for this massive increase in power consumption/cost as it relates to your well pump and it’s operation, what you can do about it and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
As a general rule, the higher you need to pump water in pressure/elevation and the more water you need, the more power and electricity will be required to pump that water! Pumps consume a considerable amount of energy to pump water, even when they have been properly selected and are in good operational shape. Make sure to check out our blog on the importance of selecting the proper well pump for your application and how this can save considerably on long term power consumption. Back to the task at hand though, why, all of a sudden did your power bill increase massively?
Culprits that can lead minor jumps in a power bill:
Even though pumps use a significant amount of electricity, they are typically only running for a relatively short period of time each day. Things that cause the pump run excessively are the things that will cause the power bill to start spiking quickly. Leaks are one of these common problem that can lead to a big jump in electricity usage. We have several blogs on the topics of locating leaks and monitoring your water usage that will help you dive into this topic more.
Irrigation systems and controllers are another culprit and it may be time for a checkup! Watering for too long, a zone with a malfunctioning valve that doesn’t close or other oversights can lead to significantly more water usage and lead to higher power bills.
Biggest Power Bill Culprits
The biggest culprits that we’ve encountered is with water systems that have been working for many, trouble free years. The pump has provided water without any problems at all, then suddenly a massive power bill. What’s going on? It’s called old age and it exhibits its first signs with a massive power bill that gets your attention! So, what’s going on specifically that causes this massive power bill from one month to the next? There are several possible problems that present individually or in a combination to make your next electric bill cause you to gasp for breath, then call your cardiologist for a heart checkup and then your accountant to see if you need to declare bankruptcy.
Plugged Pressure Switch/Transducer
Your pressure switch or pressure transducer may be the power bill culprit. These often have a small orifice to sense the water pressure that can become plugged with iron or minerals. When plugged the pressure transducer/switch can send a low pressure signal to the pump controller that keeps the pump running, even when the pressure is high! Some pumps will create so much pressure that, when the pressure switch/transducer don’t turn them off, they will cause your pressure relief valve to open and vent excess water. This should get your attention! Very small things can lead to what seems like a huge problem, but in this case the fix is super simple, the power is turned off to the pump, the pressure transducer/switch is carefully removed and the orifice is gently cleaned out (don’t stab straight in as you will likely damage the device) and then reinstalled. Make sure to put a simple cleaning on your calendar to ensure it doesn’t plug up again.
Holes in the drop pipe
If the pump was installed on metal (galvanized steel) pipe down in the well, that type of pipe will corrode and eventually develop an unseen leak in the well that leaks back into your well. The pump has to run longer to build pressure up in the pressure tank because of this leak. If the hole is quite large, the pump may not be able to pump enough water to get to full pressure and shut off, so the pump just keeps running to build pressure. It will run 24 hours, seven days a week in futility. Other than a a bit lower pressure at your house and a high power bill, there are very few signs of this problem. Some folks will notice this slightly lower pressure, others will not. Low or fluctuating pressures are a good reason to call your local reputable pump contractor for a checkup. There are several types of drop pipe that do not corrode, make sure to ask your installer to use this when replacing the damaged pipe. They might recommend replacing the pump, wire and check valves. Pumps that have been installed long enough for the pipe to corrode are probably due for replacement and since you have to removed everything from the well, you might as well make sure everything that goes back in is ready to give you another 7-10 years of uninterrupted service.!
Failed specialty valves
There are typically several automatic valves in any pump system. All pumps systems have at least 1 check valve, or 1 way valve that lets the water come up from the well, but not go back down. Deep well submersible pumps will often have check valves installed every 80-100 feet of depth in the well to keep the water from draining back down the well every time the pump shuts off. When check valves fail, they allow the water to leak back down into the well, this causes the pressure to drop, then the pump turns on again pumps the system back up to pressure again. This cycle happens over and over every few minutes and the pump is running needlessly and gobbling up power to pump water that only leaks back down into your well! Some wells have an automatic valve that restricts the water flow when the system pressure is high. These valves are installed to keep the pump from turning on and off too frequently/rapidly. When these valves fail, they don’t allow the water through and the pump can run almost constantly against this mostly closed automatic valves. In general, we advise against installing throttling valves and encourage our customers to install the proper size pump or a variable frequency drive/constant pressure controller to avoid wasting energy pumping against partially or mostly closed throttling valves.
Worn Pump
The third primary culprit is simply a pump that is nearly worn out. While some pumps just up and fail, most don’t instantly die, but decrease in performance over their lifespan. Pumps are mechanical beasts with bearings/bushings/seals that wear and this degradation decreases their efficiency and performance as time passes. Sometimes minerals plug up the pipes from the pump to the surface or the inlet ports to the pumps. Sometimes sand or particulates in the water wear the impellers and diffusers. These factors mean that the pump produces less pressure/water and needs to work longer to refill the pressure tank. Eventually the pump performance gets so low, it cannot generate enough pressure to cause the pressure switch/transducer to shut the pump off when water isn’t used! In these cases, the pump just runs constantly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! A small, 1 HP pump using about 1.4 KW of power, will use 1000KwH of power running continuously over 30 days. We have had customers call with a power bill that went from a few hundred dollars a month to $3000 or even $4000 because the excess power usage was all in the top rate tiers of their power rates. If you have solar, you may think you’re ok, but the damage could actually be much worse! Solar companies size your system to what your needs are and you square up on a yearly basis. This means that may not find out for 6 (or more) months that your power usage was 10X what it normally is and now you get hit with a $20,000 square up bill come January 1 when you have to even up with the power company!
How do we avoid these problems?
So, what can be done? If you notice any pressure variations, get your system checked! You can go to your pump house, run some water until the pump turns on and then shut the water off. Ensure that the pump brings the system up to pressure and shuts off within a minute or two. If it is struggling to pump up to pressure or takes 10 or 15 minutes to shut off, you may have a leak or a worn pump that need to be looked at. If your system is several years old, it would be wise to have it checked out every year or two by a pro. When the tech says that it is getting long in the tooth, get an estimate for your pump to be replaced! It may cost you far less for a planned replacement than to pay overtime when you’re out of water or have a massive power bill to cover as well! Another important measure some utility customers can take advantage of is to set up alerts on their account if power usage jumps significantly. Some utilities allow for email, texts or phone calls to alert you of potential power usage problems. This will limit the damage to a few days of excess power usage instead of weeks or months. Some newer pump controllers are starting to look at pump performance and will fault/turn off the pump if they detect a problem, make sure to ask your local pump contractor what kinds of controllers/features they have that can avoid this problem in the future. The Franklin Water Subdrive Connect Plus is a fantastic controller that can detect if there is a system leak or other types of faults and shut down, avoiding massive power bills and giving you a head start on solving the problem that is easier on your wallet.
Please note that Amazon links have been provided to show illustrations of products mentioned in this blog. These links are not intended to show the exact product for your specific application, rather a generic visual example of the product referenced. While purchasing these items is possible, please do so after having done your own due diligence and understand that these links may generate Amazon commissions. If you do not have a through understanding of proper electrical safety procedures, then you should not attempt working with the electrical equipment mentioned in this blog as it represents a significant hazard of electrical shock and personal injury.