Electrical help for my ground water well. Please!!!

[forktender]

Stopped up pressure switches are common, glad I don't have to work on them any more , I have a well that's 218' deep and put 3 pumps in it over the years, a month after the last swap I put city water in,

Thank god we don't rely on the well for anything inside the home. It is just for watering landscaping, and washing the deck and vehicles.
The bad thing is when the switched over to city water they plumbed all the hose bibs to the well. So I don't have any city water hose bibs, which kinda sucks. I have to run a house into the garage laundry sink to get drinkable water to anything outside. Eventually I plan on putting one city water H. Bib in the front and back yard.
It won't be terribly hard to do, and I won't have to crawl under the house to do it. I don't do crawl jobs ANYMORE!!!
My going under houses or in attics are long gone, thank God.
LOL!!!

I should have all the parts to fix this switch by Friday, fingers crossed that is the last problem for a while. We can't afford to many more surprises this yr.

 

[forktender]

I believe that to be the well pump motor starter in the blue box behind the switch... Keep that in mind if it was not the switch... I've had to replce a few of them through the years.... The switch is really not needed if the breaker is close by...

JckDanls 07 You nailed it, the Cap. was bad, I found a whole new Franklin Electric box that is exactly the same as ours. That makes it super easy because I can just replace the outer cover of the box that has the new cap. and transformer all wired up, which will save me time as I won't have to pull the old box off and rewire it.
At least, I hope it's a direct replacement. I haven't checked the wiring out yet, but it should be wired the same way, being the same replacement box.
(fingers crossed) I'm putting a 40-60 psi switch in, so I drained down the tank and adjusted the pressure bladder to 38 PSI. I hope this all works out, and it's not the pump itself. It rained pretty good here a few days ago, so I kinda but the well repair on the back burner until after turkey/ football day.

Thanks for the starter cap tip.

Have a great Thanksgiving.
Dan

 

[hoity toit]

I guess any type of weather, and motor rated switch whether it is a push pull of paddle style switch. I'm not sure if it's 110 or 220 volts. I will have to pull the cover plate off and check it.
It could be 220v because in the panel there are two breakers clipped together, and the wires in the access look pretty big to me. This is not in my wheelhouse, I'm a retired union plumber/fitter. LOL
I hate electrical stuff, because I don't have any practical experience with it, except for changing out outlets and switches in the house. LOL.

This is the breaker.


Thank you very much for the help, I truly appreciate it.
Dan.

just bypass the switch and see if it runs

 

[forktender]

just bypass the switch and see if it runs

I already know the switch is bad, and it's been replaced.
Now it's either a bad replacement pressure switch or the cap starter box or bad pump, hopefully not a bad pump.$$$
I just got the last part I was waiting for tonight, but most likely get to it until after turkey day.
Thanks.
Dan

 

[pineywoods]

Dan I believe most submersible pumps are 220 volt I've never seen one that was 110 volt. The reason I was asking about the Franklin box was to tell you to check the caps but Keith did that. As Keith said those caps are often the problem if it's not the pressure switch.
That said I did have to have my pump replaced a year or two ago. My well is 408' so no hand pulling there lol

 

[forktender]

It is for sure 220v I almost found out the hard way. LOL
HOLY COW, 408' deep is nuts, I hope to hell this pump is still good for a few more years. I will know in a few days when I throw these parts on it.
Fingers crossed.

 

[Steve H]

Dan I believe most submersible pumps are 220 volt I've never seen one that was 110 volt. The reason I was asking about the Franklin box was to tell you to check the caps but Keith did that. As Keith said those caps are often the problem if it's not the pressure switch.
That said I did have to have my pump replaced a year or two ago. My well is 408' so no hand pulling there lol

There are 120 volt pumps for up 150'head. Though not often used due to usually the well being far from the house.

 

[Steve H]

I already know the switch is bad, and it's been replaced.
Now it's either a bad replacement pressure switch or the cap starter box or bad pump, hopefully not a bad pump.$$$
I just got the last part I was waiting for tonight, but most likely get to it until after turkey day.
Thanks.
Dan

What could have happened was the pump was drawing high current repeatedly that caused the switch's heater to fail. Start capacitors do fail. And I'm hoping the capacitor was the root cause.

 

[forktender]

Steve, what is the heater on that old switch for? cold environments? Not to cold where I live, a few hours north is a different story.
The old switch was super floppy, there was no resistance left at all, it took nothing to move it up and down. So for sure the switch was bad, I knew that after testing voltage. I'm going to try to get it fixed the day after turkey day, if I can move. LOL

 

[Steve H]

Steve, what is the heater on that old switch for? cold environments? Not to cold where I live, a few hours north is a different story.
The old switch was super floppy, there was no resistance left at all, it took nothing to move it up and down. So for sure the switch was bad, I knew that after testing voltage. I'm going to try to get it fixed the day after turkey day, if I can move. LOL

It is a overload. That was set at 5.9 amps. If it exceeds this for more then a few seconds. It'll trip the switch. From my old days. All sparkies called them that.

 

[JckDanls 07]

FT

I also do the same thing... Buy the same starter control box and just switch covers...

I also have an aerator... Sprayheads in a tank, this takes sulpher out... So I need a seperate bladder tank and pump... On this one a I use a Low Pressure Cut Off pressure switch...

Im assuming your running straight from the well pump and wouldn't need that pressure switch set up ...

 

[forktender]

FT

I also do the same thing... Buy the same starter control box and just switch covers...

I also have an aerator... Sprayheads in a tank, this takes sulpher out... So I need a seperate bladder tank and pump... On this one a I use a Low Pressure Cut Off pressure switch...

Im assuming your running straight from the well pump and wouldn't need that pressure switch set up ...

Im not really sure, this well has been in use for 60 yrs the way it's set up. I don't know anything about this things. We just got the house a few months ago.
It's the house my wife was born and raised in. I have never messed with wells up to this point. Im just going to put it back together the way it was and hope for the best.

And to make matters worse, the night before Thanksgiving, the sewer main backed up.
Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!
At least I knew how to fix this one, and it didn't happen on turkey day. The joys of homeownership. LOL!!!
I'm not really laughing about it though. What a pain in the ass!!!

 

[gmc2003]

Wow Dan you really must have pi$$ed someone upstairs off LOL. This will be one Thanksgiving you can look back on in 5 years and laugh about. Hope things work out for ya soon, and have a happy T-day. We had our septic backup a many years ago. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Chris

 

[forktender]

"Well" crap!!!
After replacing the switch, pressure switch with a 40/60 PSI switch, control box, and adjusting the pressure tank pressure to 38 PSI, I've got nothing. Power into the switch and pressure switch is good. I guess it's time to call in a well expert, FML!!!

Anything else I should check? I'm at a loss here!!!

I did replace the 30/50 pressure switch with a 40/60 psi switch, and I adjusted the pressure take to 38 psi as recommended, I've got nothing!!!

Do you have anything for me, what am I missing here?
Thanks.
Dan

 

[JckDanls 07]

Using your meter check the leads coming from the well pump... Looking for 220v. when everythings turned on... That tells me if power is going down to the well pump or not... If there IS 220v. welp... I got bad news for ya... If you have NO power.. Then that tells me something is a miss up top... Double/triple checking all my connections/wiring ...

 

[forktender]

Using your meter check the leads coming from the well pump... Looking for 220v. when everythings turned on... That tells me if power is going down to the well pump or not... If there IS 220v. welp... I got bad news for ya... If you have NO power.. Then that tells me something is a miss up top... Double/triple checking all my connections/wiring ...

I will check it out tomorrow, thank you. I kinda figured that would be the next step, I was in denial. LOL.
Thanks
Dan.

 

[Steve H]

Check for power where the cable is going to the pump. If there's power there. Then there is really only two things left that it could be. Power off the circuit. Disconnect the leads going to the pump. And use your meter to see if there is any resistance going through the motor windings. If you don't see anything. Then either the motor is toast. Or there is a problem with the cable going to it.

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Then either the motor is toast. Or there is a problem with the cable going to it.

Either way it requires pulling the well string.
Actually not that bad of job if you have full access to the top of the casing and no overhead obstacles.

There are 120 volt pumps for up 150'head. Though not often used due to usually the well being far from the house.

The voltage drop alone would really make the meter spin.

 

[Steve H]

Either way it requires pulling the well string.
Actually not that bad of job if you have full access to the top of the casing and no overhead obstacles.

Yup. It would.

The voltage drop alone would really make the meter spin.

I'd be more interested if there is any at all. Setting the meter on the lowest setting should work.
Ideally, I'd put my megger on it.

 

[mike243]

I have all 1 piece plastic pipe on mine down 218’, i have replaced pump 2 times, put city water in a month after I changed it the last time, have seen galvanized used would hate to tackle that project. Good luck but sounds like pump time