Well Problem Diagnose ( Electrical)

Biggfoot44 · Aug 25, 2019

Got the phone call while I was @ work . Water stopped . While I was on phone, she tapped the pressure switch ( as we periodically had to do ) to knock loose dust in the contacts . They then reported flames . I told them to just turn off @ circuit breaker, thinking dryer lint .

Today I replaced the pressure switch , and just got a big arc when turned power back .

My first thought is the pump ( in bottom of deep well ) is bad , and shorting out .

Is there anything else obvious it might be ?

Added - Same pump from when well was replaced circa 2005 .

foodpoison · Aug 25, 2019

No idea ,but since I am on a well I might as "well" bump your thread

dannyp · Aug 25, 2019

open up the control box , there should be at least one , probably two capasitors , plus a relay . if they are alright then it's probably the pump or the wire going out to it .

Glaron · Aug 25, 2019

Any problems with water stopping before? Sounds like it.

I had to replace the well pump this spring. It would intermittently stop, then restart it self. The pump was drawing too much current, thermal overload would shut it off until it cooled. Eventually it took so much current protections would not let it come on.

Hope you have better news.

btw, my existing pump was circa 2007. The well guy the the model quality went down hill and no longer installed it.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 25, 2019

Control Box ? I'm not that high tech , nor sure what else such a box would control .

Main circuit breaker box > Pressure Switch > imeadately into conduit leading to well .

For whatever reason , the cover over the pressure switch got left off years ago , and dust/ lint could settle on the wires and springs of the Pres Switch . Once or twice a year, give it a tap to dislodge dust in the contacts . So my optimistic plan A was that lint had shorted the actual switch , and a new switch unit, making sure to use cover, would handle things .

But Nope . Brand new switch imeadately blew when power turned on . Seems like massive load coming from the pump . Could it hypothetically be wires shorted inside conduit running out to well? Maybe . But beyond my skils/ inclinations to pull up pump to check the wires .

But of course , If I'm missing something simple above ground , I'd love fix this quickly . ( Just talked to Mrs Biggfoot on phone, re motel room, and basically refused to make an answer . I won't tell her she couldn't , but that if it takes a while, it is not viable to spend more on hotels than the actual well .)

John from MD · Aug 25, 2019

You have a direct short in the pump wiring. Start looking at the well head to see if any animals have gotten to it.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 25, 2019

Don't think so, but will check in about 25min .

Tomcat · Aug 25, 2019

Ours was a bad wire going down to the pump. Since the pump had been in for 30 years we told the company to install a new pump while they had it out. Good luck.

jt2100r · Aug 25, 2019

Had my replaced a couple years ago. They said 12 years is about average. Mine is 405' deep. I got about 20 yrs out of the original.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 25, 2019

14yrs on this one, so I suppose if it needs pulling, might as well replace while its up. Pun unintended .

Biggfoot44 · Aug 25, 2019

Checked the wellhead . Conduit comes from the ground straight into the water tight cap. No access for a critter to get to any wires .

dannyp · Aug 25, 2019

mine was 220 volt , yours must be 110 . have a ohmmeter ? disconnect the wires and check each one to ground . you should have some resistence on each wire , ie: hundreds of ohms , not 0 . the ground wire will be 0 , infinite .

GTOGUNNER · Aug 25, 2019

Biggfoot44 said:
Checked the wellhead . Conduit comes from the ground straight into the water tight cap. No access for a critter to get to any wires .

My wires were rubbing the metal well casing for years. Till it shorted out...

antco · Aug 25, 2019

While the topic is active, who is he premier well servicing company (down hole) that covers southern Calvert Co.? I have zero history on my well other than what the county provides, and I know the pressure tank and related components are not original to this 1989 house. It would be good to have a company already programmed in my phone for the inevitable well pump failure.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 26, 2019

Don't know what counts as "Premiere " , but two of the largest , both with good reputation , are Calvert Well Drilling in Prince Fredrick, and Franks Well Drilling south of La Plata

**************************

Meanwhile contact made with Calvert, they will ge here this afternoon .

StaFrosty · Aug 26, 2019

Don't forget Woosters Well Drilling Company.

BossmanPJ · Aug 26, 2019

My well did the same this spring. Pump finally couldn’t provide enough pressure and would not stop running. I figured a pressure switch issue so I replaced it. No dice. Pulled the pump and redid everything. My pump was original to the house which was built in 1996.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 26, 2019

AND , it's the pump . They will be back tomorrow a.m.

John from MD · Aug 26, 2019

Do you know how deep your well is? The last one I had dug in Davidsonville, around 2006 had to be 385 feet deep. Today I'm told they have to go to 425 or deeper.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 26, 2019

I don't recall exactly, iirc 600-ish . I'm told new wells in my area go 1000-ish .

Which translates to why Calvert Well will be replacing, not me .

Just picked up an industrial 30A " light switch" to put in place of the regular one I swapped for testing . ( For the wall switch to turn off well )

Well Problem Diagnose ( Electrical)

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