I still want to check check the amp draw on the pump, but really I don't have a clue what size pump they installed. I have drilling info, pump output tests- but strangely no pump specs. And then, I was going into this being proactive and replacing the pump- but now I think would the old pump outlast a new and improved one? I'd like to think a well company would look at my well if it was his own.
You can do an amp check and a bucket test. 5 amps is 1/2HP, 7 amps is 3/4HP, 9 amps is 1HP, and so on. Running wide open with a big hydrant or several faucets at the same time keeps the pressure low for the bucket test. If the pump is building pressure and shutting off, you don't have on enough faucets to test the pump. With the pressure staying low like 20-30 PSI, measure in a bucket the gallons per minute. With multiple faucets,measure all of them and add it together. 9 GPM is a 5 GPM series pump. 13 or so is a 7 GPM series pump. 17 GPM give or take is most likely a 10 GPM series pump and so on.
Any horsepower motor can have a 5. 7, 10, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, or 35 GPM pump end on it. So, it is as important to note the GPM series of the pump as much as the horsepower. A 25-30 GPM pump probably won't even work from a really deep well, where a 5-7 GPM pump will upthrust if not in a deep enough well. Under-sizing a pump won't give you the volume or pressure you need, where over-sizing can cause the pump to cycle on and off too much and destroy itself. There are about forty eleven different sizes of pumps available, because each one needs to be sized for each different application. Then because different applications require different control and installation methods, there are dozens of different ways to install and control pumps.
Very few pump installers understand pumps, much less know how to properly size and install them in different applications. Most just install the same size pumps in the same way their father and grandfather did. Many are just parts swappers, trying different things at your cost until they find something that works. Some of the young ones think they are geniuses about electronics like their computer and cell phone stuff, so they throw the "new technology" like variable speed controls at their customers. I can count on one hand the number of people still alive that know pumps as well as electronics and can make an intelligent decision on what is best for your application.
You would "hope" a well company would look at your well the same as his own, but that is rarely the case. I know many pump installers who love to sell those expensive and short live variable speed pumps to their customers, but have a simple, inexpensive, and long lasting Cycle Stop Valve on their own well pump. That is very telling on its own. Most will just sell you what they make the most money with, or what the pump manufacturers teach them to sell, which is what makes the most money for the pump manufacturers.
There is a very small percentage of pump installers who actually know what they are doing and really care about doing the best thing for their customers. If you happen to find one of these installers, you should pay him double what he ask. The Internet is a wonderful thing. You no longer have to just take the pump man or manufacturers word for it. There are thousands of pages to research to help you weed out all the misinformation and sales hype. Doing what pops up in every add is usually the worst thing for the consumer. Dig down a few links and see what other people have experienced. Many times a homeowner on the Internet that has already been through some of the problems is more knowledgeable about pump systems than the majority of pump installers.
