Well help

[Steppenwolfe]

Hey, guys... We just had a new well pump installed a year ago at our cabin. Everything was great. The bladder on the pressure tank went out two weeks ago, and we had the plumber put in the next size up, and new pressure switch, 60 / 40. In the process of hooking these up to the 220 line, he crossed the lines, tripped the main breaker on our 100 amp panel, and now our pump shuts off after a few minutes and then will come back on for a few and then back off. Could he somehow of messed up the well pump, or is it something else? He is away on vacation till after Memorial Day, and I'm curious if we are going to need a new pump, or something... Thanks

 

[marchanna]

It sounds like the limits aren’t set properly on the pressure switch. Take a look at the pressure gage and see how much the pressure is dropping between on/off cycles.

 

[RNeumann]

Who knows what he did but based on the track record I’d hire someone else to come out and fix the work. Wiring a dead short on 240v actually takes some work to do....it’s no little mistake (typically their isn’t a neutral). I’d guess (pure speculation) he also somehow only gave the pump 120v for a period which would cause overheating of the wiring and pump motor.
Sad this guy is running around and charging like he’s a professional- yikes!

 

[George2615]

My pressure tank rusted out after 30 years. I bought a new tank, piping, and pressure switch and installed them. When I first turned it on the pressure switch would cycle the pump on /off/on/off/on/off. After reading the paperwork I found I had to pressurize the bladder. Once I aired up the tank and turned it back on everything works fine as it should. Just wondering if your plumber pressurized the new bladder in the tank.

 

[marchanna]

My pressure tank rusted out after 30 years. I bought a new tank, piping, and pressure switch and installed them. When I first turned it on the pressure switch would cycle the pump on /off/on/off/on/off. After reading the paperwork I found I had to pressurize the bladder. Once I aired up the tank and turned it back on everything works fine as it should. Just wondering if your plumber pressurized the new bladder in the tank.

Bingo! I had that problem once too.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Most new ones come pre-charged. I think they are somewhere between 8 to 12 psi empty. I had to replace mine last year because the bladder got a hole in it.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Who knows what he did but based on the track record I’d hire someone else to come out and fix the work. Wiring a dead short on 240v actually takes some work to do....it’s no little mistake (typically their isn’t a neutral). I’d guess (pure speculation) he also somehow only gave the pump 120v for a period which would cause overheating of the wiring and pump motor.
Sad this guy is running around and charging like he’s a professional- yikes!

Can the pump even run with only 120 going to it? This is what I was wondering. Is it possible something happened at the pump and knocked out a leg of 120?

 

[George2615]

Can the pump even run with only 120 going to it? This is what I was wondering. Is it possible something happened at the pump and knocked out a leg of 120?

Are you sure the pump is a 220V?
My well pump is 120V. Both the hot (black wire) and neutral (white wire) are wired to the pressure switch. Both break connection to the pump when not running. The only wire connected all the time is the green ground wire. A 220V pump won't run on 120V.

 

[RNeumann]

Can the pump even run with only 120 going to it? This is what I was wondering. Is it possible something happened at the pump and knocked out a leg of 120?

That’s what scares me- it would “try” to run. But with half the volts it would need twice the amps= lots of heat which is bad. Something significant happened that the (prob 20-30a) breaker for the well didn’t trip but the 100 main breaker did.

But based on all the other replies let’s hope I’m wrong! No damage and a simple pressure switch adjustment. YouTube probably has a bunch of info on adjusting it. It’s fairly straight forward....just make sure power is off while you are adjusting it.

 

[prichard]

It would be quite difficult to accidentally get 120v to the pump. I suspect he wired the switch wrong which made a dead short on the 240v. If that was the case there's no reason to be concerned that the 100a breaker tripped and the 30a did not. Breaker rating has nothing to do with response to short circuit.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

That’s what scares me- it would “try” to run. But with half the volts it would need twice the amps= lots of heat which is bad. Something significant happened that the (prob 20-30a) breaker for the well didn’t trip but the 100 main breaker did.

But based on all the other replies let’s hope I’m wrong! No damage and a simple pressure switch adjustment. YouTube probably has a bunch of info on adjusting it. It’s fairly straight forward....just make sure power is off while you are adjusting it.

Thanks... I think it is running. When we use the water, of course whats in the pressure tank is available. Then when the pump kicks in, a few more minutes of water till the pump goes off. I think it is over heating and shutting itself down.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

The well pressure switch breaks both sides of a 220V circuit. The only way you can wire it wrong is have it connect the two sides of the 220v circuit when it closes. When that happens you get full current through the switch until the breaker trips. My bet is the switch is damaged, the contacts aren't meant for that kind of current. You could test it by opening enough faucets that the if the pump runs continuously the pressure won't build up to much. Shut off the breaker, and bypass the switch with wire, and then turn the breaker on. If the switch is the problem the pump should run fine in this configuration. A new switch should be around $20.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

The well pressure switch breaks both sides of a 220V circuit. The only way you can wire it wrong is have it connect the two sides of the 220v circuit when it closes. When that happens you get full current through the switch until the breaker trips. My bet is the switch is damaged, the contacts aren't meant for that kind of current. You could test it by opening enough faucets that the if the pump runs continuously the pressure won't build up to much. Shut off the breaker, and bypass the switch with wire, and then turn the breaker on. If the switch is the problem the pump should run fine in this configuration. A new switch should be around $20.

Wow... great advice. Will do. Thanks.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Wow... great advice. Will do. Thanks.

Oh and take a picture of the correct switch wiring before you start!

 

[Rocky J]

you said a 40/60 switch so the pressure on the tank with the breaker turned off and water valves open so there is no pressure on the tank, then with a tire pressure gauge check the bladder pressure, should be 2 pounds less then kick in pressure of 40 pounds so 38 pounds. They do not know which limit switch you are buying or using so they can not pre set it. The symptoms you are having could be caused by ether not enough bladder pressure or to much. I went through the same thing, my tire gauge was off by 20 pounds, Bought a new gauge re did my pressure and all was good.

 

[Fuddy1952]

One thing I wanted to mention is in 1980 when I bought our place I put a light and socket on outside of well house. It's just a 25 watt red bulb wired to one leg of the 220 pressure switch going to well pump.
This way it's easy to see if pump is running from a long distance.
In winter light stayed on when no one using water and I quickly found a pipe leak in garage. Then light was staying on longer and longer recently and I adjusted the pressure switch as per the manual using gauge, checked bladder tank pressure, etc. and all is "well"(pardon the pun).
The light really comes in handy over the years.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Thanks... All great advice. Boy, what I don't know is a lot...

 

[Cord]

Here's my guess: the pressure tank pressure is not correct. If I recall correctly, if the pressure tank pressure was not set a few pounds over the cut out pressure, you could get a symptom like you are describing. Check your tank pressure, adjust per the instructions and then report back.

 

[Cord]

I had it reversed

Prior to operation, with the tank, empty of water, the pressure should be 2psi below the cut-on pressure. So, for example, with a 30-50 pressure switch (factory default setting), air pressure in the tank will equal 28psi. If the pressure switch is adjusted to 40-60, the cut-on pressure will be 38psi. Furthermore, always set the pressure switch to reflect a 20psi differential between cut-on and cut-off. If the pump cycles too quickly causing the pump to cut on and off, setting the pressure switch to a higher on/off setting should slow down the cycling. Remember to adjust the air pressure in the tank to reflect the new cut -on pressure. Warning! Most non-commercial tanks have a pressure rating of 100psi!

 

[Steppenwolfe]

OK... Plumber came today. Changed out pressure switch because they are cheap, charged tank to be sure it was correct. , and then replaced the well pump with a new one. Somehow we were pulling 21 amps at the pump, I guess something went south in the pump. Once replaced we were pulling 6.5 amps, and everything works great. He is taking my old/new pump back under warranty... Bty, I showed him this thread, and he said ya'll were pretty smart fellars...Thanks guys...:drink: