Submersible pump mystery - where to go?

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Ballvalve

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200' deep 1hp [1.5?] 8' to 200' drawdown. 6" with 4" pvc liner, saw slotted, 1/8" minus.

Pumping it daily maybe 5] 40 gallon pulls.

WAS pumping muck and fine clay before the liner. Worked fine for 6 months after. No noticeable junk in the water now.

Pump has a full size control box with reset. resets kicking out.

On application of power, pulls locked rotor amps, about 35. Jog it a few times and you get the pump to run clean at 11.5 amps per line. red-yel-black wire ohm tests in range.

So I have a apparently in-spec pump that is locking up when idle.

Bad bearing? rock in impellers? Pull it out or?
 

Ballvalve

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Thanks, I installed a used 25 year old identical box, and now its been starting up at 10 to 11 amps with no locked rotor amps at the beginning.

And been working for a few days. The book says about 9.3 [?] amps FLA, so maybe this pump is a bit tired or not spec'd correctly? [1HP] 13 or more stages.

I would guess the local driller would have a new pump in someone elses hole right now.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
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Low amps would mean the pump is worn. High amps means something is dragging. Most likely the windings have been hot and have swelled to grab the rotor. With a canned stator, once it has gotten hot and swelled up, it will never "un-swell" back to the right size. One day in the near future, it will just lock up completely. But there is no fixing it, so run it until it quits.
 
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