Four Ringer
Member
For the past week, the well pump has been tripping the breaker. After only a few days of this, I monitored the behavior and here's what I gleaned.
-The pump won't build pressure past 35psi
-90' well. I believe the pump is a 3/4hp, could be a 1/2. 110V on a 15A circuit. It's exactly 4 years old
-Clamping shows a low draw when it starts. It stays at about 3-4A until it runs too long. Then it rises to close to 20A at which point the breaker pops. My meter is a small, cheapo HF one so it might not be very accurate
-40/60 pressure switch
-Bladder tank is low at about 30psi
I called the local well company that replaced my pump 4 years ago. They told me that the pump should be close to 12A under load, not low as it currently is. He then dropped something from a big pill bottle into the well and put his ear to the cap. I assume he was listening for the noise of it hitting the water.
They then pumped 150 gallons in and restarted the pump and it started operating as it normally did. They then proceeded to make my day by telling me that I most likely need a new well drilled based on the findings. $10-15k. Yikes.
Sorry for the long-winded first post. I'm normally handy enough to not need to seek outside help but this one sails well past my current knowledge/ability level. At this point, I'm just trying to keep them honest. Most likely I'll put in at least one 300G tank with a jet pump and a level switch. That seems like a far better option, at least in the short term.
Thanks for listening!
-The pump won't build pressure past 35psi
-90' well. I believe the pump is a 3/4hp, could be a 1/2. 110V on a 15A circuit. It's exactly 4 years old
-Clamping shows a low draw when it starts. It stays at about 3-4A until it runs too long. Then it rises to close to 20A at which point the breaker pops. My meter is a small, cheapo HF one so it might not be very accurate
-40/60 pressure switch
-Bladder tank is low at about 30psi
I called the local well company that replaced my pump 4 years ago. They told me that the pump should be close to 12A under load, not low as it currently is. He then dropped something from a big pill bottle into the well and put his ear to the cap. I assume he was listening for the noise of it hitting the water.
They then pumped 150 gallons in and restarted the pump and it started operating as it normally did. They then proceeded to make my day by telling me that I most likely need a new well drilled based on the findings. $10-15k. Yikes.
Sorry for the long-winded first post. I'm normally handy enough to not need to seek outside help but this one sails well past my current knowledge/ability level. At this point, I'm just trying to keep them honest. Most likely I'll put in at least one 300G tank with a jet pump and a level switch. That seems like a far better option, at least in the short term.
Thanks for listening!