Well pump electrical short?

Well pump electrical short

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Steve2278

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Hi guys. I have a quick question and I'll try to make it brief.

I've been having a problem with my Meyer jet pump for about 8 months now. I had many people look at it and many parts have been replaced but no one has been able to fix it.

I've finally isolated the problem to a short of some sort within the pump itself. Now the question is do I consider having the pump rebuilt or do I just purchase a new pump?

I have a 119 gallon pressure tank which holds about 42 gallons of water, so the pump doesn't need to run that often.

The problem has gotten worse and every morning now for the past 2 weeks I wake up and there's no water. I go outside to the well pump, take-off the cover and jiggle the wire going from the outlet to the pressure switch and the pump immediately kicks-on. I tightened all the electrical connections several weeks ago and all the wires are clean. The pressure switch is a 30/50 and the tank pressure is set at 28psi. Once the pump kicks on and starts running it runs fine and shuts-off when it should. However, I now find myself outside jiggling the wire to start it several times a day if I'm using a lot of water.

I've had an electrician, a plumber and a well-pump contractor look at the problem and no one seems to know what to do to fix it, and I'm not sure who to consult next?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Steve
 

Valveman

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A short would blow a fuse or trip a breaker. Giggling the pressure switch means you have a loose connection or maybe even the tube to the pressure switch is clogged. I would replace the pressure switch and clean out the connecting tube before I changed out the pump.

If it is the pump/motor, just replace it. Not many things are repairable anymore and even then it is hard to find someone who really knows how to repair anything.
 

Steve2278

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A short would blow a fuse or trip a breaker. Giggling the pressure switch means you have a loose connection or maybe even the tube to the pressure switch is clogged. I would replace the pressure switch and clean out the connecting tube before I changed out the pump.

If it is the pump/motor, just replace it. Not many things are repairable anymore and even then it is hard to find someone who really knows how to repair anything.

Thanks for your advice. However, the pressure switch is brand new. It's the 4th pressure switch inside of 8 months. My plumber always thought the pressure switch was the problem each and every time so he just kept replacing the pressure switch.

I will try checking the tube.

Thanks again.
 

LLigetfa

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It is possible that the breaker is oversized and so not tripping on high current draw or the high draw is only on the start windings. If the pump motor is drawing too much current due to a short in the windings, it could shorten the life of the switches. Wiggling the wire could help the switch contact "make".
 

Justwater

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next time it happens.. before you wiggle the wire, pull out a volt meter. check the power wires going into switch then check wires going to motor so you will know if the problem is to switch or from switch to motor.
 

Doug the pump man

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It is possible that the breaker is oversized and so not tripping on high current draw or the high draw is only on the start windings. If the pump motor is drawing too much current due to a short in the windings, it could shorten the life of the switches. Wiggling the wire could help the switch contact "make".
If the pump motor is drawing to much current the thermal overload in the motor would be opening.
 

Steve2278

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If the pump motor is drawing to much current the thermal overload in the motor would be opening.

Thanks for all your responses guys. My well pump contractor just fixed the problem. Turns out the pressure switch was slightly defective and the contacts were actually bent and were not making full contact. He had to bend them slightly with a pair of pliers. The cover to the pressure switch was also slightly defective and didn't fit over the pressure switch correctly. That was causing the pressure plate to scrape against the inside of the cover, which was creating unwanted resistance as it was leaving scratches on the inside of the cover.

It's amazing how something that seems so insignificant and unlikely could cause a problem!!

Thank you again for all your help!!
Steve
 

Reach4

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I suggest that you measure the voltage across each contact, while the motor is running, for future reference. Ideally that would be zero volts. Then if you later see much higher, such as 1 volt or more, then replace the pressure switch. Your multimeter can be a cheap one for the occasional user.

You have had the pressure switch replaced several times. "However, the pressure switch is brand new. It's the 4th pressure switch inside of 8 months." Imagine the implications of that. Bent contact? How does that happen? Who has access to that switch? At least put a drop of paint (such as finger nail polish) on the cover nut so that you know if it gets tampered with.

You might look through this thread:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/burned-out-pressure-switch.57972/


You did not say if your pump was running on 120 VAC or 240, but 120 is harder on the contacts due to carrying twice the current. If you are using 120, maybe a heavy duty pressure switch would help, as would wiring the contacts in parallel. Wiring the pump for 240 would be the better solution.
 

LLigetfa

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If the pump motor is drawing to much current the thermal overload in the motor would be opening.
A thermal overload requires time to react. There is a lot more thermal mass in a motor than there is in the tiny contacts in the switch.

If the high current is on the start windings, the start/run centrifugal switch on the motor could switch out before the thermal overload has time to react.
 

hohokuz

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My well pump is experiencing exactly the same problem, except it has an additional problem... I go outside to the well pump, take off the cover, and jiggle and pull up the wire going down the well (pulled up maybe 6 inches or so). The pump immediately kicked back on. I used zip tie to keep that tension in the wire and closed the cover back.

This is where the additional problem comes in. My iron filtration system backwashes every other day and, somehow, I wake up to no water every other morning. Anyone have any suggestions on where to look? where to check? Thanks for any leads.


(Update: I started a new thread here: https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/bad-contact-at-pressure-switch.105179/)
 
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Reach4

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hohocuz: Does your pressure switch have a lever on it? That would be a low-pressure cutoff type.

You would have to operate the lever to get water again, right?
 

hohokuz

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Same question already asked in his/her other thread.

Multiple postings for the same issue in different threads from the same poster, only leads to confusion.
Reach4: Yes, my pressure switch has a lever on it, and I crank it up at a 45 degree angle to get water again.

Bannerman: I am sorry for any confusion my question in two different threads have caused... I crossed out my reply in this thread, only leaving the link to my new thread here. Thanks for your help!
 
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