New pump, new pressure tank throwing breaker

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fantastic1

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Hi all,

We are at our wits end here. We are in the West Texas area and have been told our well is running low on water. Three months ago we had had no issues whatsoever with our water well until we woke up one morning and didn't have any water. Water well guys came out and said some wires were melted and ended up pulling the pump from the well. Pump was a 1/2 hp pump and is right around 100 feet down. They didn't have the same pump on their truck and anxious to get water back they had a 1hp pump, cost us $250 more to get it installed but they said it would work even better etc. They also installed some kind of switch that cycles the pump so it would run for 2 minutes, stay off for 5 minutes etc until the pressure tank filled. They also put a ball valve in the piping running from the pump to the tank to preserve the pump since it was bigger or something like that.
We thought all would be good once this was done but instead we have had nothing but problems. We have to reset the breaker constantly but there's no rhyme or reason to it. Some days we use little water and never run out, other days I have to reset the breaker 3 times to do a quick wash cycle (30 mins) for laundry. They came out 3 days ago and replaced the pressure tank it was under warranty but it still hasn't fixed the problem. We need water and are so confused we don't know what to do. I've asked them if the pump is too big but they basically laugh at me and say that's not possible. I just don't understand and I'm clueless as to what to look at or ask about. They keep telling us we need to install a storage tank because the well is running low but then they say we are getting 2.5 to 3 gal per min and how great that is. But our concern is if we can't even get our pressure tank full how the heck is a storage tank even going to help?!

Thank you for your help.
 

VAWellDriller

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The well running out of water generally will not make the breaker trip.... it sounds like there is a short in the wiring somewhere.... maybe in the timer they put on, or the breaker isn't large enough for the 1hp ( I doubt this). The pump is too large, but a ball valve restricting the flow is a fine thing to do as long as nobody closes it all the way. I would look for shorts in the wiring or possibly a weak breaker. I would also call a new well company to come check things out.
 

fantastic1

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We have a double 50 amp breaker so I'm pretty sure it's big enough for the 1 hp pump. My husband replaced the breaker with no real improvement in the issue. Some days we have no problems with it and other days we have nothing but problems resetting the breaker. We are waiting for a new company to come out and try disconnecting the pump switch to see if maybe that fixes the issue. We are once again without water and I'm afraid we are burning or have already burnt up our new pump as it won't turn on at all right now. :-( I'm so frustrated, we've spent $2k and we still don't have a working water well.
 

fantastic1

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We have a double 50 amp breaker so I'm pretty sure it's big enough for the 1 hp pump. My husband replaced the breaker with no real improvement in the issue. Some days we have no problems with it and other days we have nothing but problems resetting the breaker. We are waiting for a new company to come out and try disconnecting the pump switch to see if maybe that fixes the issue. We are once again without water and I'm afraid we are burning or have already burnt up our new pump as it won't turn on at all right now. :-( I'm so frustrated, we've spent $2k and we still don't have a working water well.
Oh and the company that did all the work is basically refusing to come out unless we are ready to install a storage tank or drill a new well. :-(
 

Reach4

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What can you tell us about the pump: brand, model? Not that it is important for troubleshooting, do you you know the well depth and how far down the water is?

Do you have a control box, and if so, maybe post a photo.

Can you get a volt/ohm meter and are you willing to use it?

I am not a pro.
 

Cacher_Chick

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Your 50 amp breaker won't accomplish anything except to burn the house down when the wire is not properly protected. You have an electrical fault, which is likely to be in the wire going down to the pump.
 

Reach4

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I would isolate the wiring (other than the green) and see if there was any ground fault. The AIM manual says that the wiring should have more thank 500 K-ohms to ground for an existing well. They prefer a high voltage (500 volt/megger) ohmmeter, but if a regular ohmmeter shows lower than that, you have a short that cacher_chick was suggesting as one possibility. A wire-to-wire short is another possibility.

What you wrote in your first paragraph does seem a little strange. It is definitely possible to have a pump that is too big. But that would not explain blowing a 50 amp breaker. A 25 amp breaker is normal for a 1 HP motor.
 
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