Banjo Bud
Active Member
i am going to run wires just in case I decide to scrap the shallow well pump and go submersible. If I go with a 3 wire, does that mean 3 wires PLUS a ground (4 wires total)? Or does it mean 3 wires TOTAL?
3 wire pump
- Thread starter Banjo Bud
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3 wire means 4 wires total.
There is little reason to use a 1/2 HP 3 wire pump unless you plan on powering it with a generator or solar. The 2-wire takes a little more power during start-up but not after the first seconds. With commercial power, the simplicity of not having a control box usually makes people choose 2 wire pumps for 3/4 HP or less.
With a 1/2 HP pump at 120 vac, you can go 100 ft (round trip to the main breaker panel) with #14, or 160 ft with #12. These numbers build in some margin for the wires.
If the pump is 240, then you can go 400 ft with #14 and 650 ft with #12. So 240 lets you use lighter wire or go farther.
If you put in a submersible, you could tee off to a yard hydrant on the way to the house. Just an option to consider that you would not have with a suction pump. If you use a submersible, use a flow inducer sleeve. That routes the incoming water past the motor to keep the motor cooled.
There is little reason to use a 1/2 HP 3 wire pump unless you plan on powering it with a generator or solar. The 2-wire takes a little more power during start-up but not after the first seconds. With commercial power, the simplicity of not having a control box usually makes people choose 2 wire pumps for 3/4 HP or less.
With a 1/2 HP pump at 120 vac, you can go 100 ft (round trip to the main breaker panel) with #14, or 160 ft with #12. These numbers build in some margin for the wires.
If the pump is 240, then you can go 400 ft with #14 and 650 ft with #12. So 240 lets you use lighter wire or go farther.
If you put in a submersible, you could tee off to a yard hydrant on the way to the house. Just an option to consider that you would not have with a suction pump. If you use a submersible, use a flow inducer sleeve. That routes the incoming water past the motor to keep the motor cooled.
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Pull 4 wires anyway, so you have options.
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