hi, i currently have a 2 hose jet pump(115v) that has the foot valve set down at 94 feet. if i do 2 loads of laundry back to back i run out of water. i then have to wait a few hours to get water back. my well is 164 feet deep. im going to install a submersible but wonder if a 115v pump will do. if i have to go with 230v then ill have to have some wiring run. i was given an estimate of 1650.00 with a 5 year warranty for a 115v pump, installed complete. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks, chris from maine.
Deep well submersible, 115 or 230 volt?
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You will want your pump set deeper -- I would think about 140 ft unless there is a contrary reason. A 1/2 HP 7 GPM pump seems appropriate. That can be 230 or 115 volt. If you wanted a 10 gpm pump, which you probably don't need, then you would probably want 230 volt 3/4 HP. You can also easily get 1/2 HP submersibles in 230 volts. The 230 volt allows smaller wires.
This snip is from table 11 of the Franklin AIM manual. It looks to me that you will need at least #10 wire to go 250 ft (over 100 ft and 140 ft down) with a 115 volt pump, but #14 would be sufficient with 230v. I would have a significant preference for the 230 volt. This would require a 2-pole breaker in the breaker box, but that is a small increase. If you keep the current cable, you need to mark the white wire to a hot color. This can be done by a red or black Sharpie marker based on what I have read. A pressure switch normally has 2 poles (pairs of contacts). For 120/115 only one pole is used. For 240/230, both get wired in. Not a big deal to do normally.
I am not a pro. Price sounds very good. It is good to get rid of existing steel pipes that are not buried and use plastic pipes instead due to rusting.
What does an estimate mean? Is this somebody who has done good work for others in the area?
This snip is from table 11 of the Franklin AIM manual. It looks to me that you will need at least #10 wire to go 250 ft (over 100 ft and 140 ft down) with a 115 volt pump, but #14 would be sufficient with 230v. I would have a significant preference for the 230 volt. This would require a 2-pole breaker in the breaker box, but that is a small increase. If you keep the current cable, you need to mark the white wire to a hot color. This can be done by a red or black Sharpie marker based on what I have read. A pressure switch normally has 2 poles (pairs of contacts). For 120/115 only one pole is used. For 240/230, both get wired in. Not a big deal to do normally.
I am not a pro. Price sounds very good. It is good to get rid of existing steel pipes that are not buried and use plastic pipes instead due to rusting.
What does an estimate mean? Is this somebody who has done good work for others in the area?
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A 1/2 HP is the largest you can get in 115 volt. But I agree with Reach than a 7 GPM, 1/2HP is probably all you need.
Craigpump
In the Trades
Gotta wonder why the footvalve is at 94' if the well is 160' deep.
$1650.00 doesn't sound like a bad price, I'd suggest you spend a bit more and have the casing brought above grade for a more sanitary installation that's easier to service in the future.
$1650.00 doesn't sound like a bad price, I'd suggest you spend a bit more and have the casing brought above grade for a more sanitary installation that's easier to service in the future.
DonL
Jack of all trades Master of one
Not much of a foot valve is it. That is a Hip valve.
The higher voltage is better to make up for wire voltage drop. At 120v the voltage drop is about double 2X, When using the same size wire on 240v.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
You may not need new wiring to switch form 120vac to 240vac, just relocating the leads and minor control changes. Only if you were to get a higher capacity (higher horsepower) motor would you need to upgrade the wire. Now, depending on how old and the condition, it might be time, since the labor to change it out later if it failed would cost a lot more than just doing it now while pulling the pump for replacement.
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