Fix wiring connected between 2 homes with shared well.

[Cheriemelara]

I have purchased a lot that has an older trailer on it. This was previously a larger lot but was divided between two siblings after their fathers passing. The pump is wired into my breaker but also goes to the other home where they had a pressure tank and switch. It's very confusing. Now that I live here, the other sibling has also moved out and unhooked his switch. Leaving me to have full pressure to my home. When I asked why I had the full pressure from now, and had been having for a few days he just told me to turn breaker on and off when I am not using it. That they had some pipes freeze and bust. Never bothered telling me what he was doing to give me a heads up, so I could make sure my end wouldn't have issues. For the obvious reasons why this is not a good idea or convenient, I need to fix it. It is supposed to be 50/50 on sharing well and the expenses. But at this moment I just want to wire my own switch and connect a tank that I had stored from my old place. I think they may have connected a outlet from that wire that was hooked to the switch. Due to the fact I could hear a shop vac running when his sister was there and they have no power. It had been disconnected and why he ended up moving. I actually flipped off my well breaker and went back outside and no longer heard the shop vac running. This infuriates me, but I know I could be wrong and jumping to accusations. Its hard not to think the worst of someone's reasoning behind how they are doing things. But I think he told me to flip it off and on so I wouldn't cut wire and hook up my own. Making it easier on their end if him or the sister would want to move back and /or have some type of power when they were down there. I have drawn out a pic of how it's set up. I know where and how to hook up my tank and how to hook up a switch. What I want to make sure of is the capping off of wiring and splicing into sub well wiring. I don't know best way to do this. It's very frustrating. I have no issues with going down to the property line and capping their wires off.i know there is probably numerous codes/laws broken. I didn't hook it up, only trying to fix it correctly. So, please don't judge me on how wiring is done.

 

[Bannerman]

Is there a formal written agreement within your purchase to share the maintenance and operating expenses for the well?
Your diagram seems to indicate the well is not located on the property you purchased so you may have no actual legal right to obtain water from that well unless there is a signed agreement registered on-title for both properties.

Since the well appears to be a greater distance from your trailer compared to the other trailer, seems odd the pump power is being supplied from your trailer, but the pressure tank and pressure switch are currently located at the other trailer.

If both owners are to share the operational costs equally, since you are supplying 100% of the power to operate the pump, how were you to collect 50% of the electrical expense to operate the pump?

Since you are to share the expenses, it would seem the other owner is 50% responsible to repair the system to restore operation in the manner in which the system was designed.

Since West Virginia experiences sub-freezing temperatures during the winter, how were you planning to prevent the pressure tank, pressure switch and associated piping under your trailer from freezing during the winter?

Does restoring power for the pump result in the same 'vacuum' noise you heard previously?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cheriemelara]

My deed states we share well and the expenses to maintain the well 50/50. I have not received any 50/50, since he has moved out. I am planning on protecting my tank and pipes from freezing the same as I have done in the past. I have a 3/4" plywood built surrounding the tank and the tank will be wrapped with insulation, pipes will have heat tape and will be covered with insulation. This has worked in the past at my previous trailer. I am assuming it will be the same at this trailer. I also have a heat lamp I have to use if I think I need to turn it on as well. The well casing is directly on the other side of the property line, but I am allowed access to it. Especially since I am the only one here now using it. I just want to know if I cut and cap off the lines will there be issue with voltage dropping from the are i have cut and capped to splice and add to the well pump. If that makes sense what I am trying to ask? And regarding the vacuum noise sound, no it did not. I left breaker flipped off a few minutes. I didn't flip it off and immediately back on. when I went back outside though there was no vacuum sound. it was definitely a shop vac, or some type of vac being used I can hear it very clear from them being so close behind me. I just can't be certain it was hooked to my power or if it was a car lighter type situation or possibly battery operated. I just cut it off the sound was off and i left it off maybe 5 min and it wasn't back on after that.

 

[Reach4]

Pressure switch at your place should be very close (short fat pipe between ideally) to the input of the pressure tank at your place. The air precharge in the tank should be 2 psi below the cut-on pressure of the pressure switch. If your pressure switch is the regular kind (no lever) the symptom of the air precharge being too high is a brief stutter in pressure as the pump turns on.

You want to know if you have a 230 volt pump, and if you have a 2-wire or 3-wire plus ground pump.

If 230 volt pump, run the two hots from the 2-pole breaker to terminals 1 and 4 on the pressure switch. If 2-wire pump, connect the terminals 2 and 3 to the pump.

You may want to post a photo that shows the input to the pressure tank, the pressure switch, and the pipe coming from the well. 800 pixels max and 200 KB max.