New pressure switch cut on delay....

[misterC]

I recently installed an 86 gal pressure tank and pressure switch. All is well other than when the cut-on clicks at 30psi, the pressure gauge immediately drops to 0 psi and the pump does not start up and we lose water in the house. But the pump does start within a minute or two or three...lol at random. Maybe too much air in the pressure tank bladder?

I'm trying to figure out if its a bad pump, the tank needs adjusted or pressure switch needs adjusted? All are new.

Anyone have any idea? Thanks

 

[Reach4]

Anyone have any idea? Thanks

Presuming that the switch does not click for that minute delay, it's probably a clogged nipple between the tank tee and the pressure switch. And the pressure gauge is not on that same nipple.

If the pressure switch clicks, but the pump does not deliver water for a minute, there is a different problem. Possibly your start capacitor in your controller box is going bad.

For testing, you can operate the armature on the pressure switch by hand, but use an insulated tool to actuate that.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[misterC]

If the pressure switch clicks, but the pump does not deliver water for a minute, there is a different problem. Possibly your start capacitor in your controller box is going bad.

Hi Reach4, thanks for taking time to reply.

The switch does click with a few min delay of the pump starting up. Unfortunately, the pump is 1/2 horse 115v and the capacitor is in the well. Noooooo!

Was hoping it had something to do with the switch pressure settings. I will tinker with the settings a bit and hope for the best. But it sounds like the new pump may need to be pulled. Should of bought a grundfos or goulds pump I guess?!!! Shoot.

Thanks

 

[Reach4]

The switch does click with a few min delay of the pump starting up.

So you are saying that the pressure switch clicks. Then a minute or 3 later, the pump starts delivering water.

I would put a voltmeter across the wires going to the pump on the pressure switch. Make sure that the 120 V is present during that lag time. Let's hope the voltage is not there, because that would be the easier fix.

Unfortunately, the pump is 1/2 horse 115v and the capacitor is in the well. Noooooo!

So the pump is a 2 wire pump. Those don't have start capacitors, but do have some start provision, such as a start winding or a combined start-run capacitor. Let's hope the problem is above ground. A bad connection or splice would probably not be as predictable as your symptom is.

I suggest that you get a clamp-around ammeter. It would be interesting, and perhaps useful, to know what current is going through one of the wires during the lag time and also while the pump is successfully pumping water. You can order one or buy it locally. When you use one, you clamp around one wire only. If you clamp around more than one, the fields being measured can cancel each other out.

 

[LLigetfa]

the pump is 1/2 horse 115v

Why 115V? Unless there is a compelling reason, a 240V pump is preferred. Check the amps of draw. My guess is the pump is going into thermal overload and then on auto-reset might go.

How far down the well is the static water level? Is there any topside checkvalve? Aside from the high amps needed to start the pump, the amps draw in proportion to the volume of water moved. If you have a topside checkvalve and the one on the pump does not hold, you can develop a vacuum in the line which the pump then has to fill before it reaches the tank.

 

[misterC]

Reach4... yes there is a 1-3 min lag for the pump to start. I will look into an ammeter to check the voltage during lag. thanks✌

LLigetfa...i know right lol. I bought the 115v pumpto run off a generator while we were building a house. Now that we have power, I'm wishing it was 240v.

Static water is around 20ft.... the well is 180ft deep and I set the pump at 130ft. No topside checkvalve to my knowledge. Thats not the one built into the pump is it?

I don't think it's overheating.After the pressure tank is full and we wait overnight, as soon as the tank is empty, it clicks to kick on, and the pump is delayed on the first time it's been turned on for the day. Even after resting all night. But idk...

Does anyone think my pump may be too far down and all the pressure is preventing a faulty free start?

The wire run from the wellhead to pressure tank is around 240ft, plus the 130ft of wire down the well. 370ft of wire for a 115v pump seems hardcore? 10gauge (130ft)in the well and 12gauge UL(240ft) wire to the house. I have an ac disconnect serving as a "junction" to hook submersible well wire to underground wire.

Thanks

 

[LLigetfa]

A 20 foot lift would never pull a vacuum so forget that theory.

Also, the pump is only lifting 20 feet. The first 110 feet are free.

A pump needs less than a second to go into thermal overload if faulty. Resting overnight does not help.

With a static water level of 20 feet, unless the well was low producing, I would not have set it so deep mainly because of the wire length particularly being only 120V.

 

[Reach4]

Does anyone think my pump may be too far down and all the pressure is preventing a faulty free start?

No. Nor is the problem the pressure tank.

Your wire is longer than it should be. The AIM manual says you could run 250 ft of 10 AWG pair, or 160 ft of #12. Or a combination of the two would put the length in between. So LLigetfa may have nailed it. On the other hand, I don't understand why the motor would start a couple minutes later. Maybe you could experiment with a boost transformer sending an extra 10% or 20% of voltage down the wires to work around that letting you use the current pump until it fails.

Incidentally, with a 230 volt 1/2 hp motor, the AIM manual says you can go 650 ft with #12 wire and 1020 ft with #10.

 

[LLigetfa]

On the other hand, I don't understand why the motor would start a couple minutes later.

That is a bit puzzling. I'm not very familiar with pumps that don't use a control box WRT start versus run windings and switching. Maybe they have a centrifugal switch to go from start to run and the time it takes might vary after a couple of failed starts. Probably there are some good pump techs that can put forth an expert opinion.

Anyway... I think there is enough loss of confidence in that pump to warrant replacing it and I would replace it with a 240V.

 

[Valveman]

Need to see if it is drawing amps during the delay time. If it is pulling amps, water is going somewhere, like refilling pipes that drained out over night. But you usually see air in the lines if this happens? If there is no amperage during the delay, either the pressure switch, wire, breaker, or something is not letting voltage through. If there is voltage past the pressure switch, but no amperage, the overload in the motor is tripped and the delay is waiting for it to cool and turn the pump on.

 

[misterC]

Just wanted to say thanks for the help and update everyone on my situation. It magically just fixed itself. Lol no shit. No delay after 3 days of delayed waterflow.

The only thing I can think of....the power company adjusted the voltage in the newly installed transformer?

 

[Jadnashua]

Maybe some crud in the check valve that cleared out?

Did you lose water at the same time you heard the pressure switch operate? The precharge on your tank should be a couple of pounds less than the cut-in pressure so that there's a little bit of water left in the tank that can be used before the pump can start to refill things and boost the pressure. If the precharge is above the cut-in pressure, the bladder will tend to push the water out until empty, then immediately, the pressure would drop to zero, so the pressure would drop to the precharge value, then immediately drop to zero since the pump won't start instantly.

If there's a steel nipple feeding the pressure switch, it may be partially clogged with rust, and that can delay the reaction of the pressure switch.