What size/type wire for 460 ft underground run for well house

[LCF]

Good afternoon everybody.

We have a new drilled well installed 500 feet out in the woods from one of my workshops. I am going to be running the line from one of my 200 amp subpanels located in the workshop.

I installed a well house approx 460 feet from the workshop and will be installing a subpanel in the well house which will power the well pump (1.5 HP 230V), possibly a heater or 120w bulb, and would also like a little extra power should I need to charge any of my equipment out there in the future.

Underground will be PVC conduit I plan on snaking the line through. What size/type of wire should I use for the best value/cost? I don't want to buy from Lowes or Home Depot and will look on line or at a supply house. I know that there will be some loss at that distance but I want to make sure i do it right. If you need to know the make/model of the pump it is: CentriPro M15432/150C313.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Reach4]

Per the AIM manual page 11, for 1.5 HP 230 V, #10 copper, or #8 aluminum, is good for only 480 ft total both horizontal and down the well to the pump. So unless your pump is very close to the surface, that would not be good enough.

#8 copper or #6 aluminum is good for 770 ft total.

There is a methodology of how to address a mix of wires. For example, you could use #10 or #12 copper down the well probably if your long wires are beefy enough. Page 12 of the Franklin AIM manual spells out the method. Easy math.

EDIT: my wire size numbers are for just a single phase 1.5 hp well pump, and did not consider other loads. However your proposed pump is 3 phase, so that works to reduce the current. Be sure you are running 3 phase if you use that pump.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LCF]

Per the AIM manual page 11, for 1.5 HP 230 V, #10 copper, or #8 aluminum, is good for only 480 ft total both horizontal and down the well to the pump. So unless your pump is very close to the surface, that would not be good enough.

#8 copper or #6 aluminum is good for 770 ft total.

There is a methodology of how to address a mix of wires. For example, you could use #10 or #12 copper down the well probably if your long wires are beefy enough. Page 12 of the Franklin AIM manual spells out the method. Easy math.

Thanks for the info. The well installer is actually handling everything from the well house to down the well. I just have to worry about the wire size from panel to panel at 460 feet. I would probably go with aluminum but not sure what kind is best in underground in PVC? I don't want to use the direct burial junk.

 

[Reach4]

It's good you are putting in a subpanel for the well house. It will be nice to have lights and outlets. That might cause you to run bigger wire.

I suspect THWN is OK, but get better confirmation. I am not an electrician.

 

[LCF]

I just found out the pump is to be placed at 475 feet, so it will be 460- feet to the well house and then another 515 feet to the actual pump. . I am looking at XLPE or THWN but not certain now as to the size wire I should get. Would a mobile home feeder 2-2-2-4 work in underground pvc or is that overkill?

 

[Norcal01]

MHF is a bundled cable, if you choose to use it, I would recommend you use 2" PVC conduit for easier cable pulling, and minimize bends, gradual bends in the conduit run instead will make life much easier when the cable is pulled, code allows 360 degrees of bends in the run (4-90 degree bends), every bend will add resistance to the cable pull.