Why does my Pump Protector keep shutting down my pump?

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Oonasong

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Hi Everyone,

I recently bought my first home which came outfitted with a 20 year old Home Plumber PN 313573 1/2 HP convertible jet pump, and a brand new Pentek Submersible Pump Protector (Model SPP-11P-3RL), a new Wellxtrol 150 psi Pressure tank, and a new Trojan UV Max water filtration system.

Everything is hooked up side-by-side inside an indoor utility room. (Including the pump.)

Two weeks ago there was suddenly no water pressure. I noticed the calibration light on the pump protector was flashing red. First I turned the breaker and the pump switch on and off. Red light was still flashing. Then I thought it might be a jam in the UV system so I cleaned and replaced the pre-filter and the filter. I then went online and found a manual for the Pentak pump protector which said that when the calibration light on this unit flashes red it means that the pump protector has shut down the pump due to an overcurrent situation. It said this was caused by low or high voltage or jammed pump impellers. It also said that if these conditions did not exist I should recalibrate the unit while it was drawing higher current.

That last sentence went beyond my current skill set, but thankfully the manual also said that if the calibration light was flashing red the system was timing through the restart delay and would try to restart the pump if voltage was at an acceptable level.

I hoped this was the case, and about 5 hours after it first shut down the green run light came on, as did the pump, and I figured the problem had happily resolved itself! (I have subsequently opened the unit and noticed the restart is set for 100 minutes...)

Yesterday, 2 weeks after the initial problem, the same thing happened but this time I was in the shower covered with shampoo and soap : ) and the system did not restart itself. 8 hours later, with the red light still flashing, I took a look at the pump, opened and shut a few of the water lines, for lack of any other ideas, (thought I heard some air?), then I turned the power to the pump off and then a minute later on again and low and behold the system started.

I thought I was out of the woods but this morning (with no water being used all night) the red light was flashing again. Once again I turned the power switch to the pump off, let it rest for a few minutes then turned it on again and the pump resumed working for a while! I have done this "trick" about 4 times today. The solid green light is on now, but I dread the flashing red!!

So....I am wondering what the best way of solving this issue is. I don't have access to a volt meter or an ammeter so I have no way of knowing if I am dealing with low or high voltage. I don't think the pump impeller is blocked as the pump has been working fine for hours at a time. I am almost positive the shallow well is not dry (I would get a different error message if it was according to the pump protector manual.) I have made sure that there are no exposed water lines that could get frozen and am leaving a tap slightly running as it is below freezing here right now. I called the power company today to make sure there have not been any power surges. There is a smart meter installed on this house, but the power company said there were no error messages on my meter record. I also called the pump protector manufacturers' tech help line but by this point, they seemed to know less about the unit than me! One interesting thing - the pump I have says it is wired for 230 volts on it, but it is only on one breaker and the pump protector I have is for a 115 volt pump. I checked with the former owner of this house today and he said an electrician installed everything so I don't think that could be the issue? The pump has been working well for the first 3 months of living here.

So - I don't have a big contingency fund for repairs, given that everything just went into buying the place. Should I call an electrician? A plumber? A pump/well expert or is there something else I can do myself? Given that the pump is so old does it just make sense to replace it rather than spending money on diagnostics, or is it possible that that would not solve the problem? Could the problem be with the pump protector and not the pump?

Thanks so much,
Oona
 

Reach4

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So - I don't have a big contingency fund for repairs, given that everything just went into buying the place. Should I call an electrician? A plumber? A pump/well expert or is there something else I can do myself? Given that the pump is so old does it just make sense to replace it rather than spending money on diagnostics, or is it possible that that would not solve the problem? Could the problem be with the pump protector and not the pump?

I would think pump person will be more familiar with troubleshooting. If they are not allowed to do related electrical work in your area, then you might need an electrician. Ask.

You don't have access to a voltmeter or ammeter? I don't think you want to take this on yourself.
 

Valveman

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I have never seen a Pump Tek type of devise used on a jet pump.

Neither me. A 115 volt controller on a 230 volt pump is also a red flag, possible problem. I would just take off or bypass the so-called “protector”. The motor should have a built in overload, and that is the only one you need.

If you want to protect it from a dry well condition, you might want to consider a Cycle Sensor instead. It looks for low amperage that happens when pumping air instead of water, and does not have an additional overload that we found only causes nuisance trips, as I think maybe the case here.
 

Oonasong

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Thank You!

Neither me. A 115 volt controller on a 230 volt pump is also a red flag, possible problem. I would just take off or bypass the so-called “protectorâ€. The motor should have a built in overload, and that is the only one you need.

If you want to protect it from a dry well condition, you might want to consider a Cycle Sensor instead. It looks for low amperage that happens when pumping air instead of water, and does not have an additional overload that we found only causes nuisance trips, as I think maybe the case here.

Thanks Everyone, for taking the time to answer my rather wordy question!

A pump expert came by today and agreed with you all that the pump protector should be bypassed. To start with, we changed the restart/calibration cycle on the protector from 100 to 2 minutes. If the pump keeps tripping off we will bypass the protector. If the pump is still not working consistently, we will replace it as it is pretty darn old!

In Gratitude,
Oona
 

Craigpump

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Maybe it's early, but that makes no sense to me at all.

He agrees that it shouldn't be used, but goes ahead and resets it..... Why not remove it?
 

DonL

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Why a 1/2 HP convertible jet pump would have a Submersible Pump Protector is a bit overkill. But should not mater unless it is bad. Changing the timing should not keep it from tripping, but just make it try to start again sooner.

Sounds like the pump motor has a problem.

Either a bad capacitor or centrifugal switch.

Or if it is really wired for 240V and trying to run on 120V.

A 1/2 HP convertible jet pump should be capable of being wired and running on 120V. How is it really wired ?


Good Luck.
 

LLigetfa

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I don't have a big contingency fund for repairs...
Free advice ignored.
A pump expert came by today and agreed with you all that the pump protector should be bypassed...
Paid (I assume) advice ignored.
He agrees that it shouldn't be used, but goes ahead and resets it..... Why not remove it?
Hoarding is the only plausible explanation. The OP perceives the device to have value and so cannot discard it.

IMHO it is more a nuisance than valuable.
 

Oonasong

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Lligetfa- i don't understand if your abbreviation OP is referring to me or the professional I called. I do know neither of us is interested in hoarding an unnecessary piece of equipment and that he was not up to disconnecting the unit yesterday, Friday as he came on short notice and could not get here til late In the day due to other work committments.

Yes - he thinks the protector should be bypassed but was too tired to do it yesterday so he opted to reset the restart/ calibration dial as mentioned. It is possible that given this is also a calibration setting it might decrease the sensitivity of the unit. (My unlearned opinion only).

His advice was to monitor the situation overnight. The pump has not yet come on or been shut off by the protector, but there is water with normal pressure, so i am waiting to see what happens. FYI he did not charge for this initial visit and I am weighing ( and appreciating) all advice given, not ignoring it!

I did ask him to check the wiring of the pump but he figured it is set to work for 115 volts. (It is only on one breaker so this makes sense.)

Don, thanks for your input re: pump. I did notice that when it came on yesterday it took an extra long time to fill the pressure tank. Plumber that came did say the pressure level on the gauge looked good though.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!
 

Craigpump

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Doesn't sound like much of a "professional" to me, all it would take is a couple minutes, a screw driver and 2 wire nuts to entirely bypass the thing.

Truth be told, by the time that pump protector did anything useful, the pump would have already lost its prime.

In other words, it was a waste of someone's time, money and effort to put it on in the first place.
 

Valveman

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Doesn't sound like much of a "professional" to me, all it would take is a couple minutes, a screw driver and 2 wire nuts to entirely bypass the thing.

Truth be told, by the time that pump protector did anything useful, the pump would have already lost its prime.

In other words, it was a waste of someone's time, money and effort to put it on in the first place.




Just a "Ditto" from me for what it is worth.
 
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