Guys I have a dilema today after working a 24 hour work day yesterday. I awoke around 1 to get some stuff around the house done. Figured Id wash the vinyl siding get some of the grime off. Well to make a long story short I go to turn on the hose and the pressure drops immediately. I walk out back to make sure that the faucet is on. I then walk over to the pressure tank and well control box. I press the relay on the control box and I hear the pump kick on. I walk back around to use the hose it has pressure for a minute than it disappears again. I walk back to the control box and press the relay and this time I stand there. Well the relay kicked on then I heard the pump turn on then off then on then off this happened for a minute or so. Then the cover blew off the well pump control box. The Run Capacitor completely blew up. My question is this. What type of pump is that I have being as Im in Central Florida I believe that the pump is right there at ground level. Am I right to assume this? If not how do I figure this out? The cover on the control box says it is a 1hp 230v should I replace the pump with the same size or does todays market offer me less hp for equal performance? The pressure tank is 26 gallons. Do you think this should be upgraded as well I have a family of 4 living in my house. Thanks for the help guys.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Michael Hindle explores the efficacy of deep energy retrofits and discusses essential considerations for effective climate mitigation.
Featured Video
Builder’s Advocate: An Interview With ViewrailHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Need some clarification
re: press the relay - do you mean the pressure switch or did you actually hold the armature down on a relay?? Or do you mean you clicked a thermal cutout??
re:press the relay and this time I stand there. Well the relay kicked on then I heard the pump turn on then off then on then off Did you hold the relay closed or just click the pressure switch (or thermal cutout) once?
re: Run Capacitor completely blew up Was this a plastic case or metal case capacitor, I'd guess it was plastic case in which means it is the START capacitor. Metal case run capacitors can fail but usually do not blow the case apart like a start capacitor.
One possibility, need to make many assumptions on this due to uncertainties in aboe nomenclature: Your start switch (likely centrifugal?) has corroded and welded shut, which left the start cap permanently connected. Motor overcurrents every time it tries to start, trips thermal cutout. Repeated starts overstress the start capacitor and it blows. Probably would not start again, just sits and hums when the "relay"?? is closed?
Likely fix: Replace start cap, disassemble mortor and file/clean centrifugal switch contacts, check thermal cutout for damage.
JunkhoundHere is hopefully some more information. The switch that I pressed was an overload relay switch. The capacitor that blew up was plastic. Ill try to show you some pictures to maybe clear it up a little bit. When I pressed the switch it was just once then walked away. I didnt hold it down.
Before you pull everything, try just replacing the cap that blew. Looks like the non-blown cap in the pix is plastic also (very poor reliability*), and if the caps were physically located as on the schematic, it was the run cap that blew and was a bad cap (also bad design to use a plastic case cap for run cap).
See if you diagram lists the micorfarads of the cap (uF) or if you can find it written on the remains. Probably 2uF or 3 uF if it was a run cap. Buy a metal case replacement capacitror at Grainger or other supply house. It is worth a try before you replace the entire pump.
Your tank looks in good shape. Althugh 26 gal is pretty small for 4 people (means the pump cycles more), but they are relatively pricey so I'd leave it as is.
*example - the cheap Harbor Freight grinders have a plastic case run cap, one I had blew within hours run time after purchase - replaced with metal case run cap and has been doing good for years since.
But, in the picture, he has no storage tank, so couldn't he have a water logged bladder tank failure causing the pump to cycle on a off?
yep, migraine, good comment, you are right, lowchin should check the air presure in his blue tank after replacing the capacitor, that may have been the root cause - looks like a nearly new tank, so maybe it is OK, but the most common well tank failure is waterlogging. .
Guys hey thanks for the info. I will check the capacitor I actually have a Grainger close to me. I called some local well guys today and they said that it is most likely the Tank. How ever when that capacitor blew up it set the whole control box on fire. I had to put it out with an extiguisher. Im going to start doing some trouble shooting. Ill let you know what is discovered.
From what I can see from your pics, you pump is a submergible pump so you pump will be in the water, not how far down, that's what you will have to find out. Take the well seal off the case and shine a light down the hole and see if you can see your pump. That will give you a idea on how deep you are. From the way it sounds I think it is your pump going out, I would pull the pump find out what size it is and go from their on pump size. On the pressure tank you want at least 1 min of you pump capacity, it is better to have more, that way you pump dose not cycle as much the bigger the better ( I have a 62 gal tank).
If you do decide to tackle this job replace everything pump, wire, drop pipe, pressure tank, and fittings and check vales. One other thing on presure tank size, just because it is a 26 gal tank, that dose not mean it holds that, the draw down on that size tank is probly about 6 or 8 gal. The draw down is the amount of water that leaves the tank before the pump comes on.