Help? electrician or anyone for water pump not working?

[LynnG]

My water pump on my well is not working this morn..=NO Water. I have checked the power switches..turned on and off, same with the spickets. nada. The electrical box next to the pump will make a noise like it is trying to turn on, but the water pressure gauge stays at 0. I have just turned the switch to off in the meantime.

I did put word in for a referred electrician to call me this afternoon, but as of yet ... not heard back. I'll do some more calling tonight for referrals from folks. We did have a bad storm roll thru last night.

So whether it is electrical or well pump gone back....like forgot to turn off the hose one too many times...anyone with experience in this area with what may be wrong?

PS I did fill up most of the horses waters and barrels last night before the storm! ..so they do have water sources for a few days, and I keep some gallon water jugs storedin case of power outage or a hurricane blows thru!!! thanks for any advice in this area

[Helene]

Have you checked ALL fuses? We have a special one IN the well house (in addition to the ones in the box close to the electric meter), I didn't know about it till our pump didn't work. Had to be replaced, so now I keep an extra one of those on hand.
Another time, we had a problem...ended up being a very small part, a "catalytic, catalysator. ???..." (don't exactly know the name of the part anymore, but it was under $10.00, of course with service call, ended up being over $80.00).
A couple of weeks ago, our neighbor cut the electric wire between the box and the well house....no electricity till fixed.
It's amazing how depended we are on water. Good luck finding the problem and hopefully it isn't much....

[LynnG]

I'll open the electrical box to see what is in there (very carefully open).

geez.... electrical is not up my alley unless its very simple to see/do. I have a good friend that probably has testers for blown fuses. ok..we will see.

Thanks Helene

[Helene]

The fuse I'm talking about was not in the electrical box. There we have "breakers ????". Those are tripped sometimes (see "on" or "off")and all you have to do is flip them on. The fuse I am talking about is in the well house, close to the pressure tank. It is a round "screw-in type" of fuse. Screws in or out like a lightbulb. Ours is blue and gold in color. It's been a few years since we replaced the last one. But that is what we usually start to look at. The "cata...whatever" is the next thing we look at. It, also, is very easy to replace.
I also respect electricity A LOT. Turn off all breakers that lead to your wellhouse. So be very, very careful and good luck!

[Mellifluous]

This is the plumber's reply - this sounds like a problem for a plumber rather than an electrician. I am pm'ing my number for you to call and talk with Kevin if you like.

Is it an electrical box or a control box?

A submersible pump most often has a control box.

[Linda Y]

Also, the little box that has the switch in it...the magnetic thing that makes the pump cut on...look at it and see if it is burnt. Before you take the cover off of it, tap it pretty good with the butt of a screwdriver. Sometimes the switch will 'hang up' and tapping it will break it loose.

[pnalley]

Is this a bored well or drilled?

If Bored, I'll bet you ran it dry. I can give instructions for priming

If drilled???

I would call the well company

[Mellifluous]

OK, getting ready to leave so here is a quick and dirty. You will have to have a meter to check the resistance and the voltage.

If it is a submersible pump, it is more than likely 220. The first place to check is the pressure switch. Make sure that there is no obstruction between the points. Check for 220 voltage on the line in and out of the control box. If you have 220 at the pressure switch then move to the control box. Remove the control box lid and check L1 and L2 to verify 220 volts. There are 3 wires going to the pump: red, black and yellow. You can get online to check what the resistance should be between these wires depending on the pump motor manufacturer. If it is over a 1.5 hp pump, there is a reset switch on the bottom of the control box most of the time. If resistance checks out on red, black and yellow the easiest DIY fix would be to change the control box. Remove screw on bottom and change the lid which holds all of the componets.

If you do not have 220 to the pressure switch, the problem lies in the wire to the home panel box or a bad breaker. With the buzzing sound, it is most likely a problem with the pressure switch or the control box.

[motorgypsy]

Ours will hum if it is overheated. Also if something is stuck in the impeller it will not run. If it lost it's prime it should run but sound funny and then overheat and just hum.

Do what Mel says but what I would do first is turn off the main breaker to the pump and then check all the connection for corrosion. Clean them, spray with something like WD40 and reconnect. The pressure switch will malfunction sometimes and sometimes all you have to do is tap it with wrench or hammer and it will cut on. The hum leads me to believe that the problem is in the pump rather than the external electrical connections because if your breaker switched off you would get nothing. Good luck and tell us what you find. Mel's hubby is a pro and we've wired and repaired about 20 pumps ourselves so you would think between us we could come up with a solution????

[Abejita]

bad pressure switch

[LynnG]

okay, I am going to print this info out. I did turn off all power breakers in the house and at the pump before touching any of the stuff under covers. The pump is above the ground.....can't tell you much more, but the pump was installed new in 1981 when I moved to my current farm. And I have on occasion forgot to turn off a water hose running to fill up a horse water barrel (i have quite a few of them). Usually though when I do remember its within a few hours....water pressure may drop, but as soon as I turn off the spicket...it rebuilds pretty fast.

Last night between the weaning of the colts settling in okay in the barn, their official babysitters (big sisers) next door and the heavy rain storm moving in fast and darkness... I didn't crawl into the little pump house to cut the barn water line off...which I usually do... meant to.

I'm working off my gallon stored water jugs right now. If you don't have stored water somewhere it is good to keep in stock..you never know. I date the jugs also...its for useage water rather than drinking water. I started to do this AFTER Hurricane Fran blew thru Raleigh 10 years ago and caused major damage and loss of power.

I'll let you know what comes of it tommorrow. Thanks for all the words of experience.

ugggghhh :-?

[cowboy ed]

capacitor, helene. that is what you are trying to think of. it helps start the motor under a load. that could be the problem. lynne, it might just be the pressure switch. most of the time, it is just the pressure switch.

let us know. it is fun playing dueling diagnostics........

[Helene]

Yes, Ed...that's it! I hate it when I can't remember something. It bugs me for hours....I usually get the first letter right. Many thanks, Ed, you saved me from a sleepless night!

[reuben T]

so isn't an above ground pump usually a jet pump? that kind can loose prime but is also much easier to work on. I've pulled submersables and that's a real job. But that's been over 20 yrs ago. We do have our water problems, but when the water quits it's because the varmints chewed holes in the line and I have to follow it through the woods and tape em up, or it got too cold for the flow rate and froze, then I have to haul water. We need to get that more than half a mile line from the spring buried.

[motorgypsy]

I forgot one more thing - if you can find the brand of the pump, look it up on the internet. Our was Sears but was made by Flotec and they have tec support and were able to help us solve our problem in a very short time which was a vacuum leak on the intake side. Pumps are a serious pain!!!

[Abejita]

1981!!! Lucky you..I swear the pumps here on the farm need replaced every 10 years..we have very hard water..and there are 4 wells and 4 pumps total all underground..one is actually IN my apartment so when you pull it you have to skake it out of my kitchen through the living room and make a right out the door!! the deepest is 340 " and that one is in a stall..I know nothing about above ground pumps ..so it is probably completely different but it could also be something as simple as a wire rubbed bare due to vibration (or loose) ..

another of our problems was bugs getting caught between the contacts on the pressure switch..
Hope you get it figured out soon..

[LynnG]

I have found out its a submersible pump. A good friend of a good friend should be coming by today who is a licensed plumber & electrician to check it out.

On the other hand.... I did think about it ....turn off the power to the hot water heater too...didnt do it... until this morn as it was humming after I came in from feeding the herd just now. It wasn't humming when I got up this morn.

oh no. :shock: :oops: what's next?!

[motorgypsy]

Good luck!! PUmps are a real pain!!

[LynnG]

Nothing happening there yet...besides me hauling some water from one full barrel to another not so full for the horses. The boys being weaned got lessons....Magico led fairly well; Merlin was not so happy about it at all and we just did halter and lead work in the stall. Magico got led farther away to the pasture where the younger girls are and away from where Mom is.... which created a ruckus...can't see each other but can hear. Merlin can still see. He's not ready to lead that far but is getting used to a halter on.

So maybe running water by tommorrow or Monday. 8-)

[Abejita]

ok also with an underground pump that old You might as well just replace it if you have to pull it.Also make sure you check for wires that have rubbed which could be your problem.When the pump runs it causes vibration which can cause the wires the whole way along the water line to rub .Make sure you have enough spacers and spaced far enough apart that they help to lower the vibration friction on the wires (spacers are the little plastic discs that run along your water line to keep the electrical wire in place from the pump to your electrical source..

[LynnG]

A new well pump is suppose to come today. The question is how deep the well is? we will find out as the old one has to come out. Major ordeal yesterday to get the pump house cover off..bolted daown 25 years ago, plus it is very heavy. casualty ..my thumb smushed and the pump house roof will need to be replaced...new one to be built. ughhh Thanks to my good friend David for overseeing this project.

and the truck issue looks to be the water pump too. :roll:

[LynnG]

Well update.

The pump is out now. The well had partly caved in though above well the pump was, so extra effort using a come-along rigged up and well about 5-6 guys to get it out. It is over 160' deep, so not as deep as some. The pipe line was clean top 1/3 rest of it was muddy. So the guys have their parts list of what to get and have gone off to the home supply store now.

I'm cooking hamburgers, got fried chicken this morn and will have pork Bar-B-Q, and some chicken pasta I cooked up last night... for a hearty lunch meal when they get back. Got to pick up chips (don't stock those here in the house), and have coke and iced tea.

:smile:

[motorgypsy]

sounds like fun!!! I HATE plumbing!!!

[Terry Wallace]

Yep...capacitor. That is what will occassionally burn out here... its big...maybe 2" diameter X 3" long.... burns out about once every 3 years or so... The pump "points" at the pressure tank will also get too wet sometimes and they burn out...that is the "switch" right at the pipe conection to the pressure tank...

We keep one of each on hand... most farm supply stores stock them.

[LynnG]

Monday morning update

The pump, new wiring, etc is in. They had a wrong electrical part (2 wire vs 3 wire) so didn't get water running last night. Plus a new pressure unit will be put in today...and it should be ready to go...for running water for the horses and a hot water for a shower, wash dishes and laundry. ha.

whew, what an ordeal. He said it was just due to run out due to multiple circumstances and not because any water spicket was possibly left on. The dirt from the well cave in was also making the pump work harder.

wow if this one will last as long. I said the last one was as old as Emperador is....

[LynnG]

Monday afternoon update

The new pump turned out to be bad, and had to be pulled back out. the guys have gone for another, and I started to haul in water from a neighbor for the horses.

the well saga continues.... fresh water a valuable resource! Rain or not... at least the pump house isn't getting rained in with the roof off!

:roll: :smile:

[motorgypsy]

Good GRIEF!!! Hope it gets fixed soon!!!

[LynnG]

There is running water now, but alot of setiment in the water. The water pressure isn't working correctly all the time either, especially to the barn line. I imagine the well saga will continue.......... oh well!

[motorgypsy]

Since you had a cavein you probably need to let you barn hoses run a bit. I'll clear. The big problem is your things like showers, sinks, toilets and stuff with small pipes. We've had ours stop running many times from sediment so now if we clean the spring we just let the horse hoses run for a while before we even turn on any water in the house. What a pain!!!

[Pam M]

I don't know much about wells but when we had ours installed the contractor put in 4' (I think) of screening and we haven't had any sediment problems. Apparently the screening doesn't always come without request.

[LynnG]

The water is clearing today. There must have been enough setiment coming thru as the cold water spicket in the bath clogged while hot water worked fine. I will later today install a new water filter on the line to the house. Let the hot water heater drain..as no doubt it now has accumulated setiment there and the cold water line to the washer...it wasn't running...was slow before. The hot shower ( all 2 of them-one early, one late) was great last night. The truck water pump is next to get replaced..hopefully tommorrow. whew!

I'll see about the gravel for drainage if the well line needs to be cleaned out....if the new pump is having problems pumping. Thanks for all your helpful support and words of wisdom...and to my dear friend David and his friends who helped out big-time, too.

Onward with normalcy I hope this week. Well, someone told me last year there was nothing normal about my life. Well normal for me. ha!

[Terry Wallace]

"WELL" Lynn...that is quite enough costly pump trouble! First the well, and now the truck (?)...YIKERS!

How deep is your well? If mine caved in...it would likely be a total loss..it is 750 feet deep & steel cased..Ugghhhh ..... ;-)

[LynnG]

The pipe line went 160+ feet deep (about 2/3 of it covered in mud), and then the water vein could of been deeper. Terry, no well that deep 750'?! wow! The truck was checked out for radiator pressure problems before I went to the Biltmore ride in late August. They didn't identify the real problem then, but it didn't get any better leaking water/antifreeze fluid, which I have been keeping an eye on and refilling more often, like daily. ha, so I hope that is the next problemo fixed. with everything with some age ...its just a matter of time, before something happens or breaks. got to keep the home supply stores, electricians, plumbers, and mechanics busy and in business. Not much was made to last forever. :twisted:

just glad to have running water again and truck is still running as of today.
:D

[Terry Wallace]

Yep..750 feet, the pump sets at 550 feet. We cannot take water from the Denver aquafir...we must drill through to the Arapahoe Basin. I have a domestic well.... you can't hardly get a domestic well permit these days. Any well here over 500 feet deep *should* be steel cased as that is to deep for plastic casing....

I feel very fortunate that I have a domestic well where I can not only run irrigation, but also water HORSES...

You don't even want to know how much we paid for that well! I was soooo very lucky to get my CASING quote at $10.00 per foot!