Reset button problem on private well.

"h"

Grateful for any help on this please. I have a private well with what looks to be a standard set up of submersible pump, pressure switch, pressure tank, pressure guage, and switch/ relay box with reset button. I now have a continuous problem with the reset button popping out, after 3 -4 years of trouble free operation. I have found a number of faults and rectified them but now the button is still pinging out overnight (when there is no apparent water activity.) The faults I have corrected are 1. loose wire to the capacitor in the switch box; 2. no air in the pressure tank (now refilled to 25 psi); and 3. dirty particle filter (in the water additive system.) When the system is working, the switch routinely shuts off power at 42 psi and switches on at 19 psi. When I reset the button in the morning, it pings out within 10 seconds. When I press it again, the system is quiet for about 20 -30 seconds then clicks and the pressure jumps immediately from 0 to about 20 psi. Then works OK, sometimes tripping out during the day, sometimes OK through the day but pings during the night. Any ideas please as to where I should be looking?

Many thanks.

ttm

I googled "what does well pump reset button protect" without the quotes and got these answers......

http://www.terrylove.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-3300.html

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/774473

but you didn't say how old the system was?

Answers like replaceing the capacitor may be worth a go but in my experience submersible pumps only last so long.

"h"

Thanks for these. The pump ( and the whole system) is only four years old. I'll give replacing the capacitor a try. I'm tending to think I have an electrical problem, but I just don't know enough about pumps to read the symptoms, and to know how to judge if the pump is working OK.

Regards

ttm

The point I was trying to make was - what does the reset button actually protect against? If you can work that out then you have a better idea of what the problem is.

In most cases IMHO its to save the pump and electics from (further) damage if the well is pumped dry, the pump over heats or the pump can't turn. So as an example, made up to fit the problem, if the pump couldn't start corectly because it was jammed then the reset button would be tripped. Imagine that if the pump is not used for a bit the shaft becomes difficult to turn (lack of lubrication, old age, something settles out in the well blocking the intake) it could try and start at night when your not around and blow the reset trip, during the day when you are using more water the pump is used more and doesn't start to "sieze up" so most of the time will start OK but go back to tripping the reset trip when it next tries to start after a longer period of being off.

I would also say 4 years is not that short a time depending on the pumping conditions? If you have an under powered pump then it could have done 10 years work in 4 years so unless you know its make, rating and the depth of the well you can't really know if 4 years is bad or not, however I'd hope that a pump would last longer.

stapeler

I had a similiar problem with my submersible pump a few months ago. Pump was only a few weeks old. The reset was tripping, usually over night.
The reset button trips when the current draw from the pump is too high (a bi-metalic strip heats up and breakes circuit).
Pulled up the pump and found it to be quiet warm. It appeared to be sticking occasionally and overheating. Seperated the pump from the motor and checked for movement, operated pump for a few seconds at a time to check motor (don't allow to run for long period as it can overheat), no obvious faults so reassembled and and retried a few times. It's been running fault free since.
I'd suggest pulling up the pump, clean the mesh around the pump with a stiff brush to remove any build up that may be restricting it. It's easy enough to seperate the pump/motor which would allow you to check the shaft movement. Best value I've seen in new pumps if from an online company in Galway who are selling new pumps from €299 - €450.

"h"

Thanks, both, for your help and interest. I pulled the pump this morning. The filter was clean, and the electric motor (Franklin Electric 0.5hp) worked well and felt pretty smooth to turn by fingers. The pump (Verta Pompe A20 0.5hp) turned fairly freely but with just a couple of points of very slightly increased resistance. However I was surprised at the amount of sideways movement (1-2mm) and endfloat (7mm). Is this normal? Although the system is about four years old it has only really been used daily for the past 18 months, but my water conditioner filter does show quite a lot of peat particles. Unless I can get confirmation that my pump is kn**kered, I think my plan for the moment is to put put the pump assembly back and see if withdrawing it has cleared any blockage, and then change the capacitor, and if I still have a problem, then bite the bullet and change the pump. I don't want to rush to change the pump because I do get good pressure from it. When I press the reset button, there is a pause before before the pressure guage shows an immediate jump from zero to 20psi. Is this significant? Also I was expecting to see a non-return valve in the assembly. Would this be part of the pump? Can't find any details on the net.

Again, thanks for any help and sharing of knowledge.

stapeler

I'd say drop it back down and try it. If there's sideways movement it may indication of a bearing problem. Any resistance in the pump may be enough to cause the motor to stall and trip your reset. Franklin Electric have a technical assistance section on their "contact us" page who may be able to assist.