wiring a water well
#1
03-20-08, 05:13 PM
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wiring a water well
i have a 1 horsepower, multi stage, above ground water pump that supplies water to my house. it is in a pit under ground, and the wire that goes from the fuse box that is down there with it to the pump is about 45 years old. i want to replace it, because i think it might be shorting out the well. it does not run on 220 amp, just my regular house hold current. what kind of wire should i use?
#2
03-20-08, 06:02 PM
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i think it might be shorting out the well.
When you say the fuse box that is down there with the pump, Is this a fuse box or "Control Box"?
#3
03-20-08, 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Unclediezel
What leads you to this conclusion?
When you say the fuse box that is down there with the pump, Is this a fuse box or "Control Box"?
When you say the fuse box that is down there with the pump, Is this a fuse box or "Control Box"?
the reason i think it might be shorting out is because the fuse keeps blowing, and the well man was here today, and the pump is not siezed. he is coming tomorrow to put a new pump setup in for $1280, but i will be pretty pissed off if it is just the wire that is shorting out because it is so old (it is the kind that is covered in fabric, and then has the insulation over it).
do you think the wire could be making the fuse blow? or do you think the guy is right, and it is definitely the pump, even though the motor is not siezed? should i bother replacing the wire anyway when he puts the new pump in?
#5
03-21-08, 01:58 AM
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Originally Posted by baileyboo1
it is a fuse box down there, with a throw switch so that you can shut the well when you want to work on it, but it definitely has a 30 amp fuse in it.
the reason i think it might be shorting out is because the fuse keeps blowing, and the well man was here today, and the pump is not siezed. he is coming tomorrow to put a new pump setup in for $1280, but i will be pretty pissed off if it is just the wire that is shorting out because it is so old (it is the kind that is covered in fabric, and then has the insulation over it).
do you think the wire could be making the fuse blow? or do you think the guy is right, and it is definitely the pump, even though the motor is not siezed? should i bother replacing the wire anyway when he puts the new pump in?
the reason i think it might be shorting out is because the fuse keeps blowing, and the well man was here today, and the pump is not siezed. he is coming tomorrow to put a new pump setup in for $1280, but i will be pretty pissed off if it is just the wire that is shorting out because it is so old (it is the kind that is covered in fabric, and then has the insulation over it).
do you think the wire could be making the fuse blow? or do you think the guy is right, and it is definitely the pump, even though the motor is not siezed? should i bother replacing the wire anyway when he puts the new pump in?
It is possible to use an insulation tester (megger) to test if the cable is OK.
dsk
#6
03-21-08, 08:23 AM
The OP wrote:
So since he said from the fuse box I took it to be between the fuse box and the pump. His description seems to be of old style cloth covered "Romex" not intended for use in wet conditions.
But maybe I'm reading it wrong.
the wire that goes from the fuse box that is down there with it to the pump is about 45 years old.
(it is the kind that is covered in fabric, and then has the insulation over it).
#7
03-21-08, 09:09 AM
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I don't know but let me run this one for a min the old style romax wire are not listed to use in wet or damp location at all.
what you can do for now is run new UF wire [ 12-2 with ground ] this is a min size due the motor size 1 hp @120v will take about 16 amp so need a 20 amp time delay fuse other wise a 20 amp breaker will do the job.
how far is the pump is from the breaker box to the pump itself ?? [ it may change the wire size along the way due the voltage drop issue ]
Merci,Marc
what you can do for now is run new UF wire [ 12-2 with ground ] this is a min size due the motor size 1 hp @120v will take about 16 amp so need a 20 amp time delay fuse other wise a 20 amp breaker will do the job.
how far is the pump is from the breaker box to the pump itself ?? [ it may change the wire size along the way due the voltage drop issue ]
Merci,Marc
#8
03-21-08, 10:26 AM
Just to elaborate a bit on what French said. Are you using slow blow fuses? You should be. The motor starting current could easily blow a fast blow fuse. I'm wondering if the fuse was originally a 20a slow blow and then someone replaced it with a 20a fast blow and because it blew they went to 30a fuses but still didn't get it right and used fast blow again. I'm wondering that because 30a seems to high for this application.
