Does anyone know how long a shallow well pump should run before knowing there is a problem. We just replaced our old pump with a new one because the old one would not shut off. The new one seems to be working fine, pressure is fine. But no where can we find how long the pump should run. For example when a water softner recycles what is the normal time pump should run. We just want to make sure everything is correct and can not get help from Sears were we purchased it on this question.

I hope this post doesn't run too long, but I want to give as much info as possible. We had a shallow well -- about 13'-- with 1 1/4" pipe. We used a 1/2hp sprinkler pump for the last 5 years, with no problem....it would drive 3 impact sprinklers on 200 feet of hose. This year it would only drive 2 sprinklers. We decided to pull the well and drive 2" pipe........ lots of pain, but success. A gas utility pump was putting out 5 gallons a minute. The sprinkler pump wouldn't pull a thing..... still 13' of well, 3 feet of water in the point. My husband thought a larger pump would work. I bought a 1 hp dual voltage utility/sprinkler pump with a 2" inlet and a 1 1/2" outlet. It is a Red Lion with an A.O. Smith motor. We switched it over to 115v and it ran, but no water. The electrical supply is 250' of UF 10/2 with ground, buried. We put a 220v breaker on and switched the pump to 230v and it blew the GFI when connected. So, all kinds of things going on here: There is water, the gas pump pulls it just fine. The 1/2 hp and the 1 hp won't pull an ounce. The 1/2hp was tested at an outlet in the garage and pulled fine...... remember that it ran like a champ for 5 years, then ok this year. The 1hp is brand new (1 day old). There is some confusion on how to switch the new pump from 115v to 230v. The diagram on the motor is upside down from the position you need to be in to switch and it doesn't look anything like the plug and terminals. There is an L1 marking at the bottom terminal... that one has an additional connection on it. The top terminal -- where it was originally connected for 230v -- is a single. The plug you move to change voltage has two recepticles. You can connect just the top terminal with the bottom receptical -- for 230v, the middle two -- for 115v?, or the bottom terminal with the top receptical, and blow the GFI. There are two wires coming out of the pump both were white, they painted them red........ they go to L1 and L2. We wired our white wire to L1 for the 115v connection, the black to the other, and, of course, the ground to the green screw on the pump. We found an area of the service cable in the garage that a mouse had used for self-electrocution and spliced a short piece of 12/2 w/grnd.... that was the last thing we thing today. Still no water. If anyone can give some advice, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.