Berkeley Pumps

Anyone had any problems with these pumps. My application is a 4" submersible pump, 900 feet head, 3 HP. I am in the process of replacing my grundfos unit and I had thought they were putting in a Flint/Walling but the supply house did not have one in stock that fit my pump curve. Motor will be Franklin. Just need to ease my mind as the replacement is seriously hurting my wallet and I don't need to do it again anytime soon and I want to make sure good quality equipment is used. Pump is not installed yet and will not be until tommorrow.

There is nothing wrong with a Grundfos, Berekley, or a F & W pump. How the pump is installed usually makes more difference in pump life than which pump you use.

#1 Pump must be sized perfectly to the well.
#2 Pump must not be allowed to run dry.
#3 Flow inducer shroud keeps motor running much cooler. (Last longer)
#4 The less cycling on and off, the longer the pump last. (CSV if possible)
#5 Any pipe fittings that can corrode and the drop wire need to be taped up properly.
#6 Wire size needs to be correct.

There are a lot of little things that are learned the hard way, that makes a reputable pump installer worth more than which brand of pump they sell. Especially on such a deep set pump, everything has to be installed correctly. Even with shallow wells there is more to it than just splicing the wire and tightening the pipe, but deep wells are less forgiving.

Thanks for the help. Yes valveman what you say is right. The guys I got doing the job are actually the same ones who drilled all the wells on the mountain over 12 years ago. They may not be the cheapest but they seem to know what they are doing. They could not finish yesterday because it started to storm and I can understand having a rig up in the air pulling 20 foot galv. pipe lengths might make you a bit nervous on top of a mountain. When I got home all the pipe was neatly stacked with one end up on the pumphouse and the other on wood so as not to be laying in the mud. I had told them to replace any suspicious pipe but they told me it was all in good shape and that the pipe they put in the ground 12 years ago is better than what they can buy now. The wire was neatly coiled (a few dollars in that thick stuff I am sure) and I did get a look at the old pump and checked the data on the pump to make sure it was what was on the well head so everything matched. I had my well run dry twice during droughts and a leak. It always came back up after a day or two. It is only rated for 3 gpm and although the pump did not run dry for more than a few hours this may have lead to its demise but 12 years for a pump from what I can gather is about average. I wish I could have watched them today install but I need to work to pay them. I am thinking about putting a disconnect switch in between the control box and breaker. The reason for this is lightning plays hell on my control boxes unless I can isolate them from the power/ground incoming lines. I actually have a lightning protection system and surge on the pumphouse but it can still get my box. The second reason is when the water table drops during drought I can keep the pump off when need be. Once the tanks are full I can usually go a day without turning the pump on. I am afraid I will wear the breaker out if I use it for this year after year.

If you use a "Deluxe" control box, it will have a relay that will isolate the incoming power from the rest of the control box parts when the pump is off. 12 years is a fairly good run, however you may have gotten twice that if you had not let it run dry. Running dry for a few minutes is sometimes all it takes so a few hours is really not good. With a Deluxe control box, you can install a Cycle Sensor that will automatically shut off the pump when the well is dry. These devices usually more than pay for themselves the first time they are needed.