Adding a Pump Saver

[VinnyGalbo]

I have a new 3/4hp Schaefer submersible pump down my well. The electrician recommended a Pump Saver Plus 231-INSIDER-P. The pump saver is manufactured by SymCom.

http://www.clrwtr.com/PDF/SymCom/SymCom-231-INSIDER-P-Pump-Savers.pdf

Is there a true cost benefit to installing a Pump Saver? Doesn't the pump already have some safety features already built in?

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Valveman]

The pump only has an overload, which will be too late catching a dry well condition. An underload device that looks for low amps is what you need. Symcom or of course I prefer the Cycle Sensor.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Craigpump]

Why would your electrician suggest that? Do you have a low yield well? Run out of water often?

No, pumps do not come with an internal run dry sensor, if they run dry, they melt down or can create enough heat to melt off the drop pipe.

I can tell you that a Pump Saver or Pump Tek isn't a guarantee that your pump will shut off when the pump runs dry. If the well makes just enough water to keep the amps from from dropping too far, but not enough water to keep the pump cool, you can still have problems. I don't know if a Cycle Sensor has greater sensitivity or not.

 

[Reach4]

There is a cheaper version of run-dry protection, but is is certainly not foolproof.

Anyway, there are pressure switches with a low-pressure cut-off. If the water pressure drops to 10 PSI below the cut-on pressure, the switch latches off. To run the pump again, you have to hold a lever on the pressure switch until the pressure rises again. That can be inconvenient, so you would probably not want to do that if your pressure switch was not readily accessible.

And the not-foolproof part is that the well could run out of water while the pressure tank still had pressure. The pump does not turn off because the pressure does not rise to the cut-off pressure. It still could be worthwhile. Did I mention it is very cheap?

 

[Craigpump]

There is a cheaper version of run-dry protection, but is is certainly not foolproof.

Anyway, there are pressure switches with a low-pressure cut-off. If the water pressure drops to 10 PSI below the cut-on pressure, the switch latches off. To run the pump again, you have to hold a lever on the pressure switch until the pressure rises again. That can be inconvenient, so you would probably not want to do that if your pressure switch was not readily accessible.

And the not-foolproof part is that the well could run out of water while the pressure tank still had pressure. The pump does not turn off because the pressure does not rise to the cut-off pressure. It still could be worthwhile. Did I mention it is very cheap?

IF they were any good Pump Teks, Pump Savers & Cycle Sensors would not have been developed...

 

[Valveman]

I can tell you that a Pump Saver or Pump Tek isn't a guarantee that your pump will shut off when the pump runs dry. If the well makes just enough water to keep the amps from from dropping too far, but not enough water to keep the pump cool, you can still have problems. I don't know if a Cycle Sensor has greater sensitivity or not.

Yes the Cycle Sensor has much greater sensitivity. We had to make it with more sensitivity, because most times there is very little difference in amp draw between running the pump dry and just restricting it to 1 GPM, as with a CSV. The others brands are not sensitive enough to make that distinction, which is needed to work with a CSV.

The Cycle Sensor can be adjusted to within 1/100th of an amp. It won't miss a dry well event. It is actually so sensitive that you can set it to turn the pump off when the water reaches a certain lower level. I have some customers who set it that way so the well does not pull all the way down to dry, as that causes the sediment to get stirred up.