Control box buzzing, no water...help!

[LisaStrugglesWithLife]

Hi,

So I went to turn the faucet on yesterday and...nothing. We have a 3/4 hp submersible pump and I have no idea how old it is. We bought the house two years ago and have never had an issue with our water (although I did get a new water heater because the one that was down there was likely older than me).

I went in the basement and checked the fuse box and it looked fine. I noticed while I was down there that the control box (grey box on the wall) to the tank is making a buzzing sound (buzzes for a second, thirty seconds or so of silence, and then buzzes again). I turned the power off at the breaker so it would stop trying to kick on.

Does it sound like I need a whole new pump or could this be some other issue (fuses, wires, etc.)? Literally everything in this house is breaking at the same time and it's going to take more money than God has to fix!

Thank you!

 

[Valveman]

It could just be a bad start capacitor and/or relay in the box. I would not pull the pump until I tried another control box. Also make sure the pressure switch is good and you are getting 230V to the motor. Just getting 115V will make it buzz that way also.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LisaStrugglesWithLife]

It could just be a bad start capacitor and/or relay in the box. I would not pull the pump until I tried another control box. Also make sure the pressure switch is good and you are getting 230V to the motor. Just getting 115V will make it buzz that way also.

He said that the capacitor was flooded and that the pump would probably die in a few weeks. He also said that I needed a bigger tank which I don't understand. If it's worked fine this entire time why would I need a bigger one? What he said doesn't seem right. :/

 

[Reach4]

Is your water currently working? Did you get the capacitor or control box replaced?

A pressure tank should be sized such that the pump runs at least a minute each time it runs. There is some checking and maintenance that you can do to a tank, but first, what is your status now?

 

[LisaStrugglesWithLife]

The water is running but it was brown for a little while. He replaced the capacitor but not the box

 

[Valveman]

He said that the capacitor was flooded and that the pump would probably die in a few weeks. He also said that I needed a bigger tank which I don't understand. If it's worked fine this entire time why would I need a bigger one? What he said doesn't seem right. :/

A start capacitor gets "flooded" because the pump is starting or cycling too much. We use to put on larger tanks to slow the cycling down. But now you can use a Cycle Stop Valve to stop the cycling and then you won't need a larger tank.

 

[Reach4]

Congratulations on recognizing the problem and getting the problem fixed efficiently.

The suggestion that you get your pressure tank replaced and the pump might be ready to die could be various things:
1. looking out for you so that you are less likely to have a failure at a surprise moment, such as in the middle of January.
2. covering himself against you blaming an unrelated failure next week on his visit this week. Such unwarranted blame does happen.
3. drumming up business.

I think you made a good decision to stop at the capacitor, but others might reasonably think differently.

I would let the water run out of your outside faucets for a while.

Regarding your pressure tank, and presuming you have a pressure tank with a diaphragm or bladder, if you use the search box above to search this form for precharge , you should find a lot of references. Precharge is measured with a tire pressure gauge while the water pressure is zero (pump off, faucet, flow stopped). With a submersible pump, precharge is usually set to 2 PSI lower than the cut-on pressure of the pressure switch. This allows the tank to deliver water between the time that the pressure tank delivers water while minimizing the tank's bladder/diaphragm from being extended more than necessary. The precharge is adjusted by letting air out or adding air with a tire pump. If you don't reduce the water pressure to zero, the air pressure that you observe would be about the same as the water pressure. This is a good way to check that your air pressure gauge and water pressure gauge give close readings.

Some suggest checking the precharge every six months. Most people don't do that, and do fine. I could see checking after six months, but if there has not been loss, you could extend the time I think.

Also time how long your pump runs at a minimum. Run a tap until the pump just turns on. Note the time to the second. Then close the tap so that you are using no water. See how long it takes for the pump to turn off.

 

[BDR]

Congratulations on recognizing the problem and getting the problem fixed efficiently.

The suggestion that you get your pressure tank replaced and the pump might be ready to die could be various things:
1. looking out for you so that you are less likely to have a failure at a surprise moment, such as in the middle of January.
2. covering himself against you blaming an unrelated failure next week on his visit this week. Such unwarranted blame does happen.
3. drumming up business.

I think you made a good decision to stop at the capacitor, but others might reasonably think differently.

I would let the water run out of your outside faucets for a while.

Regarding your pressure tank, and presuming you have a pressure tank with a diaphragm or bladder, if you use the search box above to search this form for precharge , you should find a lot of references. Precharge is measured with a tire pressure gauge while the water pressure is zero (pump off, faucet, flow stopped). With a submersible pump, precharge is usually set to 2 PSI lower than the cut-on pressure of the pressure switch. This allows the tank to deliver water between the time that the pressure tank delivers water while minimizing the tank's bladder/diaphragm from being extended more than necessary. The precharge is adjusted by letting air out or adding air with a tire pump. If you don't reduce the water pressure to zero, the air pressure that you observe would be about the same as the water pressure. This is a good way to check that your air pressure gauge and water pressure gauge give close readings.

Some suggest checking the precharge every six months. Most people don't do that, and do fine. I could see checking after six months, but if there has not been loss, you could extend the time I think.

Also time how long your pump runs at a minimum. Run a tap until the pump just turns on. Note the time to the second. Then close the tap so that you are using no water. See how long it takes for the pump to turn off.