New owner old pump system with problems??

[Gringo Loco]

I have just taken over managing a multiple dwelling water system located on the eastern end of Honduras's north coast. When I arrived there was no-one around who knew anything about the system except the gardener who's job it had been to turn the pump on when the tank ran dry and the only information I have been able to find is a hand drawn sketch indicating the plumbing plan from the 5000 gal tank up on the hill to the 5 houses that are supplied by the system.

On my first visit to the pump house with the gardener, I found an electricians nightmare with wires all over the place of all different colours and gauges and an open Meyers control box with Franklin control components and multiple loops of wire spilling out of it. I figured organising the wiring was probably a good place to start so a friend and I spent two days following all the wires and cleaning it up as well as cleaning all the wire connections in the control panel. While doing this job I found one of the wires on the run capacitor to be completely burned through so I replaced the capacitor and the wire. Here is our control panel now.

You will note in this pic that the small rectangular unit has one of it's two lights lit. This is one of the "problems I want some help with. When one turns on the breakers (left top) (with door switch in full clockwise position) that little unit lights up with two lights and the pump starts up and runs for some time (between 45 minutes and 3 hours) then the bottom light goes out and the pump turns off (current status). If the door switch is in the anti-clockwise position one needs to push the green button on the 300-LINE CONTROL box in order to turn the pump on and the pump seems to run for a while even after the bottom light has gone out.

I would appreciate any thoughts advice or suggestions. My plan is get the system working automatically (probably float switch in tank would be best) and properly as soon as possible. It can be irritating when one has to send someone to turn on the pump half way through a shower lol

Here are a couple more pics that may help stimulate suggestions

 

[Valveman]

It looks like you got it cleaned up pretty well. That box on the right is a standard capacitor start control box for a submersible pump. The tag on the bottom will tell you but, it looks like either a 1.5 or a 2HP box. The thing with the lights in the top left of it is probably a dry well protection relay.

The box on the left is probably just a contactor, which is where you would tie in a float switch.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Gringo Loco]

research on Franklin pages indicates that it is a 2hp 220volt pump control box. I am assuming that it has a 2hp pump down in the well. Am I correct in assuming that: If that white box with the lights is a dry well protection then one of the lights going out would suggest that the well has pumped dry and that therefore it is not a problem with the equipment??

 

[Valveman]

research on Franklin pages indicates that it is a 2hp 220volt pump control box. I am assuming that it has a 2hp pump down in the well. Am I correct in assuming that: If that white box with the lights is a dry well protection then one of the lights going out would suggest that the well has pumped dry and that therefore it is not a problem with the equipment??

I agree. It looks like you have a 2HP pump and the little dry run relay should shut the pump off when the well is dry.