Submearsible pump not working on my upnorth cottage (very uncommon setup)

[jeeperstrudie]

So, let me start by saying, this is very baffling to me and my father...... we have swapped jet pumps in the past, pulled well lines and replaced (by hand) in the past, swapped pressure tanks and pressure switches over the years so I would say we have more than a general knowledge.

My property up north I bought has a submersible (3 wire) pump that feeds (2) outside water spigots, one that I hook up to my RV for water and the other we just use for a hose. I have no structure built on the property and my breaker box is mounted to my electrical pole under my meter. This past weekend I went to turn the water on in the morning and I had no water, I checked my 220 breaker for the pump and it was fine, I flipped it off and then back on several times, still no water.

The next thing you would check would be the pressure switch (I'm not aware of one in the system), I don't have a blue pressure tank either, I know the pump usually would kick on/off due to change in water pressure when I'm watering the yard in the shower or just using the hose.

I have reached out to someone who knows the original owner to ask about the system, figuring there must be an underground tank near the well, but I'm not aware of it. the original owner said there wasn't one.

So i'm baffled, i'm not aware of a submersible pump that has internal pressure switch, constant volume pump would still require a pressure switch and a control box. Any help or thoughts would be fantastic...thanks!

 

[Reach4]

There are pressure switches that can go in the well casing. Do you have a pitless adapter, or is the land in a warm area?

There are pressure tanks that can be buried, such as the Well-X-Trol WX-202-UG

The pressure switch could be in a box underground too.

How many HP does the control box say the pump is?

How deep do you suspect the well is? How far down do you think the top of the water in the well is? A neighbor's info can be useful. Not the same as yours, but often similar if the land is fairly flat.

You should get a clamp-around ammeter. When you clamp around ONE of the power wires, how many amps flow when you turn on the breaker? If a lot, something could have failed in the control box -- maybe the start cap.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jeeperstrudie]

Thanks for the repsonse....

I'm in Michigan so we have a frost of 42"

Pitless adapter, I'm pretty sure I do - I'm taking my T bar with me this weekend and was planning on pulling it up.

I don't have a control box anywhere unless it's buried underground as well.

Well is 40' deep, pump is at 28' Per the county well paperwork, water level was 12' below water surface (I'm about 200' from lake Michigan)

Last weekend when I was there I didn't have any electrical tools with me so this weekend i'm taking my amp/multi meter with me.

Kinda crazy just as I got your message alert I found a website showing the pressure switch being in the drop pipe (my drop pipe does look larger at the top than normal as well.)

 

[jeeperstrudie]

So I assume your referring to something like this...

https://www.bakerwatersystems.com/uploads/files/products/category_pdfs/ATW_Concept.pdf

Any idea of where to get the components for this or complete replacement? I'm assuming that my switch is probably bad as it was installed in 1999.

 

[Reach4]

So I assume your referring to something like this...

https://www.bakerwatersystems.com/uploads/files/products/category_pdfs/ATW_Concept.pdf

Any idea of where to get the components for this or complete replacement? I'm assuming that my switch is probably bad as it was installed in 1999.

For your not-so-deep well, you probably have a 1/2 HP motor. Those are usually 2-wire motors.

Maybe take your metal detector too. Sweep the path between the well and where he pipe goes. The top of a buried pressure tank is usually not far down. I don't have a number for you.

 

[Valveman]

If you have been flipping the breaker on when you need water, you may not have a pressure switch. It could just be manually controlled and needs to be turned off when no water is being used. Pull the cap off the well and you will be able to see the pressure switch if there is one down there.