Trouble shoot lawn pump to see if it even works

[Kevin Mullins]

recently bought a home in NW Florida that has an in ground lawn irrigation system installed. the previous owner indicated the system just stopped one day and he never messed with it. My question is can you hot wire the pump by means of an extension cord to see if the pump even works.

it is a sta rite pump haves wires going to 115 and 230. just want to see if its even worth the time to fix it. im guessing all the sprinklers wound need replacing along with broken pipes timer ect. any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Valveman]

If you have a short #10 extension cord it will work on 115V. You would need a #12 extension to make it work on 230V.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WorthFlorida]

First check the circuit breaker for the pump, the irrigation controller will usually be tied to a house circuit so it is probably OK. You will need a voltmeter to check things out. Do not use an extension cord. The most likely fault is the 24v ac transformer in the controller or the pump start relay.

The pump is connected to a pump start relay operated by the controller. It is a 24v ac relay contactor. If the motor is bad it is usually the bearings has seized or the start/run capacitor went south. Either way the motor would hum and get very hot. If it is not you need to check the relay and the 24v ac.
Somewhere near the pump or controller, you'll see a box similar to this one. You can open the box and some relays have exposed contactor. With a wooden pencil, to can push the contactor closed. If the motor runs, you know where to start looking. At the controller there will be a commom and a terminal (labeled MV) for the motor start relay. Check for 24 volts at the controller. If the relay operates when to turn a zone for watering, check for line voltage at the relay. If it operates and the contactor closes, check the voltage at terminals for the the pump. A contactor may have worn out and not making contact.

This is a typical Rainbird controller, very common in Florida
https://ww3.rainbird.com/documents/turf/man_ESP.pdf