Well ohm-meter making noise

Hey all,
I was just down in my basement and noticed that there was a strange noise coming from the laundry room. I went in and there seemd to be some sort of noise coming from the area where my pressure tank is. I investigated further and the noise was coming from the wall mounted ohm-meter hooked up to the pressure tank. Any one have any ideas why this might be doing this? Oh and the pressure from the tank was only at 15psi.
Thanks

What is a wall mounted ohm-meter? It is probably something that most of us have never seen.

Do you mean a pressure gauge, or a control box, or some instrument that is measuring Amps or Volts? Please describe the device? What are the markings on it? Does it have a pointer and graduations? Is it a digital display?

TDS/PPM meters are ohm meter of sorts and can be mounted on the wall, hah Bob!!
Obviously copperbunny is talking about something else.

(is copperbunny a good solderer??)

Well...

I am not sure if what I called the box is correct or not... the inside says it is an ohm-meter. It looks more like it could be a control box or a disconnect box. My room-mate was looking inside and said it was an "ohm-meter".

I've added an pic of the "box", so maybe that will help someone figure out what it is I'm looking at. Basically it looks like it is a circuit of some sort that is completed when the top is closed with the screw, and it makes this vibrating noise every minute or two. It just started with no warning at all.
Thanks!
ps to mikept: I've never soldered anything in my life. The copper has to do with something else

It looks like a control box for a submersible pump.

The reference to ohm-meter is probably part of an instruction about how to measure something.

If you can borrow or buy a "multimeter" it will help you diagnose the problem. A multimeter includes an ohm-meter and a volt-meter. Every homeowner should own one and learn how to use it. It is the equivalent of your measuring tape for electricity and is necessary because you can't see Volts or Ohms. You can buy one for around $20.

The information on that tag on the cover should tell you and us what we need. There should be a manufacturer, model number, maybe horsepower rating, and voltage.

It looks like there are probably parts mounted on the cover. The parts probably include a relay, one or more capacitors, and maybe an overload protector. The ticking is probably related to the relay closing and opening.

There should be a pressure switch near the tank with wires connected to the control box.

There should also be a pressure gauge near the tank. Observing that gauge can reveal a lot about how the system is working and if it needs servicing.

It's a Franklin Model 280.1070.101, 3/4 hp, 230 volt, 60 hz, rpm 3450, max amp 6 or 8 (hard to tell), sf 1.5, ph 1.

The pressure guage is at 15 psi right now. We haven't used the water since the noise started, we were afraid we would mess something up worse if we continued to ise it. We also turned off the hot water heater so it wouldn't continue to take water out of the tank, and maybe run out and burn up.

I'm going to run to the small hardware store in town and see if they have a multimeter. Part of our problem now is that we live where there are few people, and the few plumbers/well people aren't very helpful. I've tried calling 10 total and they are either not available (no answer), not willing, or not willing to drive to where we live (it's about 30 miles from the next town of any size, there's only around 200o people where we live).
Thank you! I'll check back soon!

I found a mulitmeter at the local hardware store. Now what do I do with it

Table 44 Preliminary Tests - All Sizes Single- and Three-Phase
“TEST†PROCEDURE WHAT IT MEANS
Insulation
Resistance
1. Open master breaker and disconnect all leads from control
box or pressure switch (QD type control, remove lid) to
avoid electric shock hazard and damage to the meter.
2. Use a megohmmeter or set the scale lever to R X 100K
on an Ohmmeter. Zero the meter.
3. Connect one meter lead to any one of the motor leads
and the other lead to the metal drop pipe. If the drop pipe is
plastic, connect the meter lead to ground.
1. If the ohms value is normal (table 45), the motor is
not grounded and the cable insulation is not damaged.
2. If the ohms value is below normal, either the windings
are grounded or the cable insulation is damaged.
Check the cable at the well seal as the insulation is
sometimes damaged by being pinched.
Winding
Resistance
1. Open master breaker and disconnect all leads from control
box or pressure switch (QD type control, remove lid) to
avoid electric shock hazard and damage to the meter.
2. Set the scale lever to R X 1 for values under 10 ohms.
For values over 10 ohms, set the scale lever to R X 10.
“Zero†the Ohmmeter.
3. On 3-wire motors measure the resistance of yellow to black
(Main winding) and yellow to red (Start winding).
On 2-wire motors: measure the resistance from line-to-line.
Three-phase motors: measure the resistance line-to-line
for all three combinations.
1. If all ohms values are normal (tables 13, 22, 24 & 26), the
motor windings are neither shorted nor open, and the
cable colors are correct
2. If any one value is less than normal, the motor
is shorted.
3. If any one ohm value is greater than normal, the
winding or the cable is open, or there is a poor cable
joint or connection.
4. If some ohms values are greater than normal and some
less on single-phase motors, the leads are mixed. See
page 46 to verify cable colors.

OK, just kidding...

http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/pdf/FullAIM_60Hz.pdf

Trouble shooting starts on page 42.

Good Luck!

Rancher

The first thing to do is figure out if the pump is actually pumping water or not by plugging the box back in. If the gauge doesn't move in a half minute or so, then do your trouble shooting. The next item to check would be the capacitor. I hope you didn't buy a digital meter, you can't check caps with one. You can check the little black box if you have that one. I can't tell from your picture. The empty box doesn't tell me much.

How about a picture of the control box's innards.

bob...

The first things to do are:
1. Verify that power comes to the control box.
Measure the voltage between the L1 and L2 terminals as shown in the picture. It should be about 230 Volts.

2. Verify that the motor windings are intact by measuring the resistance with the Ohm-meter function of the multimeter. It shoud be something between 3 and about 6 Ohms between yellow and black, and between 10.7 and 16 Ohms between yellow and red. If very high resistance the windings are burned out. If very low resistance then the windings are shorted. I both cases the motor has probably failed (if there isn't something else causing those measurements to be bad).

3. Test the capacitor in the control box. Disconnect one or both leads and measure the resistance. It should be at least 10,000 Ohms. If the capacitor is bad it is usually inexpensive to replace it.

4. Check that the motor isn't shorted to ground.
Using the Ohm-meter on a high scale, measure the resistance between each wire and the ground or green wire coming into the box. It should be at least 100,000 Ohms and probably much more. If the motor is shorted to ground it could be caused by a motor failure or a failure in the wire to the motor.


I have put in a bunch of links to Franklin data on the motor and control box. You can look at them for additional information.

If the control box is bad, that can be replaced. They cost about $75 in most places. Listed at $8 at the link. http://www.wwpp.us/franklin/control-box.shtml


http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/maint_all.htm

http://www.franklin-electric.com/CatalogSubmersible/ControlBoxViewAll.aspx

I can't read the labels in the picture but from the Franklin pictures it looks like the terminals on the lower left are labeled L1 and L2.

Set your multimeter on AC Volts with a scale of at least 300 Volts and measure the voltage on those terminals. It shoud read around 230 Volts if the circuit breaker is on.

There is probably power or there wouldn't be any source of hum in the control box.

The three terminals on the right are labeled R Y and B for Red, Yellow, and Black. Those should be connected to the motor of the pump.

Following is a link to Ohm-meter tests of the pump and control box.
http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/AIM_47.htm

Following is a link to a schematic of your control box.
http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/wiring_pdfs/CBdiag_QD.pdf

Motor data at following link:
http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/AIM_13.htm

Next measure the main winding resistances of the motor.
Main Winding Yellow to Black 3.0 to 3.6 Ohms + wire resistance
Start Winding Yellow to Red 10.7 to 13.1 Ohms + wire resistance

You may not know the wire resistance but if the resistance is anywhere near the values (larger) the motor windings are probably OK.

There may be a problem with the capacitor in the control box. Disconnect the capacitor (usually the black cylinder) and measure the resistance.
START CAPACITOR AND RUN CAPACITOR IF APPLICABLE (CRC)

1. <LI class=td>Meter Setting: R x 1,000. <LI class=td>Connections: Capacitor terminals.
2. Correct meter reading: Pointer should swing toward zero, then back to infinity. You probably have a digital meter so the value will read some high number if it is good, and zero if it is failed.

Capacitor and Relay Parts:
http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/AIM_48.htm

I can't find your exact part number of the control but it looks like the following is probably correct. If the capacitor has failed you should be able to find the size (MFD) marked on the capacitor. It say in the table that you need something in the range of 86 to 103 MFD, rated for at least 220 Volts. You might be able to get one at a motor service shop.


Here is the complete manual, much of which doesn't apply to your system.
http://www.franklin-electric.com/Manual/pdf/FullAIM_60Hz.pdf

Aarrrghh

Well, I went to check it, and the stupid thing shocked me. Not too bad, but enough to hurt. I didn't even get to check it. Now it's not doing anything, and I don't think that I can handle the repair myself. Now it's just a matter of waiting for one of the 17 (yes 17) plumbers/well technicians I called to actually call me back. If anyone reading this is a plumber based out of anywhere near Casper, WY, and you know what to do, and have the time to do it, please email me!

So we finally got someone to come out and take care of our problem... Seems as though the last people to live her installed the pump themselves, dropped it 360ft, on flexible pipe, and it was only at 3/4 horsepower, when it needed 1 1/2 horsepower for the depth. We finally have water again, but there is so much iron in the water supply here, that there is a rusty sludge build up in the lines that we now get to deal with. If anyone on here lives in east central wyoming and is looking for water well service, try Mitts, they've been in business for 27 years, and unlike most well servicers here, they only do domestic water, and no methane.

Whats wrong with the methane servicers?

and it was only at 3/4 horsepower, when it needed 1 1/2 horsepower for the depth

Click to expand...

Horsepower is not the only consideration in sizing a pump.

bob...