HELP!!!! Well Pump trips breaker, home with 2 sick kids!

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OkieSue

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This couldn't have happened on a worse day. I have 2 kids home from school both with a stomach virus. And now NO WATER.

This all started in the middle of my hubby's morning shower. The water just stopped. I wasn't awake and mumbled to check the circuit breakers. It seemed to work, he got through the rest of his shower.

Now, the breaker is off again, and if you turn it back on it just keeps going off.

A DIY fix would be MUCH appreciated. I can work through instructions to just about anything (replaced teh air bladder tank a couple of summers ago, no biggie). I just need some help knowing what to do on this one.

Thanks for any help you can give us!!
 

Cass

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There are a few things that it might be but the first thing I would check is the pump and see if it is shorted or seized up.
 

Speedbump

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How old is the Pump? What brand tank did you install?

Do you know anything about the pump. What kind, jet or sub, horsepower, two wire/three wire if a sub etc?

bob...
 

OkieSue

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I don't know what brand, or what kind. I know we moved into the house 4 years ago and it was a brand new house.

I turned the breaker off, left it off for about a minute, and turned it on again and it has stayed on for the last couple of hours. I am going to ask my dh more about it tonight - he will know. I don't really know which cement cover in the back is for the well or the septic. I am disabled and can't actually LIFT the cover off these things, so it will ahve to wait for him. I am going to go to the laundromat tomorrow with stuff to wash, rather than push it by running the washer until I know what is going on with the pump adn well. Sigh.

Thanks so much for your help. Sorry I don't have any more info, I usually do, or can find it, but this virus is vicious. And the kiddos have shared:(
 

MaintenanceGuy

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Either it's drawing more current than it should or the problem is with the breaker. I'd use an amp meter in the electrical panel to decide which one.

If it's drawing too much current, you MAY have a bad capacitor in the pump controller if it's a 3 wire submersible pump. Most likely it's a pump going bad.

If it's not drawing too much current, a loose wire on the breaker can cause overheating and tripping breakers. Sometimes a breaker just starts to go bad and needs replacing.

In my experience:

70% chance bad pump
20% chance bad breaker or loose wires
10% chance of something else. e.g. intermittent short in wires leading down well casing to pump, intermittent short in and electrical junction box somewhere in the house, A pressure switch that's causing the pump to short cycle, and lots of things I can't think of but would spend half a day cursing about until I found them.
 

Masterpumpman

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Electrical problem!

I would say it's time to call a qualified pump man with an Amp meter, volt meter and Ohm meter. Don't call an electrician!

I'm a certified pump man but when my air conditioner stops I usually have to call a HVAC mechanic.
 
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