Type of Wire and Pressure Refief Valve for Shallow Well Submersible

Hi,

My well is only about 15 feet down. The length to my power is only about 150ft from my house. I will be using pvc conduit. The question I'm wondering is can I use the standard 12guage wire that is in big bundles that you also use in house wiring?

The next question is about pressure relief valves. This pump is exclusively for an irrigation system. I understand the need for a PRV to save the pump from being dead headed from high pressure, however, doesn't the sprinkler control box going to guarantee that the pump be turned off so the pump won't get to this high pressure. I guess what I'm worried about is I go on vacation and the sprinkler control box doesn't shut my pump down and I have the water coming through the PRV because the pump is still running. I would rather have the pump burn up then come back to a flooded mess. I'm new to this, trying to figure the best ways to handle the pressure. Not sure if its the sprinkler control box or other things that I need to install.

Whatever is code in your area for underground wire in conduit will work, as long as it is the right size and has the right number of insulated conductors.

Sprinkler controllers are notorious for turning the pump on, even if the gophers ate the wires to the sprinklers, and they don’t come up. This is how your pump will be destroyed if you don’t have a pressure relief valve set at the right pressure. The pressure relief valve can be plumbed a distance away, so the discharge will go to a place where it won’t hurt anything. Usually the pump will be shut off after the irrigation timer thinks the yard is watered. So it doesn’t run 24/7 until you get home.

You could have a worse problem without a pressure relief valve. If the pump is not moving water, it can get hot enough to melt PVC pipe. Then the pump will not burn up, it will simply spray a bunch of water somewhere that you REALLY didn’t want it.

In some cases it makes good sense to dump the pr water back into the the well.

Some states won't allow that. I like being able to see the water dumping from the PRV. It is the high pressure alarm. And if it is being dumped back down the well, it is likely nobody will know it is happening.

Plumb a few sprinklers out of the PRV so they perform a service when it blows. Have a higher pressure one for backup.