Will old well pump water?

[RMARTIN]

Last year I bought a 10 acre place with a 2002 built house. It has co-op water now but in the front yard was a well, tank and all the needed fittings in a small pump house. Previous owner had it since 2003 and has used the co-op water, and didn't know anything about the well. I think there was a older home here before. All the hardware looks to be 10-15 years old. I took everything off of it to tear down the pump house (only 3 feet high and was an eyesore). Now I want to try and see if it will pump and if so use it for irrigation. So it's got a 4 1/2" sch 40 pvc casing coming out of a 3x5 ft slab. A 1" pipe out the top of the head and a 3 wire 12 gauge submersible pump wire, black, yellow, and red. The output pipe after the tank then goes into the ground and a larger buriable-type 3 wire 6 gauge goes into the ground. About 10 feet away the wire comes back out of the ground and is coiled up. Have no idea where the wire or the pipe goes to. Anyway how can I tell if it's 110 or 220 and how would I test it to see if the pump will work? The head doesn't look like it's ever been opened. No idea how deep it may be. On the front of the property is another old pump house. The pipe has been pulled and is laying against a fence, looks to be about 60 - 80 feet long. Not sure if that's an indication of how deep this well might be. Any ideas?

[Texas Wellman]

There should be a control box and a pressure switch somewhere. The pressure switch should have contactors connected to 230V with a line going to the c-box. Apply power to the pressure switch, make sure the contactors are closed, and apply power to the c-box. If it pumps water, I'd say you're in business.

Be careful of electricity, if you don't know what you're doing, call a pro. Also I would keep your well on the down low, in some areas with city water they will make you plug and abandon any old wells.

[RMARTIN]

I disconnected everything last year. I just have 3 wires coming out of the head and not sure if it's 110 or 220.

[Texas Wellman]

Most likely it's 220. If it's a 3-wire pump, you will need a control box to start it. Sounds like it's the old 3-wire, newer ones have a ground also.

Try a 1-HP box and see if it will start.