High Pressure Safety Cutoff Switch?

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Ted M

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My well pump pressure switch is a Square D, 30 to 50 psi.

I've changed it about three times over the last 20 years or so.

In addition, I had a High Pressure Safety Cutoff Switch installed.
This operated at a HIGHER pressure than the 50 PSI cutoff in the pressure switch mentioned above.

I had it set at 63 PSI.

In case the 50 PSI of the normal pressure switch fails, the Safety Cutoff Switch will turn the pump off.
This switch looks almost like the normal pressure switches, but serves just one purpose; high pressure.

The one I had lasted 25 years and failed.

I cannot for the life of me find a switch like this online.
The one I threw out was a Johnson Controls 2 pole pressure switch, 80 PSI (adjustable).

Does anyone know if they still make these?

Ted M
 

LLigetfa

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You could simply daisy-chain two Square D switches and set the second one to cut-in lower and cut-out higher. You need the kind that have two adjusters to increase the spread.
 

Zimcocomp

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Cutoff switch

My well pump pressure switch is a Square D, 30 to 50 psi.

I've changed it about three times over the last 20 years or so.

In addition, I had a High Pressure Safety Cutoff Switch installed.
This operated at a HIGHER pressure than the 50 PSI cutoff in the pressure switch mentioned above.

I had it set at 63 PSI.

In case the 50 PSI of the normal pressure switch fails, the Safety Cutoff Switch will turn the pump off.
This switch looks almost like the normal pressure switches, but serves just one purpose; high pressure.

The one I had lasted 25 years and failed.

I cannot for the life of me find a switch like this online.
The one I threw out was a Johnson Controls 2 pole pressure switch, 80 PSI (adjustable).

Does anyone know if they still make these?

Ted M

Ted,
How did you resolve your high pressure cutoff switch replacement problem? I have the exact same problem now.

Lynn
 

Valveman

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Most people just use a little pressure relief valve that can dump to a drain for high-pressure protection. I would want a pressure relief valve as a back up for a high-pressure kill switch anyway. Your system would never go to a high-pressure condition if a switch were 100% dependable way of shutting off the pump in the first place. So you are counting on another switch to catch the failure of the first pressure switch. When one switch has failed because the connecting tube is clogged, the tube that connects the high-pressure kill switch will probably also be clogged. If a magnetic starter is stuck closed, opening two switches instead of just one is not going to un-stick it.

I believe a pressure relief valve is preferable to a high-pressure kill switch. It is completely mechanical and totally independent of the switch, starter, and other controls for the pump.

That being said, a high-pressure kill switch can certainly be used if you want. Check with the manufacturers of Pivot Irrigation Systems. They use a high-pressure kill switch on their big circular sprinkler systems. It has a manual reset button, which is imperative for a high-pressure safety switch. I am just not sure how high the pressure setting can go on these type switches.

Using another regular pressure switch as a high-pressure kill doesn’t work. When the pump shuts off on extreme high-pressure, you don’t want it starting up again at low pressure. A regular pressure switch will restart the pump and the system will just continue to go to the extreme higher-pressure switch over and over instead of shutting down as a fault.
 
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