Surge protector/battery backup for water well jet pump?

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zannej

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My power lines keep getting big surges during thunderstorms & it fried the wires & the pressure switch to my jet pump AGAIN. Happened at least 3 times in the past few years. This time I was able to diagnose it & have my friend change out the wires and the box (he's a certified electrician). But I would like to have a surge protector of some sort to reduce the chance of things getting fried. I would also dearly love to get some sort of battery backup to keep the water running when the power goes out. Problem is, the well is outside in a crappy shed & the lines drip so it's a damp area. I have a Gould's 1HP jet pump that runs on 115/230 so it uses a lot of power to run. I wouldn't run laundry or anything, but I'd like to have enough power for flushing the toilet & washing hands.

Any ideas or suggestions?
 
I talked to him. He has no idea. He's mostly in to computers & cars/trucks. He has wired his own homes a few times though, but he's never dealt with a water pump situation. He did say he got to add replacing a pressure switch on a water pump to his list of things he's fixed though. He'd never done it before. He works on machines at an arcade & isn't up to date on surge protecting backup stuff.
 
I have a Gould's 1HP jet pump that runs on 115/230 so it uses a lot of power to run. I wouldn't run laundry or anything, but I'd like to have enough power for flushing the toilet & washing hands.

Any ideas or suggestions?
Too many ideas and suggestions to fit in here.
First slice it into the 3 problems that you actually have:
1. Pressure switch - short life before failure.
2. Surge(>400 overvolt) condition not protected. Spike voltage (>1,000volts), not protected.
3. Need to run the well pump when the power is out.
You were ambiguous on the voltage it runs. If it is running on 115v and can be rewired to run on 230, that must be priority #1.
The pressure switch failure is likely caused by the pump continuously turning on and off because the surge tank next to it is waterlogged. Run some water and time how long the pump runs after it turns on.
Should be more than 2 minutes but less than 5 minutes. Less than 10 seconds = a problem.
Spike/surge suppressor can be at the pump end of the pigtail that will reach out of the pumphouse to the generator.
A battery backup for a 1HP that only runs 10 minutes every hour for a 24-hour day will be very expensive. A generator is less expensive but can run as long as the fuel holds out.
Work on this problem last.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I found pictures of the jet pump that I posted in a thread on another forum Float lever sticking & power to jet pump problem

It also has some pictures of inside the pump house.

I guess a generator would be a good idea. We need a whole house one anyway. Mice chewed through the wires of our old one. They now have them in special protective cases. We actually have a switch to go form the power company's power to the generator. It's a big lever on the pole with the meter. I'm not sure quite what power the pump is running on other than that it's on the 40amp breaker.

The pressure tank was replaced a couple of years ago when the old one became waterlogged. I'm not sure what the lifespan is for the fiberglass tanks. The old tank was a metal Gould brand one & it lasted over 10 years.
 
If it's on a 40A breaker, it's running on 110v (likely 90volts at the pump when it's actually running)
If the wiring is too small for the length, maybe less than that.
The same wire will provide twice the power at 230v. The connections on the motor on the pump must be changed to accept the higher voltage and you'll need a 2-pole 20a breaker to change it over.
Is the pump motor "down in the hole" or above ground?
 
They still make Jet pumps??
 
For lightning suppressors you have a wide range of overload protection. You can use the ferrite rings fitted to the power cord or a surge suppressor between your line and the pump. Surge suppressors are meant for electronic gear but they are available for just about any device. Warning: they are not cheap!
 
To clarify, there are two pumps. Both pumps are above ground (at least as far as I can tell). The jet pump sits behind the cistern. It pumps water out of the cistern, to a pressure tank, and then out to the yard (for house bibs) and and to the house. There are 4 shutoffs after the pump-- one is shuts off all the water. One shuts off water to the house, one shuts off water to the front yard, and the other shuts off water to the barn/workshop.
tumblr_mksg63Ennz1qkwd9ao2_1280.jpg

tumblr_mkbvfirIDI1qkwd9ao2_1280.jpg

(the piping has been modified a bit but still isn't right, but I can't really mess with it myself w/o breaking something & having to call the pump guy again). He put the check valve in the wrong spot & the pipe still goes over the pump which I know can lead to air bubbles in the line. But, he's the only well/pump guy who will come out. Anyway, I now have stainless steel piping going directly in to the pump on the inlet side because the PVC kept breaking.

This is the compression pump.
tumblr_mkbv9oKyrI1qkwd9ao1_1280.jpg

It is hooked to some metal pipes that get very hot. I've been told it is using air pressure to pull water up in to the cistern. The wiring has been elongated and wrapped in electrical tape since this picture. I wasn't happy with exposed wires that someone could bump into. It's an awkward setup. The power for this pump comes from the D-Box on top of the cistern. The cover won't fit on the new D-Box without interfering with it's movement for some reason so I may need to make a cover for it. When the float lever drops below a certain lever, the compression pump kicks on to refill the water. I *think* the jet pump is supposed to be able to sense if the cistern is too low so it won't try to pump, but i don't know if it does bc I've had problems with it running when the lever got stuck & the cistern didn't refill. Hasn't happened since we changed out the switch though.

I'll have to get updated pictures.
 
To clarify, there are two pumps. Both pumps are above ground (at least as far as I can tell). The jet pump sits behind the cistern. It pumps water out of the cistern, to a pressure tank, and then out to the yard (for house bibs) and and to the house. There are 4 shutoffs after the pump-- one is shuts off all the water. One shuts off water to the house, one shuts off water to the front yard, and the other shuts off water to the barn/workshop.
tumblr_mksg63Ennz1qkwd9ao2_1280.jpg

tumblr_mkbvfirIDI1qkwd9ao2_1280.jpg

(the piping has been modified a bit but still isn't right, but I can't really mess with it myself w/o breaking something & having to call the pump guy again). He put the check valve in the wrong spot & the pipe still goes over the pump which I know can lead to air bubbles in the line. But, he's the only well/pump guy who will come out. Anyway, I now have stainless steel piping going directly in to the pump on the inlet side because the PVC kept breaking.

This is the compression pump.
tumblr_mkbv9oKyrI1qkwd9ao1_1280.jpg

It is hooked to some metal pipes that get very hot. I've been told it is using air pressure to pull water up in to the cistern. The wiring has been elongated and wrapped in electrical tape since this picture. I wasn't happy with exposed wires that someone could bump into. It's an awkward setup. The power for this pump comes from the D-Box on top of the cistern. The cover won't fit on the new D-Box without interfering with it's movement for some reason so I may need to make a cover for it. When the float lever drops below a certain lever, the compression pump kicks on to refill the water. I *think* the jet pump is supposed to be able to sense if the cistern is too low so it won't try to pump, but i don't know if it does bc I've had problems with it running when the lever got stuck & the cistern didn't refill. Hasn't happened since we changed out the switch though.

I'll have to get updated pictures.
Wow! That's a complicated setup!
And that pressure switch is identical to ones I played with back in the 70's.
They would get filled up with fire-ants and burn up the contacts.
No water... all on account of some stinkin' ants!
brickwall100.gif

We always kept a spare on hand because 2 years was about the max-life for those.
A lot has changed since 1975.
There are much more dependable ones available today.
Think: transducer -->control logic -->sealed relay, all in one module.
Similar to this:
http://waterworkerdiy.com/digital_pump/index.htmlYes, we also had to say goodbye to the record-player back then too:cry:, but we survived.
 
Wow! That's a complicated setup!
And that pressure switch is identical to ones I played with back in the 70's.
They would get filled up with fire-ants and burn up the contacts.
No water... all on account of some stinkin' ants!View attachment 48876
We always kept a spare on hand because 2 years was about the max-life for those.
A lot has changed since 1975.
There are much more dependable ones available today.
Think: transducer -->control logic -->sealed relay, all in one module.
Similar to this:
http://waterworkerdiy.com/digital_pump/index.htmlYes, we also had to say goodbye to the record-player back then too:cry:, but we survived.

I am not fond of the pumps they had where points would stick, and never in good weather. Mama would make me hold the flashlight while she set the points while we laid on cold concrete floor, she used a match book, and if flashlight shook from me freezing she claw my arm.
 
I am not fond of the pumps they had where points would stick, and never in good weather. Mama would make me hold the flashlight while she set the points while we laid on cold concrete floor, she used a match book, and if flashlight shook from me freezing she claw my arm.

I see you guys are feeling sorry for me about a few claws in the arm from her pinches, well don't I had the best life and mother anyone could have, sure wish she was here to stick those claws in me one more time. Although I'd rather have a hug which she was also good at.:huggs:she was also very gun with a gun and living in the middle of the woods alone with us kids it came in handy a few times.Now and then prisoners escaped from prison farm or people would sneak in to fish. Only saw her pull it once but it got that man moving. :thumbs:
 
Supervisor, I asked the service guy about the digital meter & he said he'd never heard of one & had no idea how to install it. He's used to working with antiquated equipment. He took over for the previous guy who I believe developed dementia right when our water had been out for 3 weeks. He kept forgetting he was supposed to come out-- guy was in his 80s then. So we found the new guy & he came out right away & charged less than the other guy. He gives us discounts & said he's willing to come out on Christmas if there's an urgent need. One of the reasons I want to have a better setup for the shed is so it's more comfortable to work in if he has to come out again.

I may grab a spare one of the D-Box things just in case it goes out again. There were at least 3 or 4 covers lying around so I know they had to be replaced a bit. The power surges tend to do a lot of damage.

I believe it was someone called Valveman on the plumbingforums who told me about some of the digital meters.

Meerkat, the float lever sometimes sticks-- guy told me to coat it with Vaseline to keep it from jamming. I'm sorry your Mom isn't around anymore. I feel the same way about my Dad. I dearly miss him. Especially when I'm doing DIY stuff. We used to work on projects together. One of these days I'll find some pictures and sketches of the custom desk we built for him. I had him put mirrors at the back to reflect light and make it look like he had more space so it didn't feel so cramped & he painted the very top of the hutch/overhang sky blue. Had his model airplanes up there-- but the cat saw fit to knock them all down. This cat had good aim too-- she managed to nail me in the head with all of them. LOL.

My brain didn't want to make sense of the electrical stuff-- which is sad bc I took electronics in high school and electrical engineering in college.
 
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