Water Well Reference Manual Sept 2009

Copyright 2009. Priceless Water Well Services Page 1

Water Well Reference

Manual

Provided by:

Priceless Water Well Services 9316 Magnolia Blossom Trail

Fort Worth, TX 76179

817-480-7971 www.PricelessWells.com

Revised September 2009


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section Page Reference Charts 5

Questions and Explanations 15

Electricity Basics 27

Pump Troubleshooting 33

Control Box Troubleshooting 41

Wiring Diagrams 47

How to Use Meters 53

Installation Guide and Reference 57

Flow Rates and Water Level Calculations 67

Water Usage Estimates 71

How Can Priceless Help? 73



www.PricelessWells.com

817-480-7971


REFERENCE CHARTS












817-480-7971


QUESTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS


QUESTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS

1. How do I read a pump curve? 2. How do centrifugal pumps work? 3. Which type of tank should I use and how big? 4. How do I determine the energy consumption of a pump? 5. Why should I care about suction lift? 6. What is the purpose of a torque arrestor? 7. Do I need a snifter valve, bleeder orifice or air release valve? 8. Should I worry about below freezing temperatures? 9. Two wire VS. three wire 10. Low yield wells and pump settings 11. Drop pipe 12. Small diameter and sandy wells 13. Why do submersible pumps fail? 14. How much does pipe weigh 15. Solar applications 16. Lake and pond installations 17. 5 or 12 GPM 1/2 Hp. What's the difference?

HOW TO READ A PUMP CURVE

(With some simplifications)

Imagine that you have a basic water pump with the discharge connected to a short piece of pipe with a pressure gage and a gate valve in it.

Suppose you shut the valve and turn the pump on. The pressure gage will reach some maximum and the flow will be zero since nothing can get past the valve.

If you now open the valve a little bit there will be some flow and the pressure gage reading will drop a bit. As you open the valve more and more the flow increases and the pressure drops.

When the valve is fully open you will get the maximum flow and the pressure will be zero.

If you plot these readings on a graph with flow in gallons per minute on the bottom (x axis) and pressure measured in feet of water on the left (y axis) you will have a pump curve.

This curve is determined at the foundry where the impeller is cast and nothing, within reason, will change it. It is used to tell what flow the pump will produce at any given head pressure.

Note that pressure is a measure of resistance to flow. It is the total resistance in a system that determines the flow output of the pump. Without any resistance, the pump delivers its maximum flow. Pumps are quite stupid and totally unaware of what you intend them to do. They deal only in what is real to them and they don't know anything except what is at their


suction and what is at their discharge.

Pump curves are customarily marked in feet of head because any liquid pumped will be lifted to the same height. This is true whether it is oil, water or molten lead. (Pressure and energy required are another thing altogether). For water applications,

(pressure in PSI) = feet x .433 or, ( head in feet) = (pressure in PSI) x 2.31

For example: 60 PSI = 138.6 ft

HOW CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS WORK (Very simplified)

A centrifugal pump is basically a rotating shovel for liquid. Each rotation it expels a donut of liquid. The volume of the donut represents how many gallons per minute the pump delivers. The liquid is thrown off the vane tips. At the center of the shaft there is no relative motion but the liquid there moves out to replace the liquid thrown off the tip. This creates a low-pressure area at the shaft center, which is also the liquid inlet (pump suction). External pressure on the liquid supply, which may only be atmospheric pressure, forces more liquid into the pump suction.

The amount of velocity of the liquid as it leaves the pump determines how much head (or pressure) the pump will develop. This is determined by the diameter of the vane and how many revolutions per minute it makes (shaft speed). h=V5/2g for you engineers.

Pumps are designed around a flow rate, which determines how big the case must be to efficiently handle the quantity of water desired. This is indicated by the inlet and outlet pipe sizes but there can be considerable variation.

If it gets impractical to make an impeller large enough in diameter to get the head desired, two or more impellers (stages) can be incorporated into one housing. This is very common in water well pumps where the pump must go down a hole. It is very hard to get a pump with a diameter larger than the hole to go in without the use of a hole stretcher. This device is large, dangerous, and illegal in most states. Ask your well driller.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN A PUMP

A pump converts the energy used to turn its shaft into water energy. The efficiency with which it does so determines what it costs to move the liquid. It takes the same amount of energy to lift one gallon of water two feet as it does to lift two gallons one foot. The formula for water is: Horsepower =(Gallons per minute) x (Total dynamic head in feet) 3960 x pump efficiency This is derived from the definition of horsepower and is always true. For liquids other than


water, the specific gravity must be used but that is for another web page. 3960 is a conversion factor to make the units come out right. The word dynamic means the total head is figured when the liquid is in motion and so friction losses must be included.

SUCTION LIFT

The low pressure generated in the suction of a pump will lift water up into the pump. There are some limitations.

The basic limit is atmospheric pressure, which is 33.9 feet. No pump can lift water up into it more than 33.9' even if you put a million horsepower motor on it. Once you get the water into the pump you can blast it to the moon if you want to put the energy in, but the suction side is limited. The pump is sucking on a big straw. If you run out of suction power the water will just sit there at whatever point you ran out.

The other limit is the amount of energy each individual pump needs to get the water into its suction area and turn up the blades. This is essentially an internal friction factor and it can get quite large, even much higher than atmospheric pressure. This is called Net Positive Suction Head required, or NPSH. If this requirement is not met, the water will form bubbles of water vapor (not air). These bubbles will move with the liquid into the higher-pressure areas of the pump and instantly collapse. When they do, the liquid around trying to rush into the void at infinite velocities. This erodes metal and makes a sound like pumping rocks. It causes vibrations, loss of capacity and severe impeller wear. It is a very bad thing for a pump.

The third limitation is liquid temperature. The warmer the liquid, the easier it is to go into the vapor phase and thus cavitate more easily. It is impossible to lift water that is boiling.

This is normally only a concern in boiler feed applications and industrial applications.

HYDRO PNEUMATIC TANKS

In a water pressure system a tank is primarily a hydraulic accumulator. Its main function is stopping the pump from going on and off excessively. Storage of water is secondary.

The tank can only serve its purpose if there is an air pad in the tank, which has been compressed by the pump. If there is no air, the tank is just a fat piece of pipe. Pressure in the system drops immediately when any amount of water is used.

There are two basic types:

1. Captive air, or bladder tanks

2. Galvanized or epoxy coated non-bladder tanks

The bladder tanks have a rubber bag inside them, which separates the air and water and is


pre-pressurized. Since air under pressure dissolves in water, this means you don't have to add air or drain the tank. The pre-pressurizing gives you more useful storage in the same physical space. This makes them cheaper per gallon of draw down than the plain tanks, especially the larger ones. It also means they are lighter and easier to install. However, there are many manufacturers of wildly different quality levels, and all of the bladders will fail sooner or later.

The plain tanks probably have a longer life. They do have to be kept full of air. This can be done with a submersible pump by using an air charging system consisting of a down hole bleeder valve, a surface snifter and an excess air release on the tank. The snifter valves are cheap but prone to plugging.

All plain tanks can be drained and air let into them, if you remember to do it. It is necessary to break the vacuum and actually let air in and not just drain the tank from the bottom or a water faucet.

TANK SIZING

The tank is sized to the capacity of the pump. The object is to limit the number of starts per hour the pump makes. The larger the motor, the fewer starts are recommended. Franklin recommends up to 300 starts per day for 1/2 and 3/4 HP motors, 100 per day for 1 HP thru 5 HP, and 50 per day for anything up to 30 HP.

Water use is not uniform during the day. We feel that this formula can be met and still beat the daylights out of the motor. Try to size the tank such that you will never exceed 6 starts an hour. This means a cycle time from start to start of 10 minutes. For example, if you have a pump with a 10 GPM capacity and a tank with a "live storage" capacity of 25 gallons, and, worst case, when the demand is half the pump capacity or 5 GPM, it will take 5 minutes to fill the tank and five minutes to empty it, thus giving you a ten minute cycle. In practice, this can be exceeded occasionally without undue alarm. In cases which can create prolonged demand at half the pump capacity, such as heat pumps or poorly thought out irrigation systems, It is very important to have adequate tank capacity.

Live storage is the amount of water that you can draw out of a tank between the pump off pressure and the pump on pressure. For galvanized tanks this is about 11% of the volume of the tank. For captive air tanks the manufacturer publishes the numbers. Usually, the model number of the take is related to the live storage i.e., a PC244 has a live storage of 24.4 gallons. It is never a problem to have a tank that is too big. To quote Mae West " Bigger is Better!"

DO I NEED A TORQUE ARRESTOR

Torque arrestors are recommended for installations that use PVC drop pipe for three reasons. The first is that most pumps rotate in a direction that will cause the drop pipe to unscrew. A torque arrestor keeps the pump snug in the well casing reducing the possibility that the pump starting torque will result in any right hand thread loosening. It is attached to the drop pipe right at the pump, and then it is expanded until it fits snugly in the well casing.


The second reason a torque arrestor is used is to keep the pump centered in the well. Not all wells are straight, a pump that is running up against the well casing may experience motor cooling problems and hydraulic imbalances. A pump hanging on plastic pipe will tend to move around and collide with the well casing which can result in abrasion to the pump and motor housings, damaged wire or damaged well casing.

The third and most important reason is that fatigue from repeated start-up torque will occur in the PVC and can cause the pipe to break.

DO I NEED A SNIFTER, BLEEDER ORIFICE OR AIR RELEASE VALVE?

Air charging systems require an air snifter valve, a bleeder orifice and an air release valve.

An air release valve is required on air charging systems to maintain the correct water to air ratio in the tank. In an air charging system, excessive air is pumped into the tank on each cycle. There are usually two check valves installed in one of these types of systems, one on the pump and one on the surface pipe. When the pump stops, both check valves close. The water in the pipe between the air snifter valve and the orifice plug bleeds back through the orifice and down into the well. When the pump starts again, the air that replaced the water in the pipe between the snifter and bleeder orifice is pushed into the tank.

Excessive air will continue to lower the water level in the tank, as the water level is lowered, the air ejector float is also lowered which opens the release valve and lets excessive air out until the release valve setting is reached. When the pump starts again, the water level rises and raises the air ejector float, which closes the releases valve before the water level reaches the valve.

FREEZE PROTECTION

In most domestic pumping systems there is a pressure switch that controls when the pump starts and stops. That pressure switch is typically connected to the system with a pipe nipple. It is important to protect that connecting nipple from freezing because if it does freeze while the pump is running, the switch will never see the system pressure reach the shut off point and therefore will not turn the pump off. Dangerously high pressures can be developed depending on the head a specific pump is capable of achieving. Pressure tanks will detonate if the pressure in them gets too high. An inexpensive way to protect pipes from freezing is with pipe insulation, which is usually sold at hardware stores. Burlap or fiberglass insulation is also commonly used surface pipe insulators.

TWO WIRE VS. THREE WIRE

Slightly more than half of all submersibles sold are two wire and Franklin Electric says the failure rates are the same or slightly better for two wire motors.

Local preferences govern; if you choose the type not common in your area all your neighbors


will make fun of you.

We will supply either, two wire pumps are easy to install.

LOW YIELD WELLS AND PUMP SETTINGS

Well water storage capacity in gallons per foot of pipe below the water level" 4" well casing = .653 Gal/ft 5" well casing = 1.02 Gal/ft 6" well casing = 1.47 Gal/ft 8" well casing = 2.61 Gal/ft 10" well casing = 4.08 Gal/ft 12" well casing = 5.84 Gal/ft

A low well is one that produces less water than normal required demand rates. Usually, a well that yields less than 10 GPM is considered low yield although in some poor water areas, that would be a good well.

Pumping from storage makes up the difference between immediate needs and well yield. This can be an above ground non-pressure tank, an above ground pressure tank, or the water in the well casing.

Wells that are just marginally low are most likely to be buffered by pressure tanks. Pressure tanks are more expensive per gallon stored, but you need one anyway, and in a close case it is simpler and cheaper to increase pressure tanks.

In extreme low yield wells, less than 2 GPMs or so, an above ground reservoir of some type is required. Water usage is very spotty. It peaks in morning and evening hours for

Washing and cooking. The well gives a sustained 24-hour yield, which can be pumped up and stored and used at peak times by means of a booster pump and small pressure tank. A 3/4 HP jet pump and a captive air tank and a check valve so water can’t back-flow from the pressure tank to the storage tank are all that is required.

The storage tank can be an above ground steel or poly tank, or a below ground cistern. This system uses smaller submersible pumps since they do not have to develop pressure other than that required to lift the water to the surface plus the top of the tank. A level switch in the tank controls the well pump.

The third method is using the well itself as the storage tank. This works well if the end user understands what is going on. It is also the most common cause of submersible pump misapplications and consequent short life and excessive costs.

The pump will be designed to work within a flow range and a pressure range. Pumps have an operating range of 200' to 300'. This means that this is all the water you can use without getting out of the range the pump was designed for.

The manufacturers use up all the horsepower available for each condition set. A 5 G.P.M. design pump will not necessarily be suited for a 5 G.P.M. well. The pump will be designed to


pump from a deep depth to use up the horsepower. The essential stupidity of the pump prevents you from explaining the situation to it. The water comes up inside the pump to the exact same level as it does outside the pump without the pump running. If the water level is high when the pump starts, as it would be most mornings, the pump may well go into an up thrust condition which shortens the life of the motor and the pump. It is also inefficient from a power standpoint.

A typical case is a 500' well yielding 3 G.P.M. with water standing at 30'. A pump is chosen that can lift water from 500'. This pump runs off it’s performance curve at 200' and so at the 30' startup it up thrusts and pumps inefficiently. In addition, the water flow in the well may all come from above thus reduce the motors ability to cool and shortening it’s life. ( Franklin motors in sizes below 2 HP are able to operate satisfactorily this way but will last longer if cooled with water flow from below.) It is also true that it costs more to pump water the greater the distance you have to lift it to the surface.

All pumps in low yield wells can benefit from protection by a Franklin Pumptec, which will shut the pump off if it runs dry. No pump can withstand prolonged running dry without damage.

My conclusion is that the proper way to use the well as a reservoir is to compare the storage capacity of the well in 200' with your expected daily use.( A six inch well stores about 300 gallons in 200'. The average usage of a family of four is 200 gallons per day plus irrigation needs.) Select a pump that will work well in this range and live within these limits. Protect the pump with a Pumptec. The smallest pump that will meet these requirements is the correct pump from installation cost, operating cost, and durability standpoints.

DROP PIPE

The pipe connecting the submersible pump to the surface is called the drop pipe. (Actually dropping it is neither necessary nor desirable.)

It may be:

Galvanized steel PVC schedule 80 Poly pipe 160 PSI Poly pipe 200 PSI PVC schedule 40

Galvanized steel: Heavy, expensive, can corrode in some waters. Holds most weight and resists torque. Comes in 21' lengths, threads together. Comes in sizes to 6".

PVC schedule 80 with molded in threads is light, strong, corrosion proof and moderate in cost. Comes in 20' lengths. Threads together. Somewhat flexible. Torque arrestor required. Normally only available through water well industry. Limited on depths and motor sizes. Too expensive to ship except in very large quantity. Comes in 1", 1 1/4", 1 ½" and 2" sizes. PVC couplings made by the pipe manufacturer are heavier and stronger than normal sch. 80 and should be used. Maximum depths and horsepower ratings as follows. If used at extreme ends of ranges, install a safety rope and pray.


1" 1.5 HP max 600' max. Use metal couplings below 300'

1.25" 2 HP max 500' max. Use metal couplings below 300'

1.5" 5 HP max 400' max. Use metal couplings below 200'

2" 7.5 HP max 340' max. Use metal couplings below 200'

Poly pipe 160 PSI. Comes in 1" and 1 1/4" sizes and rolls of 300'. Similar or slightly more expensive than PVC. Torque arrestors and cable guides required. Special fittings top and bottom required. Shippable but relatively expensive. For use to pressure rating at the pump discharge (down the well). A safety margin of 30% of rated pressure is recommended by us with absolutely no scientific reason for picking that figure. The manufacturers do not even acknowledge that pumps are a suitable use, but miles of it are used. Safety ropes are always used, 1/4" nylon or poly rope is adequate. For larger pumps 1/8" stainless steel aircraft cable can be used but it is costly.

Poly pipe 200 PSI. Same as above but comes also in 100' rolls. In 1" size, available in 600' rolls.

PVC schedule 40. Not recommended with glued joints. The couplings tend to crack in 5 or 6 years. Can be used in limited applications with Sch 80 fittings. It is usually not worth the minimal cost savings to mess with it. Glue must have ample time to set completely before pump pressure is applied or it can blow apart.

SMALL DIAMETER WELLS AND SANDY WELLS

Wells with an internal diameter of less than 4" cannot be used with standard submersible pumps. The smallest motor has a diameter of 3.75". Grundfos makes a pump for 3" wells using their own motor. The only pumps made for smaller than 3" are from the monitoring well industry. They are very expensive; it would usually be better to drill a proper well. Jet pumps can be used in many circumstances depending on pumping levels.

Sandy Wells

Most well water has at least some sand. It is a matter of degree. If you experience short pump life, you have too much. If you can draw a glass of water and after it settles, there is a dime sized pile of sand in the bottom of the glass, you have a problem, if there are 4 or 5 grains, you don't have a problem. Obviously, there is some interpretation required.

The effect of sand on humans is negligible unless it covers your whole body or some bully kicks it in your face. Sand is not good for pumps. The internals are plastic. The pumps with stainless steel internals don't do any better. Stainless steel is soft. All pump manufacturers take into consideration the fact that their product will have to pump some sand. If you have a problem you can:


a) Drill a new well. Make a well driller happy! (There is a company in Nigeria that will sell you a water well in a box over the internet. All they want is your bank account number.)

b) Install a submersible centrifugal separator. They work. A bit expensive. Pump must be pulled to install it. Results may vary greatly depending on the size of sand you have. Does the well fill up with sand? It should but it doesn't seem to.

c) Cut the flow rate. The greater the flow rate of water, the greater the sand. d) Cut down the number of starts. Most of the sand comes within a few minutes of pump

starting. e) Install of piece of well screen around the pump. This means pulling the pump. It also

means you have to have at least a 6" well.

WHY DO SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS FAIL?

1) Short cycling- going on and off too much. Tank too small. 2) Pumping excessive amounts of sand. 3) Running dry. 4) Voltage spikes- lightning, transients. 5) Upthrusting due to improper selection-high head pumps in low head applications or

starting conditions

HOW MUCH DOES PIPE WEIGH?

Size Galvanized Steel Sch 80 PVC Water Weight 1” 1.68 lbs/ft 0.41 lbs/ft 0.31 lbs/ft

1 ¼” 2.28 0.57 0.53

1 ½“ 2.73 0.69 0.77

2” 3.68 0.96 1.40

SOLAR APPLICATIONS

Pumps to run on solar systems must be kept small, must be three wire, are best installed with capacitor start-capacitor run control boxes. This type control box costs more but reduces starting and running amps by 10 to 20%. The solar system must have the surge capacity to handle the starting inrush current of the motor which will be about 6 times the full load running current.

LAKE AND POND INSTALLATIONS

Submersible pumps are frequently installed in lakes and ponds and rivers. There are several things to be aware of if you want good life.

a) Solids - these pumps are NOT designed to pump anything bigger than a grain of sand, this means no fish, no leaves, no grass, no insects, no moss. None.


b) Mounting position. They can be used from straight up to horizontal and anywhere in-between. However, they are designed to run straight up and this gives the best life. Thrust bearing considerations occur when installed at angles. Starts must be reduced to less than 10 per day.

c) Motor cooling. Water temperature must be below 85 degrees F for normal installation. Franklin motors that are of their " Super Stainless " construction 2 HP and below do not require flow inducer sleeves, however we recommend it. The motor must never be embedded in sand or laying on the bottom or it can't cool itself.

d) Submergence. The pump and motor must be underwater at all times. e) Floods. River installations are vulnerable to being washed away or beaten up by debris. We

recommend that if possible you make what amounts to an artificial water well by mounting a piece of 4 or 6" PVC pipe vertically in the water. Support the pump on a piece of galvanized pipe from a standard well seal. Screen the bottom of the pipe with something with holes smaller than the pump inlet screen, about 1/8" holes. If the water is not crystal clear, try to provide as large a screen area as possible. Drill holes in the side of the PVC, below the motor, and screen them also to provide more inlet area. Try to support it from something that you can get to so it can be removed when it dies.

5 GPM or 12 GPM 1/2 Hp. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

What does it mean when you talk about a 5 G.P.M. series pump? Why can’t I get a 2 G.P.M. pump when that is all my well will produce?

All manufacturers start off with two design constraints: The impeller diameter can’t be bigger than 3" (or it won’t fit in a 4" well), motors come in certain sizes- ½. 3/4, 1, 1 ½ HP, competitive pressure requires that they get as much out of each motor as possible.

The only things they can control are the width of the impeller blades and the number of stages. The wider the blades the more volume in the “donut” of water each impeller puts out each time it revolves. They pick blade widths that center on common volume requirements such as 5, 8, 10, 15, 20. They then add stages, to add lift (head, pressure), until they use up a standard motor size. There is a minimum blade width where friction starts to eat up all the energy resulting in extreme inefficiency- therefore no 2 G.P.M. pumps.

The compulsion to use up the horsepower available means that low gallon range pumps end up with more stages and thus high heads. This is great if water levels are deep but causes problems with relatively high water tables. Pumps, being supremely stupid and obstinate, insist from pumping from the water level that is no matter how many times you explain to it that it isn’t supposed to. Pumps are perpetual teenagers.




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ELECTRICITY BASICS


1. ELECTRICITY

A. Principle 1: Electricity is tiny peas. They are hard to see because they are so small and move so fast, however, they are green. (OK, you guys at Argonne National Labs - prove I'm wrong!)

B. Principle 2: The speed of the peas is measured in volts.: The speed of the peas is measured in volts. This can be converted to miles per hour, or furlongs per fortnight if so desired, but volts are nice and tidy.

C. Principle 3: The number of peas is measured in amps. There are so many in a pound, it is inconvenient to weight them.

D. Principle 4: The power the peas have is the number of peas multiplied by their speed. This is just how hard the peas hit. Same principle as getting hit with a water hose.

1) Secondary Idea 1 for Principal 4: Two peas going one speed do the same work as one pea going twice as fast. ( 2 x 1 = 1 x 2)

2) Secondary Idea 2 for Principal 4: Electrical power is measured in watts. What is Watts? Watts = Amps x Volts (Power companies charge by kilowatt hours or 1000s of watts times hours used. This is defined as work. This distinction is important to engineers but not to real people)

E. Principle 5: The more peas you cram in a pipe, (amps in a wire), the more they rub against the walls. This is resistance and it is measured in ohms.

1) Secondary Idea1 for Principal 5: You can get more electrical work from the same size pipe (wire) if fewer peas going faster are used so there is less rubbing (resistance).

2) Secondary Idea 2 for Principal 5: Rubbing on the pipe (resistance) results in heat. Heat deteriorates insulation.

F. Principal 6: Volts, Amps and Ohms are related. A pack of peas will cram itself into a pipe until the resistance to movement they create by rubbing uses up all their available speed. Number of Peas= Speed / Resistance, or Amps = Volts divided by Ohms. (I=E/R) This is known as Ohms Law and is the basis of all electronics. Use this information to amaze your friends.

You now understand electricity. That's all there is to it. Get yourself a tool belt, a bad attitude and a wiggy, and you can be an electrician. Mumble things about potential differentials or power factor and you can pass as an electrical engineer. (Don't ask what a wiggy is. There are some things we could get hurt for divulging.)


2. MOTORS

A. An electric motor is a machine to get useful work from electricity. It is also two magnets chasing each other, with one magnet tied to a rotating shaft, while the power company changes their polarity just when the north and south poles start to line up. (This is somewhat cruel but necessary. It is something like dealing with a woman.)

B. Some people think motors run on smoke because when the smoke gets out, they stop working. This is not true.

C. There is a practical problem with the magnets in that if they happen to line up north to south on startup, they will stay that way. The reasons for this are too boring to go into and involve things like induced rotor currents and slip. Read on for the exciting conclusion. Motors can run on AC (alternating current) or DC ( direct current). Some can run on both. AC motors are the most generally used and that is all this is going to deal with. (My web page - my rules)

3. PHASE AND MOTORS AND ENERGY

A. The changing of polarity in the magnets is caused by a change from positive to negative in the power supply. It alternates. (AC = Alternating current). In the USA, thanks to the clock lobby, this happens 60 times per second. One cycle from zero through positive and negative and back to zero on one set of wires is called a phase. (Not technically correct but it helps to make some sense out of this).

B. Motors frequently are wound to run on one or more than one phase. In the USA, single-phase and three-phase are the rule.

C. Single-phase motors require some mechanics to get around the starting problem. They use a small start winding attached to a capacitor ( a tank for electrons) which changes the phase of the start winding slightly due to the time it takes the capacitor to fill up. They also need a relay to cut the start winding out after startup so it doesn't burn up. T

D. Three-phase power has each phase reach zero 120 degrees out from each other. There is no way for the poles to line up exactly so it will always start.

E. The work (not scientifically accurate) that a motor can do is measured in horsepower. By definition, this is 550 foot-pounds per second. (It is also 745 watts).

F. One horsepower is one horsepower regardless of phase, voltage, RPMs, manufacturer, or political affiliation. So why care about such things? Money.

G. All the extra gear a single-phase motor needs to ensure starting costs money and it


eventually fails so the motors are more expensive and less reliable. There is also a practical size limit of 7.5 H.P., which is where most manufacturers stop making them.

H. The amps needed to generate a horsepower are spread over three wires in a three-phase motor and two wires in a single-phase motor so the wires are bigger with the single-phase motor. If it is a submersible motor you still have to run a third wire for the start winding.

4. VOLTAGE

A. In the USA, the common combinations of approximate voltage and phase are:

1. 115 Volts Single Phase.

a. This is house wiring. It is safer because the voltage is lower and so can push less amps through the resistance of some hapless idiot who takes the hair dryer into the shower.( True story. Short messy ending). Appliance motors. Single phase is supplied with a single transformer and thus cheap for the power company to supply and thus popular with them. Usually limited to motors of 1 H.P. or less.

2. 230 Volts Single Phase.

a. Your air conditioner, clothes dryer or electric stove. The main entry power for most new houses.

3. 208 Volts Three Phase.

a. Power companies like it for subdivisions where street lighting is involved. Motors hate it. Power companies don't care. (It is a personal problem.)

4. 230 Volts Three Phase,

a. Common where loads are small, usually less than 40 H.P. If a transformer neutral ( 4 wire service) is run in, 115 volt single phase can be pulled off from any leg and neutral. Very useful in small industrial and commercial and farm applications.

5. 460 Volts Three Phase,

a. The common heavy industrial and large pump supply. Carries the most energy with the smallest wires and starters. Comes and gets you if you are careless.


B. How can you tell?

1. Look on the electric meter, or buy a cheap volt meter. It's a very useful thing to have anyway. (Old electricians can actually taste the difference but don't try that one at home.)

C. Why does it matter?

1. The voltage and phase available must match the motor you buy or it won't work.

2. The supply wire size and the starter size depend on amps. For a given size motor, amps depends on voltage. Twice the voltage, half the amps.

D. A motor rated for two voltages uses the same energy on either. The internal coils are either connected in series or parallel depending on the voltage so it is all the same to the motor.




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PUMP TROUBLESHOOTING


QUICK REFERENCE


Submersible Pump Troubleshooting

RULE NUMBER 1 - EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY FAILS

RULE NUMBER 2 - USUALLY THE DAY AFTER THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT

RULE NUMBER 3- THE PERVERSE NATURE OF MACHINES REQUIRES THEM TO FAIL WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING THE GREATEST NUMBER OF GUESTS. BEFORE YOU EVEN READ THIS: GO OUT AND TURN THE PUMPS CIRCUIT BREAKERS OFF THEN ON AGAIN OR REPLACE THE FUSES WITH NEW ONES. IF IT RUNS, LISTEN FOR WATER RUNNING WHEN OR WHERE IT SHOULDN'T. GIVE YOUR PRESSURE GAUGE A THUMP AND MAKE SURE IT WORKS, IF NOT REPLACE IT FIRST SO YOU CAN TELL WHAT IS GOING ON.

BASIC COMPLAINT

1. No water A. Motor runs - you can hear it or feel the pipe vibrate or amp check if you have an

amprobe. 1. Hole in drop pipe or coupling, bleeder valve blown out. 2. Massive leak in your system. Pump is delivering water just not where you want it

to go. 3. Jammed or backward check valve. It happens. 4. Pump is out of the water 5. Pump inlet screen plugged. Very rare. 6. Pump worn out. Impellers worn. If it has pumped sand or is very old this is

possible. 7. Pump shaft broken or coupling stripped. Very rare these days. 8. Pump air locked. 9. Water level has dropped so far pump can't lift to surface.

B. Motor doesn't run 1. No power to pump - this is the most common thing. 2. Motor failed 3. Wires down well broken or bad splice. 4. Control box problem, bad capacitor or relay or cover is not on. 5. Pressure switch problem - easy to fix but usually wishful thinking. 6. Look at the contacts. If they aren't closed figure out why. 7. The switch thinks the pressure is at shutoff level. Did it freeze last night? 8. Possibly bad pressure switch or plugged inlet. 9. Burned contacts don't mean much. Bugs in the contacts are a common problem.

Clean them off with the eraser end of a wooden pencil. These contacts are always electrically hot.

10. Overload tripped. Look for a red button on or under control box. 11. Pump locked up. 12. Both wires to motor or control box are connected to the same leg in the panel.

2. Not enough water, or pressure - motor runs, perhaps runs all the time A. Leaks - surprisingly small leaks can lose a lot of water. Common problem.

1. Leaks in your house system.


2. Shut off line between tank and house and see if pump builds up pressure normally.

3. Down the well: Holes in drop pipe or bleeder valve. B. Pump problems

1. Pump too small for demand 2. Pump impellers worn by sand 3. Water level has dropped below what pump is designed for 4. Check valve jammed either down well or on surface. 5. The nut can also come off the plunger and improper pipefittings can prevent

plunger travel. 6. Plugged inlet screen. Very rare. 7. No water in well or pump not set deep enough. 8. Motor coupling stripped or shaft broken. Sometimes can still pump.

C. Tank problems 1. Waterlogged tank will cause pump to go on and off continually. This also results

in apparent low pressure. This is very common. 2. Surface check valve stuck open allowing water to run back down the well or

stuck closed preventing water from getting up. D. Electrical problems

1. Improper connections at control box. If color codes were not kept the pump will attempt to start on the run winding and will not be able to continue running

2. Low voltage. 230-volt pumps will run on 115 volts but not very well and will cut out and reset. This happens when one pole of a two-pole circuit breaker has tripped. Pull both poles all the way to off, then back to on.

3. Motor has internal short, which is not bad enough to make it stop totally but results in intermittent operation or less than full speed operation. This is a frequent motor death mode.

3. Bad water A. Milky -air or gas in water.

1. Natural entrained air or gas - not much you can do about it. 2. Tank air problem

a. Bad air volume control b. Pumping water level too low allowing air to be sucked into pump c. Excessive draw from tank allows air into house lines

3. Sandy - well problem, made worse by frequent starts, well driller problem 4. Tastes bad - try an activated carbon filter 5. Looks bad - particulates in water, try a cartridge filter 6. Stains sink -Iron and/or manganese in water, water treatment problem 7. Stinks - hydrogen sulfide gas or methane 8. Slime in strainers - iron bacteria, chlorinate well

4. Fuses blow, breakers trip, overloads trip A. Happens immediately when power applied to motor

1. Short to ground in motor, cables or supply wires to pressure switch. 2. Remove control box cover or disconnect leads to motor to see where the

problem is. Shorts make things trip very fast. 3. Worn out breaker, wrong size breaker, non-time delay fuses can't take starting

current.


4. Control box problem causing start winding in motor not to operate. Usually times several seconds to trip.

5. Low voltage 6. Pump locked up

B. Happens when motor has been running 1. Low voltage 2. Short cycling, too many starts 3. Control box too hot due to sun or other heat source. 4. Control box problem - bad capacitor, relay, or wrong size 5. Fuses or overloads too small. 6. Circuit breakers worn out - they will only trip so many times. 7. Frequent low head starting causing up thrust 8. Worn pump - usually causes low amps but can also cause high amps. 9. Pumping a lot of sand. 10. Wires too small or contacts somewhere very bad causing high voltage drop. 11. Well is so crooked the pump and moor have been forced into a bind. You have to

work at it to create this one. 5. Pump starts and stops too often. This is very hard on submersible pumps and

motors. A. Water logged tank.

1. Galvanized tank a. No air charging system - drain tank and open a fitting to break vacuum. This

can always be used as a temporary fix on any tank. b. Air leak in tank above water level c. Surface check valve is leaking and preventing snifter valve from taking in air. d. Snifter valve (usually screwed into check valves not working. It should suck

in air every time the pump stops. Frequent problem area. e. Bleeder in well is not letting water leak out of the pipe so air can be sucked in

by the snifter. f. Pump runs constantly and so never cycles to put air in tank. g. Air volume control letting too much air out.

2. Bladder tank a. Bladder is ruptured. Tank will feel heavy and water will come out of tire core

valve on top of tank. Tank has too little pre-charge air in it or, too much. It needs to be just right which is 2 pounds less than the start pressure of the pump, measured with the tank drained and the pump off.

B. Air logged tank - air volume control bad or too much air being pumped in. C. Defective pressure switch or set wrong D. Tank too small for pump size and demand. E. Check valve on surface may be jammed or partially open


Advanced Troubleshooting

This is for people who are familiar with electricity and have a voltmeter, ammeter and ohmmeter and enough common sense not to try themselves. There are two basic symptoms:

1. Motor does not run 2. Something trips out

1. Motor does not run A. Makes no sounds - this most likely means no power to motor. First make sure you

have put he cover back on the control box if it is 1 HP or less. 1. Start at the pressure switch with the switch wedged open with a non-conductor

and measure voltage leg to leg-AND to ground. 2. If you do not have 230 volts (unless it is a rare 115 volt motor) trace back to the

circuit breaker or fuse box. If you have 115 volts to ground on both legs at the pressure switch, you have both legs on the same hot leg and thus zero potential difference between them. Put one leg on the other hot leg.

3. If you have 115 volts to ground on one leg and zero on the other, one wire is broken or one half of the 230-volt breaker is defective or tripped.

4. If everything is zero at the pressure switch the wires are broken or the breaker is bad, or tripped, or the main power is out.

5. If everything checks out then there is an open in the motor or in the control box or the wiring to the motor. a. Start by disconnecting the power at the breaker then disconnecting the wires

that go down the well from the control box. b. Use an ohmmeter to check for continuity between all three wires (or two if it

is a two wire pump). c. Also check each leg to ground. All should be infinity or at least 10 megohms

to ground. 1. The resistances leg to leg are small. 2. The yellow is common and the yellow red (start) should be more than the

black (run) to yellow. 3. An open indicates a broken wire, bad splice or bad motor. 4. A low resistance to ground indicates a bad motor or sub cables that are

damaged. B. Motor hums, buzzes. This is either low voltage, a bad control box, mixed wire color

code, shorted motor. 1. Do all the checks listed in (A) above. If it is not covered in (A):

a. If the pump is new 1. Ohm check the wires from the motor. The highest amp reading will be

Red to Black. The next highest Yellow to Red and the lowest Yellow to Black. If your readings don’t agree, the color code is mixed down below.

b. Wrong voltage control box. Only possible on ½ HP pumps where 230 volt or


115 volt motors are made. If 115 volt box is used on a 230 system, the control box relay will be expecting much higher amps and so will not drop out the start winding.

c. Control box problems. Sometimes they are bad out of the box. 11/2 HP and above sometimes have incorrect connections. Rare but it happens. 1. There are four possible components in a control box:

Start capacitors- black cylinders- most likely to fail. Look for burned off connectors, black gunk oozing out. If it looks OK, you need an analog ohmmeter. Short across the capacitor to discharge it, then put the ohm meter on it. It should show a low reading, which increases to infinity over several seconds as the capacitor charges. These are cheap and readily available at any electric motor shop.

Run capacitors - usually metal cylinders - almost never fail- almost. Overload relays - “Klixons” the red button. They fail. If they trip out,

check the amp draw. If it is normal, the overload is bad. By-pass it with a jumper until you can get one. ( or forget about it)

Start relay- black or blue square. Most difficult to diagnose. It depends on whether they are solid state (blue, or on some original, a small semi- conductor looking thing) or electro-mechanical, a 2" square with MARS written on it somewhere. See Franklin-electric.com (www.fele.com) for details on this. If you get to this point, just replace the control box.

2. Control box problems are often caused by short-cycling of the pump. 2. Something trips out.

This means the pump overload or a circuit breaker or fuse. This does not mean the pressure switch. First check for proper voltage starting at the circuit breaker, then the pressure switch, then the leads going down the well. This can be difficult with control boxes that have covers that pull the guts out with them. These are for your safety and the manufacturers safety from lawyers, but they are a pain to troubleshoot. People in the industry make jumpers from two old control boxes. Your best bet is to put a short jumper on the three pump leads and wire nut them where you can get a probe on them. This also lets you make amp readings and ohm readings.

A. Circuit breaker trip. 1. If there are no voltage abnormalities, this is either a dead short somewhere or a

bad breaker. If it takes some time to trip, look for bad breaker, too small a breaker or hot breaker box. It may also be a small ground fault resulting in high amps but usually the pump overload will trip first.

2. If you are looking for a short or ground fault, open the circuit breaker so you do not blow up your ohm meter, then start at the pump, disconnect the leads going down the well and check each leg to ground. You should get near infinity. Next check the yellow to red and yellow to black. These reading should be very low, 2 to 12 Ohms. a. The yellow to red should be higher than the yellow to black. The exact

readings are available from the Franklin-electric.com web site, but they aren’t that critical. If you don’t find anything down the well, start working your way back to the pressure switch, then to the breaker, until something


shows up. Fix it. This will probably require pulling the pump or digging. The good news is that you will get your exercise without paying health club dues.

B. Overload trip. 1. This means high amps or bad overload. Again, assuming nothing showed up on

the voltage check, take amp readings on all three wires. Look up the service factor amps on Franklin-electric.com, and compare. These motors are actually designed for the service factor, i.e. a 2 HP motor is actually a 2.3 HP motor, so it does not hurt them to run at SFA. If the amps are uniformly high by 10 to 15% it probably means the motor and/or pump end are shot.

2. If one leg is high it indicates a ground fault. The red leg is the start winding, the black is the run winding and the yellow is common. Any electrons that go down the red and black have to come up the yellow or go to ground. A single high leg is probably a ground fault. If you put your amprobe around all three legs at once and have any current show, it is a ground fault. It can be motor or sub cable.

3. When the motor starts you should see a momentary blip on the red lead amps, which may fall off to zero on small pumps, or fall to a low level on capacitor start/capacitor run control boxes. If you do not see this, look for control box problems or an open in the start circuit. This usually is accompanied by high amps on the black-yellow leads as the pump tries to start. It is possible for the pump to start sometimes without the start circuit.


CONTROL BOX TROUBLESHOOTING








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WIRING DIAGRAMS







HOW TO USE METERS





INSTALLATION GUIDE AND REFERENCE












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FLOW RATES AND WATER LEVEL

CALCULATIONS






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WATER USAGE ESTIMATES


Gallons per minute required

This is the amount of water that must be produced by the pump to provide satisfactory performance. The pump should be capable of delivering the total water requirement for domestic use in 2 hours of continuous operation. In general, 8 to 10 gallons per minute will cover any two major uses at the same time. The pump can only deliver as much water as the well can produce. The following chart will help you determine how many gallons of water your household uses per day.


HOW CAN PRICELESS HELP?


I know a lot of people make promises these days, and a man's word can be questionable. But I can tell you this; I will do whatever it takes to make it right with my customers. I believe in an honest business and treating people right. I will not be the cheapest person around, but I can guarantee you I will do the job right, with quality parts and labor. I cannot go to sleep at night unless I know I have taken care of my customers that day, you can ask my wife. It drives her crazy. So, if you want a job done as cheap as possible, I can refer you to others, if you want it done correctly, with warranted parts and service, then I will treat you right. Don't be fooled. Make sure you use a licensed professional with adequate insurance. We have the proper training, experience, licenses, and insurance to ensure your protection.

State Licensing Well and Pump Drilling/Installation, 56078 W P, 01-26-2010; TX Insurance General Liability, $2,000,000 While others seek to profit by cutting corners, or recommending unnecessary services to customers, we believe that a good reputation and consistent service will reap bigger profits in the long run. By being trustworthy, we believe that we will enjoy a long-term profitable business that serves the community.

We are proud to offer a variety of services to take care of all of your water well needs.

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Documents

Water Well Reference Manual Sept 2009