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Question:

What is wrong with my water well pump?

My water stopped working and my tank emptied. I replaced the pressure switch and the gauge. It still didn't work. The well is about 110'. I pulled the pump and replaced it (1/2 HP, 10 gpm, 2-wire). It still doesn't work. The old pump was 15 years old. The one before only lasted 7 years. The water has a lot of sediment. I have never done this before, but it seemed straightforward enough. The wires on the pump were not differentiated in any way (same color). Could I have put the wires together incorrectly? Could I have put the switch in wrong? It doesn't click on when the breaker is turned on. What else could be wrong? Could the breaker be bad? It wasn't kicked out.

Answer:

A two wire pump usually has a 120 volt motor. The neutral wire from the motor goes to the neutral wire at the disconnect switch. The other wire from the motor goes to one terminal screw of the pressure switch. The disconnect switch hot wire goes to the terminal screw right next to the first one. ( either the two terminals on the left or the two on the right. ) Sometimes people will switch the neutral wire as well. If the voltage is good, pressure switch contacts are clean - like no bugs having been smashed or caught up in between, then you might expect a break in the wire or the wire splice at the motor wire connection. If your old pump burned out you may have needed new wire also. Sometimes the wire will burn apart inside the insulation and make a bubble. If your old wire was in good shape, or you replaced it, you should have used a submersible splice to connect to the motor wires. Crimp on wire connectors should be crimped tight. Every now and then I find one that didn't get crimped on one side. Rubber tape followed by plastic tape over that splice is good. Some people like the plastic tubes with compression ends for a splice covering.
Sounds like the vertical check valve between the end of the pump line and the pressure tank is bad and allowing the water to go back down the pipe when the pump isn't running. Papaw

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