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lancesingh · Jun 19, 2009, 02:01 PM

The pump that brings water from my well seems to have stopped working suddenly. Please help me to fix the problem.

mygirlsdad77 · Jun 19, 2009, 02:24 PM

Going to need a lot more info. There are many things that can cause pump to stop working. Do you have a multi-meter, and do you feel comfy working with electricity? If so, let us know and we will take this one step at a time.

Couple more questions... Is this an above ground pump, or a submersible pump? Do you know what the pressure switch looks like and where it is? If submersible, do you know where your control box is? Have you checked all breakers in breaker box? If above ground pump, do you hear any buzzing at pump? Please lets us know what you find.

lancesingh · Jun 19, 2009, 03:01 PM

The pump is located in my crawl space. I checked the breakers and the well was still powered on. I went into the crawl space and tried cleaning the connections at the switch with an emery board because the connections are old and rusty but that didn't change anything. The tank is empty and the pressure gauge is at zero

lancesingh · Jun 19, 2009, 03:04 PM

I do not have a multi meter or much background in electric but I'm hoping to be ableto fix it today at least temporarily until I can replace it.

mygirlsdad77 · Jun 19, 2009, 03:09 PM

Are the contacts on the switch in the closed position or open?

lancesingh · Jun 19, 2009, 03:16 PM

Closed

jlisenbe · Jun 19, 2009, 05:17 PM

The connections are old and rusty? Hmmmm. Well, do yourself two favors:

1. Buy a simple device at Lowe's (or wherever) to check for current. It's a simple pigtail device... two wires and a light. Put one wire on the hot terminal, the other on a ground. The light should light up. You can get these for a couple of bucks.

2. In all likelihood, the switch should be replaced. However, it does require a little basic wiring and simple plumbing. Thankfully, the switch is cheap... 25 bucks or so.

lancesingh · Jun 19, 2009, 06:14 PM

Okay - but can I get it back on tonight

Can anybody explain to me what they think happened from what I've described? It was just working earlier today and then all of a sudden nothing. When I click the connections on the switch manually there is definitely current there so I'm not sure what exactly caused or is causing the pump to fail.

jlisenbe · Jun 20, 2009, 10:48 AM

Lance, it works like this. Current is constantly at the switch. When pressure drops to a preset level, the points close and send current to the pump So, with the pump above ground you should easily be able to verify if it is getting current or not. If it is, then the pump would have to be the problem. Thankfully, it is above ground, so replacing it will not be much of a problem. You might want to get a pro to take a look/do the work if you don't feel comfortable with it.

speedball1 · Jun 20, 2009, 11:02 AM

Replace the control box and then get back to us with the results. Good luck, Tom