I was planning to insert an AC VOM ammeter, but I don't have anything
that
goes up to at least 50 amps to be safe for the surge starting current.
And
even so, if the run current is ~7amps, what should the starting surge
current rise to? What's normal and what's too much?
A good rule of thumb is 6 times the run current.
Replacing the caps and the relay has to be much cheaper than replacing the
pump, and if it IS the pump the new parts may be worth keeping anyway. Do
make sure the thing is grounded, although if you have an all metal
plumbing
system that's pretty much covered. I'm a great believer in bonding all
metal
together - prevents much nastiness.
N
Thanks for that rule of thumb. No wonder our old 5kW genset used to stall
out when the pump kicked on, or tried to.
Well, I've gone through all the connections, contacts and ground checks
earlier this evening.
Took out the main Cutler-Hammer breaker and, using a longnose pliers,
squeezed the spring clips that hold the clamp on contacts together a little
tighter and reinstalled. Then I cut up some strips of rough cardboard and
used them to burnish the pressure switch contacts while pressing the
contacts closed with a piece of wooden shim material. Next, I installed a
ground wire from the secondary fuse box above the pump controller and
connected it to the controller cabinet where the 3rd wire from the lightning
arrestor was bolted.
Then I powered everything up and used a piece of wood to push the pressure
switch contacts closed. Pump kicked on without any issues. Switched it on
and off a few times and the pump started every time. Pressure rapidly
reached 100PSI on the tank gauge and then water started gushing all over me
and the pressure switch I was operating--the pressure relief valve let go
without warning. It appears that the pump is quite capable of filling the
tank and raising the pressure to danger levels in a matter of seconds. Next,
I opened a spigot for the outdoor hose. Let the pressure drop to 40PSI and
heard the pressure switch close. Closed the valve and watched as the
pressure came back up to 59PSI and shut off. Repeated process about a dozen
times. Pump never failed to start up each time. Pressure builds from 40 to
59 in about 15 seconds.
I guess we'll see how it goes over the next month. If no more problems, I'll
consider that it was a bad connection somewhere. Perhaps one leg of 220 was
intermittent and the pump wasn't getting enough juice to kick over, causing
the other leg to overload and shut down. Hopefully that's all it was. Time
will tell!
--
Take care,
Mark & Mary Ann Weiss
VIDEO PRODUCTION • FILM SCANNING • DVD MASTERING • AUDIO RESTORATION
Hear my Kurzweil Creations at:
http://www.dv-clips.com/theater.htm
Business sites at:
www.dv-clips.com
www.mwcomms.com
www.adventuresinanimemusic.com
-