Well Pump Troubleshooting at The Pressure Switch. DIY Test & Fix for No Water.

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This Video will help teach you how to test your well pump at the pressure switch. Along with all the troubleshooting guidelines for the entire system.
There's dozens of Helpful Plumbing Videos on my Well Pump Q&A Playlist, So go check it out!
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#nowater #hydrofracking #drilling #drillingmachine #educational #discovery
#wellwater #plumbing #wellpump #submersiblewaterpump #pressuretank #pressureswitch #plumber #tradesman #homesteadadvice

[@GrenshawHomes1977]

Ive dropped two well pumps,wire,seals, bladder tanks at my 2 separate lands...Ive from the inner city..never seen a well pump in my life...This guy has taught me everything I needed...I enjoy this channel and never subscribed to anyone until this guy...Support!...When I turn on the pump Im grateful for the youtubers....

[@h2omechanic]

@@GrenshawHomes1977 I appreciate the respect 🙏

[@lpconserv6074]

Many thanks for the tutorial. Retired and living in the Philippines. Been in a drought for 4 months here and finally gave up on the local water system. We are having a local guy drill us a well. He has drilled 2 recently within 400 yards of me. Says he expects to see a water source at around 220 feet. I watch everything you post. It lets me at least semi understand what to expect. I was a plant engineer, so I actually can design the pumps and piping systems, but the knowledge of what goes on under the ground is new for me. They would kill for a drilling rig like you have. They do it manually, and for the first 10 days, they did it with 4 men lifting the pipe with a 5 1/2" bit on it and dropping it down. Then using a scoop to pull up the spoil from the hole. Normally they have a gas motor that pulls the pipe up and drops it but it was in the shop for repairs. Just got it back yesterday, so everyone is relieved that the motor can do most of the hard work. Your info on your drilling days has been a very big help to me. These guys are literally in the stone age, but have no fear of hard work. So we have made progress although very slow. We are just over 80 feet down. Fingers crossed that we find the water like the neighbor. It is beautiful crystal clear water. Thanks again...👍

[@Fireship1]

I don’t even have well water, but I still watch your videos for the meticulous troubleshooting tips and clean water system installs. If i ever move to a home with a well I’ll be all set!

[@davidstreling3690]

i have typed the same response as well

[@scottwilson8581]

Same.

[@dougcope1723]

Great video and explanation of how to use a clamp-on ammeter for troubleshooting. One thing that was not mentioned is that you can also use an ammeter to check the integrity of the discharge pipe from the pump to the well head. It is not uncommon for a submersible pump to break off at the point of attachment to the discharge pipe. This is fairly common on older systems where galvanized riser pipe was used, due to repeated start/stop torque. The one thing most people do not realize is if you remove the head or back pressure from an electric pump, the pump will move more water than it is designed to pump due to lack of resistance to flow. This usually results in the pump drawing anywhere from 10% to 20%. above nameplate amps for the pump model in question. For example, if you look at the run amp rating on the pump control box and it states full load amps is 7.5A and your clamp-on ammeter is reading somewhere above 7.5 amps but not over 8 or 9 amps, there is a good chance that the pump is OK, but it had become detached from the discharge pipe where it connected to the pump. Second comment. When you went into the wire color details on the pressure switch terminals you didn't mention that today we are seeing a change in wire color with respect to 240V wiring. Traditionally when wiring a 240V circuit you used a cable with a Black and White current conductors and a third bare ground wire. Today most electrical contractors are installing cable with a Black and Red pair of current conductors and a bare ground wire when the circuit voltage is known to be 240V. So on 240V supply circuits you may see either a Black/White pair, a Black/Red pair, and in some cases even a Black/Black pair. On the well pump side of things you may see Black/White, Black/Red/, or even Black/Black depending on what cable was used. The main take away for both 240V and 120V systems is to make sure the two supply conductors, irrespective of color land on separate contact terminals. The two current carrying wires to the pump land on the remaining screw of each contact pair. Normally it is fairly easy to determine which of the four terminal screws pair to a contact by using an ohmmeter to determine which is which.

[@SBRACloud]

Love the way you break everything down! Very simple processes.

[@kylelaw7210]

Hard to believe people go two days without water because they don’t know how to change a $30 part. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@LightSpinAngler]

You’re the man! Always learn something new from your videos.

[@kenbrown3571]

Glad to see you're feeling better!

[@h2omechanic]

@@kenbrown3571 pre-recorded video prior to covid. I'm still recovering

[@bobselby7246]

I've learned so much from you, I really appreciate you taking the time to do these videos

[@JR-vg3gg]

Outstanding!!! I wish I could have learned from you in 1982 when I bought a house with a well and had to learn by trial and error.

[@allenbrown7820]

2 days without water? I would have done watched some of your videos and made a trip to lowes or home depot! We finally have our new well drilled after waiting 7 months,. Waiting for health dept. to give us the ok for the water sample.😁 Well got struck by lightning and melted the casing to the pump. Be Safe!

[@tomtom6319]

Do a video on filter systems please Thank you

[@cad68m_m]

Excellent trouble shooting video, Good coverage of amp and volt readings,

[@bobbyclegg2065]

Very detailed explanation of the well pump system !!

[@fxm5715]

This amp reading part of this was exactly what I needed to know. Many, many thanks!

[@minouchat]

Another video with very informative details. Thanks Philip Have a great day.🍻🍻

[@sferg9582]

Dang! Did you see that spider at the 1-minute mark??? LOL!

[@kylelaw7210]

Looks like yall installed this one. I appreciate that yall write the needed psi on the tank. I would suggest also writing the install date on the tank. I know they come with a date code, but having it written on the tank would make it easier for home buyers or home inspectors determine how old the tank is.

[@Keith_Mikell]

Thanks phil i got my cistrine taken care of. I added more hydro cement to the bowl setup and that should hold. so far so good and we have had rains. Much love youre a good soul for finding me after i only sent you what i did. You will be rewarded with a soul like that.

[@fordx4n]

Great Video! I'm going to keep this one handy and save it

[@vickikieft6108]

Milwaukee cordless air pump would be a good investment for you.

[@hairtrigger903]

I've love milwaukee but I regret buying the compressor. The regulator was poorly designed. When it fails, it's useless until it's disassembled and cleaned/oiled

[@transmitterguy478]

Phillip Poseidon, the God of water! Great video Phillip, you are a hard worker who cares!😂

[@mikeproctor3664]

Very good information

[@davidskipperskip5403]

Excellent, we'll explained!!!!🎉😅

[@MaMa-qh4dy]

EXCELLENT. THANK YOU!!!

[@retjarhead]

Nice, good knowledge to share, thanks man..!!!

[@dog_biter]

You're so great,,thank you so much for all the help..guys like you keep the world going

[@Jeff-zk6dk]

Great information thanks for sharing your knowledge!!

[@miltg6322]

Great video with awesome details. You said early on in the video that if you can move the tank, then the tank is good. Could you explain that a bit more? What does moving the tank tell you?

[@charlieromeo5340]

Good teaching

[@jim_ward]

great video

[@Unknown-pc9yq]

That spider you reached right next to when getting the pressure gauge at the start of the video!!!! NOPE NOPE NOPE!

[@RydexTheWolf]

Also, if you open your pressure switch and only have 2 wires on one side of the switch, you have a contactor, which can be fouled up like a pressure switch. (Black/Sooty/Worn contacts) Idk how often you run into control boxes but probably 90% of the time if you have one, it's either the overloads have tripped or a bad start/run capacitor or both. I didnt know about the return voltage from testing the lines from the pump. I've always just tested resistance and if the lines were grounded out. :)

[@bobbygzzz7116]

Always the best info..u guys rock...

[@nmccw3245]

Philip, it's not Friday. You're messing with me. 😜

[@dentech4710]

Another good educational video…thank you.

[@larrycleeton]

The spider by the tool bag at about 1 min!

[@northwoodsguy1538]

Nice😎👍

[@sen3990]

great content , explained very well lol no pun intended

[@MartyMacgyver]

1:01 Spider: "No problem, here's that pressure gauge!"

[@toddharris3200]

Wow! You are truly amazing! The content you're uploading is so helpful and delivered in way that "Layman's" like myself can understand. Bravo to you! This morning I woke up and noticed lack of pressure in our water. The gauge said 20ish lbs or so. Normally the preasure switch would come on at 40 and build to 60 but today I'm just hearing a buzzing sound for 5-10 seconds and then a click as if it's turning off. My initial thought was bad pump but research is leading me to control box or pressure switch. Any ideas? Thanks! - Todd

[@kennymelton9267]

What is the best brand for a pressure tank. Nice video. Very informative.

[@mattshell7753]

Thank you so very much you are always so helpful with your videos Wish you were closer to the Missouri Ozarks To help me with mine

[@newield76]

Another really good video,

[@user-td9bn9kd2u]

Thanks!

[@user-td9bn9kd2u]

I have a brand new 25 gallon per min pump 1 horsepower my well is 138 ft deep how deep should the pump be ?

[@georgegoins6512]

that switch is labeled for line voltage and load, if you wire it correctly, it will last much longer. line will be your power and load will be your pump

[@strobelightbrian]

Thanks for sharing!

[@robertpeters9438]

Aparently new wiring color code rules are in effect.

[@makitaman60]

What about the black widow on the tool pouch when he reached for the pressure gauge?

[@ZIBO2830]

Thanks for this vid, it was very informative If you have a chance can you troubleshoot 3 wire pumps?

[@jkyontz]

Dang, you’re good!

[@robertmalis4493]

Hey Philip, would it be OK if I could reach out to you? I have some questions.

[@nymustang5084]

What would cause one leg of of the pump (240v) to be 6amp and the other 2amp? Any advice for sizing a well pump? Or how to determine size of a unknown pump?

[@ohokayofficial]

Sean O’Malley and H2Omechanic need to be on a podcast together… just so we can hear the *voice comparison*

[@jpete5977]

Ha ha ha such a random thought, but I love it! I would watch that podcast!

[@aperson9495]

You should look at Ridgid's 18v Digital inflator - much smaller and lighter, and would likely do the job nicely.

[@kirkholmes9316]

So getting out of the shower two days ago I noticed the water pressure dying off pretty fast. Went to basement and saw breaker was off. I had been doing electrical work day before and thought maybe I had flipped off that breaker by accident and not noticed. I flipped it on and it stayed on. I went to tank and pressure guage was low so I learned from you about pressure. I added air to tank and we saw increased pressure at sink nearby and upstairs and increased on guage. Pump never kicked on however. I did the pressure switch cover trick and tested for power and there was power and no apparent issue with contacts but I didn't get any arcing. (Kind of an aside I'm confounded on is the romex I have going from control box and breaker power never registers with electricity tester but contact points of wires and junction box do test hot when hot. Don't understand why as all other romex I run tests hot when I tap tester to them) back to main issue, sorry, I opened up the control box and looked it over and noticed that the motor capacitor cap (where we have a black dot vs a white dot)was actually 'blown' off the capitol. I kind of figured it was dead seeing that but pushed the cap back on so round toothed clamps thing was re engaged. Still getting nothing from pressure switch. All the while here the pressure switch contacts have been engaged with wire harness leads., fyi. Eventually watching more videos from you and others I realized too that the pressure tank itself was bad as when moved it had water sloshing around inside and did not make a lovely hollowish sound when knocked on. Also fyi the wires were alternating white and black not black one side white other side. Since then I have now replaced the tank and fittings, pressure switch and control box. We couldn't afford the exact same make/model of tank (had maxtrol 20 gallon 125 max psi tank and replaced with water works 32 gallon max 100 psi tank. Control panel is a qd box. I have now watched all your pressure switch, tank and testing videos and gotten to when you use a clamp meter (I now know about this test AND own a clamp meter) on the wire in the pressure switch and I get a amp reading of zero. The wires in the top of well column housing read hot. I have not checked those wires with the clamp meter yet. I'm assuming I need to pull my well pump and troubleshoot, likely replace the pump itself. I am go8ng to watch your well pump troubleshoot now and how to pull a pump. Just a note, I already know I can't afford the higher end pumps, am I ok going with one from home depot?? Not sure what their brand is, but they only have one based on logos on boxes I glanced at. Hoping to hear from you any thoughts and/confirming to best of your ability from my short story if I have correctly diagnosed that it's my well pump.

[@joshg1244]

I’m pretty sure our pump will need to be replaced in the next few years. If we use a lot of water (hose on for 20min+) it will start to pull higher amps as the water level drops in the well and will kick off on thermal for 2 min then back on for 1min. I can watch it on my power monitor and graph it. Usually keep it off when that happens for about an hour and is fine after. Previous owner had the pressure switch modified to 55-70 psi and I think caused premature wear. Only 1.5gpm well too..

[@Anthony-sx4cj]

What pump and set depth do you recommend for a 440' deep well with a 115' static water level and 50 gpm output? We plan on having a 5 bdr, 4 bath, with an inground pool and hot tub.

[@phillipmcgoldrick8913]

How do you determine which wires are which? I have four wires, all black, and they come all through one source-unlike yours that comes from 2 sides…does that make sense

[@mountaingoatoutdoors1645]

I have one leg read 140 volts coming back from the pump. What's that all about?

[@glenodell4885]

Do you ever work on shallow wells with the pumps in the basement and well pipe going through the floor?

[@h2omechanic]

@@glenodell4885 occasionally I run across them. They are getting more rare in my area

[@1976Datsun]

4:20 A bicycle tire pump will work. For the guy on a budget doing a one-time job. It's a work-out but not too bad.

[@user-td9bn9kd2u]

I have a brand new 25 gallon per min pump 1 horsepower my well is 138 ft deep how deep should the pump be ?

[@brucehobbs1734]

Segregating those colors, hmmmm😅. Nuff said.

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

Pressure tank needs to be monitored. It lost pressure for a reason.

[@melissap.9404]

I changed my switch and my pressure gauge (the gauge was stuck at 30 psi). When I turned it back on, I still have the same problem. I now get a burst of water pressure, then only a trickle. Just enough to run the sink and toilet, but not enough to run the shower. The sound of the pressure tank sounds ok (it rings like a bell as you say). No water came out of the air valve, and I set the pressure per your instructions. Any ideas? The pump control box was changed a few years ago, but has a small dent like something may have hit it. Should I try changing it, or could it be something else?

[@markb.1259]

Snakes aren't the problem. It's those damn black spiders you nearly picked up when reaching for your air gauge... 1:01!!! Hate Spiders!!! haha

[@DanielJackson-jx8gc]

Hey man, is it possible to call yall/you for a question

[@shanascontrino5737]

have you recovered from covid cool

[@Drvanosdrand]

Hey, Love the video's ! I'm with Greenshawhomes1977 below , I've done all sorts of repairs but would have never thought about replacing the well pump until The H2o tech showed me how, TY What are your thoughts on a Cycle stop vale ? The logic behind it makes sense to me but i'd like to hear from someone in the field .

[@chadwhitten8303]

A friend of a friend of mine Had no water. I was asked to go out And see what I could find out. I did so, and I determined that he had a bad pump Switch. also someone had Bypassed the Pump motor control module box,as the Capacitor was bad. They just ran straight from a Circuit breaker to it I decided to leave it as is without the control module considering it was only a half horse Pump And I got water back at the well house and As soon as I open the hose The pump Had already pumped up to 50 PSI It just started shooting out red water I didn't know whether or not It was because it had sat for A couple of weeks time Uh that it may have just broke something loose inside the bladder Or what and that is my question Could the tank possibly be bad As It was also low on air pressure And I couldn't get any air to it because I was using a Slime Compressor for A car that plugged into a car lighter And I could not get any more than 24 PSI into it And it Needed More than that obviously Um but it was at 17 When I started Um And I still didn't have water to the house Couldn't get water to run in the house And then I located a filter Just uh Culligan like m360 or something common water filtration That thing was so dirty with red Uh sediment Uh remove that and Put it back on without a filter because didn't have a new filter and Presto we had water in the house Um I could ask you about the tank because I figure you would know or would be able to tell me If that red water was an indication of a bad bladder With the air pressure and and I figured you'd be able to tell me if I should change out the tank?

[@SavageNitemare]

Why does everything have to be about race? blacks on one side, whites on the other... hahahahahahaha j/k, thanks for the tutorial and explanation on a pressure switch... will come in handy one day I am sure...

[@stbam1965]

Dont you have to have a faucet on in the house when you add air to tank?

[@stbam1965]

What does it look like when its closed

[@stbam1965]

Whats the pressure switch.

[@ThumperKJFK]