Torque Arrestors for Submersible Well Pumps

[@chuck1prillaman]

I think a torque arrestor helps reduce the problem of the wiring rubbing against the casing due to the downpipe twisting at startup. Exposed wiring has caused many, many wells to need servicing. Cable guards are great too but I never know how many to use.

[@joemc111]

My brother just replaced his pump, they had a hard time breaking the system loose from the pitiless adaptor. 189 feet of 1inch steel pipe. The pump broke off the pipe just as it was coming out. He said the well company said the pump was locked up. First time the pump was pulled, installed in 1977 lasted until 2020.

[@newfie-dean5803]

Wow, pretty sure they don’t make them that reliable these days, like so many other things!

[@hugh3rdof5]

Very helpful tutorial on this subject, thank you. Happens I am replacing what I'd thought was a malfunctioning 25+ year old 1/2 hp "Red Jacket Grizzly" (ITT).... (on 75 ft of wire) Upon inspecting the wiring after I got it up, I see two deep nicks in the wiring, about a foot above the pump, and perhaps they were the source of the trouble. Was thinking I'd need an "arrestor" to prevent such cuts in future -- yet your overall counsel and esp. at min 6:00 -- more wrap -- suggests a better way.

[@ed2497]

I use them to center the pump in the pipe because we have extremely rocky ground and it's almost impossible to drill a straight pipe. There can be 3 or 4 inches of offset in a 200 foot pipe.

[@RCworstwater]

Good tip! They are useful for helping center the pipe

[@donwhitt9899]

The wire at the motor was always wearing in to, so I put a torque arrestor like the one in your video just above the motor. Now the wire wears all along the PVC casing up to 50 ft. above the motor. I use 10-2 w/ground UF wire, taped to pipe every 5 ft.. I just pulled it out and the wire was worn completely in to 10 ft. above the motor. It lasted about 5 years. The pump is 151 ft. deep with a 1.5 hp motor. Is there something I can install to protect the wires from wearing?

[@RCworstwater]

Yes, you're looking for cable guards. It's also important to put submersible-rated wire in the well - not UF. Give us a call and we can help you: 855.329.4519

[@kj7vj]

Good advice Chris !

[@dlapierre99]

How do you get the torque arrestor past the pitless adaptor?

[@jeremeyweeks7409]

They're also good for keeping the wire from rubbing against the casing. It's a problem when the well isn't perfectly vertical, or there's a curve to the pipe. The wires get rubbed every time the pump kicks on or off. Cheap prevention. I'd recommending using a couple (or more) at a time. I'm not an expert, I've just felt the pain.

[@whatsgoingon7244]

Exactly if you don't use them it will destroy your wiring

[@mukundab123]

Great knowledge

[@jlawlar]

I notice after the last well pump I had put in, they removed them and said I didn't need the torque arrestors after a bout a month all my toilet fill valve and shower head became clogged, so now I have to run a whole house filter that need replace every 2 months, Ive never had to deal with a filter 40 years prior

[@maryannwilhelm65]

do arrestors exist that are slightly smaller than 4 inches? I've got well that has some corrosion in well wall and I can't get 4 inch arrestor to fit.

[@sierraschatz1810]

Thank you - great advice!

[@erneumann3136]

Good videos.

[@corycloss59]

As you mentioned, the casings aren’t perfectly straight. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to use a torque arrester or pipe cantering clamp to keep the wires and pipe centred the whole way up the well? Or is that too much overkill?

[@robtheisen5844]

Chris, If you do use a torque arrestor, how do you run the wires from the submersible pump through the torque arrestor to prevent wire chafing and rubbing? ... Video idea :) ?

[@scarletgonzales840]

The wires go inside the Torque arrestor .

[@underdog576967]

Not under the clamps but goes between the folds with plenty of distance from the wall Along side the expanded arrestor in a straight line …

[@shanek6582]

The pump I’m putting in next week is a 1hp 220 three wire (so there’s 4) but it says on the box use a 15 amp breaker, that sounds super low and the old one is 30. Am I missing something? Are they talking about 15 amps per 120 leg? Thanks.

[@RCworstwater]

Typically a 20 amp double-pole breaker is used for 1 HP 230V pumps, but if the manufacturer calls out a 15 amp then that is what you need to use. Refer to the NEC or call an electrician for more info on sizing requirements.

[@shanek6582]

R.C. Worst & Co., Inc., thanks man, I used the 15 amp and everything is working great. I pulled my old pump (200’) and put the new one in, just my wife helping me, got it done in one day. If it weren’t for your videos and you answering a couple stupid questions I’d never have attempted this project, it was intimidating but you saved me a lot of money I didn’t have, thanks man.

[@RCworstwater]

@@shanek6582 Thanks for the kind words and good job doing it on your own! If you're ever in need of products/tech support we're just a phone call away: 855.329.4519

[@shanek6582]

R.C. Worst & Co., Inc. I got a new Tee pipe for the pressure tank from you guys, worked great and was cheaper than buying all the individual parts from Lowe’s.

[@buddyroe]

Could the lack of a torque arrestor cause the pump to be bumping the casing and causing the water to have lots of black manganese? Because I had my pump replaced 2 years ago and ever since it has had lots of manganese coming out whereas the 30 years prior never had that problem.

[@darrelc5411]

5:59 that's what she said

[@sbond1963]

Will nu-well tablets make it past the arrestor?

[@JKeil-le8hf]

When you say, wires go inside the torque arrestor; do you mean they go underneath(inside) the pipe clamps? Seems like that would stress the wire and also compromise the grip on the drop pipe.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

No, you're right: don't run them under the clamps. Over the clamps, through the torque arrestor.

[@Liledgy100]

Great video! I’m looking to have a pump on “standby”, as my pump is over 25 years old. Amazon has a Hallmark brand pump 3/4 hp, 2 wire for $170.00. Is this a decent brand pump? My well is about 85’ deep, pump is at 50’ (I’ve been told).

[@RCworstwater]

Hello Tim. I would stay away from Hallmark, unless you enjoy pulling and setting pumps in your free time. They sell very very cheap pumps that will not last 25 years like your current one did. I would suggest replacing your current pump with the same make/model if it's lasted that long. If you need help finding that info give us a call: 855.329.4519

[@Liledgy100]

R.C. Worst & Co., Inc. . Thank you for replying. Yes m, they are cheap, haha. I saw some knowledgeable people speak of them on Terry loves plumbing site. I wish I knew the brand that was installed before I purchased in 1994. When I do retrieve it I’ll give you guys a call. Thanks again!

[@RCworstwater]

@@Liledgy100 You bet! We hope to make a PSA video soon about their pumps to warn people. Been getting a lot of troubleshooting calls about them lately.

[@shanek6582]

My casing stops at 130 feet but my well is 220, wouldn’t the hole diameter below the casing be bigger? If you adjust the torque arrestor for the casing, how do you know how big the diameter below the casing is?

[@RCworstwater]

The casing diameter is always going to be as big or bigger than the perforated pipe below it. To find out what diameter your well goes down to you will to look at your well driller's report. Your local water authority should have one on file for wells drilled within the last 25 years.

[@joeltemplin3570]

@@RCworstwater I've got 6" casing at the top but 4 1/2" liner at the pump level. Do I just tighten the arrestor with a guess at maybe 4 1/4" diameter?

[@richardrockefeller9415]

My well is 20 ft with plastic pipe. A couple months ago I had 55volts in my basement. Found the issue in the well. The extra wire to pull the pump had rubbed and shorted. Why did this happen after 30 years went through my mind. Now I have a problem with the check valve, I pulled the pump and found the torque arrestor in pieces. I feel the torque arrestor gave out, then allowed the cable to move. It was not even the wire down to the pump. It was the extra wire at the top!!

[@Raul28153]

they coudn't engineer the pumps to spin the other direction and save us all the cost of left-hand threads?

[@MajikManX]

Thanks

[@RCworstwater]

Welcome

[@rumsiker]

I have a 500 feet deep water well tHat i personally installed the 3 H pump in it , and i forget to instant the Toque Arrestor , well 3 years later one day i noticed that the pump stop working , after checking all found out the pump had to be pulled out the problem was in the well , so after pulling it out about 110 feet realized the 1" pext pipe coupling have broken off i come to think of it that the problem started from the get go if the pipe was all one piece i don't think this would have happened OR at leased would have happen much later , and now the remaining 350 feet of pipe jammed in well with motor so bad the 1/2" nylon rope broke off last resort was to pull it by the 4 wire horniest and you gassed it , that broke off from rite at the top of the pump , now i only have one try more before i have to stick another $ 10.000 more in a different spot , and that is spend more money in equipment and try to catch that pipe at around 110' to 350' deep , i think all of this because was the bad splicing and (NO ARRESTOR) WHAT DO YOU THINK?.

[@flyinglpranch3886]

It's been two (2) years, so this advice is probably too late to do you much good; but, maybe, somebody reading over our shoulders will benefit... Before you spend a LOT of money to drill in a new location, talk to a local well drilling company. Tell them what's at the bottom of the well and see what they think might be done. I say "local" because, different parts of the country have different geologic formations and some places the driller's are tooled up to drill through some really HARD rock.... Which turned out to be a good thing for one of my neighbors who had a pump "stuck" in his well -- just like you describe. The local well driller said, "I can go through basalt -- your old stainless pump ain't gonna stop me..." and, that's exactly what he did -- drilled through the old pump; went enough deeper to have a place for any "left over bits" to settle; and my neighbor paid for the cost of setting up the rig, taking down the rig, and -- I think -- about 30 or 40 feet of actual drilling... Oh, and he had the driller install the new pump, too... Problem solved!

[@greghill1106]

Will you get to the torque arrestor already........omg

[@Gruuvin1]

"motor torque can unthread itself from the pipe" ... that seems like stupid engineering. Why not have the spin direction the other way to keep that from happening?

[@willsr.508]

I was thinking the same thing why don't they make them left hand thread then and why don't they make couplers with a ring to make it easier to pull out DIY?

[@bobhum7064]

That would make too much sense

[@Jaykocenko]

All nice in casing ,casing only goes to bedrock then open hole.,taping the first stick is common practice but won't help torque lol 0 to 3800 rpm .....torque arrestor are absolutely important pump then 20' then 100 ' after that ...also don't forget check valves !!!!!! Displaces weight of water in drop pipe and saves thrust on water end ...3rd Gen well mechanic ..just sayin