Reconditioning a Well Pump Start Relay?

What triggers the relay? You'll have to do some more troubleshooting before anyone can give you much help, the idea, as obvious as it sounds, is to narrow down the defective part and replace it.

Are you sure the relay is the problem or the pump itself?

If your pump was properly installed with the electrics done by a competent electrician your system should have a suitable DOL Motor start contactor complete with overcurrent protection and the control solenoid of this contactor will be driven by the pump control relay. If the insulation within the submersible pump or wiring to it is low then the overcurrent detector on the contactor will cause the contactor to drop out even though the control relay is still operated.

You may want to check to see if your pressure tank has become waterlogged. If that happens, the pump will come up to pressure and within just a very short time, will see full pressure because the air volume is greatly reduced.

WT

The pressure switch has a piece of tubing that goes into a manifold, sometimes this tubing gets clogged with iron. Follow the tubing to the manifold, loosen the flare / compression nut, clean out the tubing end and insirt a nail or something into the manifold to clear any clogs. MAKE SURE YOU SHUT OFF POWER TO THE PUMP AND DRAIN THE TANK !!!! When you open this flare nut and clean out the manifold residual water will come out if it is clogged. This may not be your problem but my manifold gets clogged every 3-4 years resulting in low pressure and pump cycling on / off. I have an AWFUL problem with hard water (iron). GOOD LUCK

James, Ros, Wayne, and Carneyke

Thanks for your responses! Will try to answer all your questions.

Before posting I checked the pressure switch: OK, drained the tank to check if this made any difference: No, and then used a short hose to run the well pipe outlet directly to a 5 gal bucket and measured ~1-2 gal output before the pump shut off.

There is an on-off switch next to the pump control box. I am thinking that the contacts may have become bad because sometimes when I have jiggled it when switching it on the control box light will come on and the pump will run until the pressure switch shuts it off.

Sometimes during recent startups there is a vibrating noise from the control box which was mentioned in a posting I read as a relay noise indicative of a Bad relay.

Gene

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Sounds very likely that you have found your problem. Can you run with the cover off that switch and watch the action of it? Remember, safety first.

WT

New to this thread...have you actually opened up the box and checked? Pitted contacts will be very apparent upon inspection. It could be as simple as a loose wire....

jak

Removed the on off switch. It is a Hubbell 15A 120-277V AC only. Do not know who did the original job because the circuit breaker is 20A

Gene

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Did you try cleaning the pressure sense tube in the manifold ? It runs from the pressures witch housing into the manifold. Taping the pressure switch and having it start indicates the switch may be bad or the tube is clogged.