Solid state relay questions

Water well pressure switches should always be placed as close to the pressure tank as possible. Within 1 foot is best. Nearly 300 feet away at the well head would be a bad idea. Eric

That posits a conventional pressure switch. If I understand correctly, your well is some distance from your house, and the tank is some distance from your well - by your description, some 300 feet. You also state that the pre ssure switch is 100% mechanical in action, and capable of switching the 240 Volts to the pump. You intend to re-purpose that switch to activate a cont actor switching pump power from the house - because there is an emergency generator at the house. So, being a bear of little brain, I am trying to u nderstand how you intend to do this:

a) Take power from the line at the pump and send it to the Pressure Switch, then back to the contactor to activate it. Makes sense if you have a groun d and a neutral in the run between the pressure switch and the pump and the same to the well-head from the house - 240V 4-wire (hot/hot/neutral/ground ) allowing you to use 120V as the coil voltage. This makes all voltage to t he pump and its controls originate at the house. If carefully managed, and all the conductors are the correct gauge, this will even meet codes. Howeve r, you need to verify that the pressure switch is properly rated (most are) .

b) Use the existing power from the shed to activate the coil - problematic as you have two different power-sources in the same panel - able to be mana ged, but code compliance, again, is problematic. And, if the power goes out , so does the well as there is no power to run the coil.

I sent you to an industrial pressure switch sophisticated enough to account for the lag due to the distance from the tank. As the tank is (apparently) doing its job as far as house-pressure is concerned, it can continue to se rve with a distant pressure switch if that switch can be programmed to incl ude the lag. This keeps all your controls in one place, served by one sour ce, with fewer failure opportunities. All good when a critical function is being covered.

We have a similar set-up here for the diesel fire-pumps and generators scat tered across 1,200,000 square feet of building covering a city-block. There is a Veeder-Root tank monitor system some 80 feet away from the three x 1,

000 gallon underground tanks under the sidewalk outside. This device monito rs tank levels, fuel temperature, moisture content and so forth. There are three (3) local pumps on a lead-lag system that feed the day-tanks located at each fire pump and/or generator (total of seven (7)). These are activate d as-needed (1/2/3, then 2/3/1, then 3/1/2) as needed - any two can keep up with all seven locations if needed. But, the float-switches in the day-ta nks are as much as one flat block and 23 floors away from the USTs and pump s. And, all of these things "talk" to the Veeder-Root, which prints out a s tatus once-per-day, and also a report every time a fill-pump is activated. Point being that the controls are nowhere near the tanks.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

The pressure switch at the tank is the typical snap action type found on every well and air compressor I have seen. Even though I have 4 wires coming from the shop and going to the well I will only be using two of them. I have found several 240 volt coil motor start contactors that are suitable for switching power to the well. The power from the house will power both the contactor coil and and the well pump. The ground and neutral from the shop will not be used because code says the only ground and neutral for the pump house must come from a single source. So the generator sub panel is connected to the main panel ground and no other. The box at the well head will still have a floating ground and floating neutral, just like the gen. sub panel, but instead of getting the neutral and ground from the shop will now get them from the house. Is there any reason that a 120 volt coil contactor should be used instead of a 240 volt coil? Since I did run 4 wires from the house as I did from the shop I could use a 120 volt coil by using the neutral, but I don't see the point. There is no reason to relocate the pressure switch as near as I can tell. The current pressure switch is inexpensive, reliable, and available 7 days a week even here on the island. Besides, I already have an extra new one sitting on the shelf. And I already have wires in the ground going to the switch, so why not use them? They will just be switching less current. And from what I can tell, the snap action type of action used in these switches is so the contacts always make good contact because they slam together. They even slam right through spiders and beetles. I dunno why the bugs like to hang out on the switch contacts. Mebbe it's done on a dare. Thanks, Eric

our well is some distance from your house, and the tank is some distance fr om your well - by your description, some 300 feet. You also state that the pressure switch is 100% mechanical in action, and capable of switching the

240 Volts to the pump. You intend to re-purpose that switch to activate a c ontactor switching pump power from the house - because there is an emergenc y generator at the house. So, being a bear of little brain, I am trying to understand how you intend to do this:

ch, then back to the contactor to activate it. Makes sense if you have a gr ound and a neutral in the run between the pressure switch and the pump and the same to the well-head from the house - 240V 4-wire (hot/hot/neutral/gro und) allowing you to use 120V as the coil voltage. This makes all voltage t o the pump and its controls originate at the house. If carefully managed, a nd all the conductors are the correct gauge, this will even meet codes. How ever, you need to verify that the pressure switch is properly rated (most a re).

ic as you have two different power-sources in the same panel - able to be m anaged, but code compliance, again, is problematic. And, if the power goes out, so does the well as there is no power to run the coil.

unt for the lag due to the distance from the tank. As the tank is (apparent ly) doing its job as far as house-pressure is concerned, it can continue to serve with a distant pressure switch if that switch can be programmed to i nclude the lag. This keeps all your controls in one place, served by one so urce, with fewer failure opportunities. All good when a critical function i s being covered.

cattered across 1,200,000 square feet of building covering a city-block. Th ere is a Veeder-Root tank monitor system some 80 feet away from the three x 1,000 gallon underground tanks under the sidewalk outside. This device mon itors tank levels, fuel temperature, moisture content and so forth. There a re three (3) local pumps on a lead-lag system that feed the day-tanks locat ed at each fire pump and/or generator (total of seven (7)). These are activ ated as-needed (1/2/3, then 2/3/1, then 3/1/2) as needed - any two can keep up with all seven locations if needed. But, the float-switches in the day- tanks are as much as one flat block and 23 floors away from the USTs and pu mps. And, all of these things "talk" to the Veeder-Root, which prints out a status once-per-day, and also a report every time a fill-pump is activated . Point being that the controls are nowhere near the tanks.

I bet doing work after breakfast or lunch with chicken grease, etc.. still on your hands means that more than just beetles and spiders will stay aroun d.

Why are the electrical contacts not in a watertight box? This is a damp environment, right? The controller(s) should be sealed up to prevent the risk of moisture, bugs, etc...

As Peter keeps saying, spend the money, get a proper sealed system that can handle the load, and the environment - or your next water outage might be in the middle of a house/wood stove/cooking fire during a blinding snowstorm...

John :-#(#

Nobody has their well pump control in a water tight box. They all breathe. And every pressure switch on every well pressure tank breathes. My well control is in a box made for outdoor use too, and yet it still breathes. Though bugs cannot get in the atmosphere certainly does. Rain could pour over my pressure switch and well control box all day and nothing would get wet inside, but humidity will. Nevertheless this does not happen. In any case I bought an appropriate contactor and mounted it in the well control box. Everything is fine. The contactor is switched by the pressure tank switch. The whole setup meets code. Eric

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That's a free air connection. Its easier to get in to make repairs/additions, just like with an overhead wire connection. Wires in underground conduit might be tough to get to and repair, like after lighting strikes.