Expert: James Grote - 8/28/2006

Question
I live in Deltona, Florida.I had a WORKING well water pump system about over a year ago. Until that fatal day when a lizard went on a suicide mission and destroyed my pressure switch. I saw the dead lizard on top of the contacts. I replaced the pressure switch but crossed the wires which of course damaged the new pressure switch. Again I bought a new pressure switch this time and I made sure I had the wires connected correctly. However, after installing the new pressure switch, my well pump system would not turn on. So I turned off the power and turned in back on, then I pressed a red button on the capacitor box, and with a water outlet knob turned on which it is connected to two pipes coming out from the ground, water was flowing for about 5 seconds. I had an inspector from a well company come out and inspect the system and determined that it was the motor. Now my question is how can it be the motor if water is still being pump out of the ground for at least 5 seconds?

Answer
Milton,
 The inspector has an advantage over me in that he was physically there to look at it. If it pumps water for 5 seconds it could that the motor can only pump that long before it overheats and trips some kind of thermal breaker and then the inspector is right. If it only pumps for 5 seconds but is not tripping the breaker than it still may be the motor (how old is the motor?) or it may be that it is losing prime on the suction side. Which requires that the whole thing be pulled out anyway to check/fix that. So he was covering himself and not trying to sugarcoat the issue and then later suprising you with a big bill. At least that's what I think. Jim