Pump wiring info needed before sundown

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I need to put a heat lamp in my well house before freezing tonight. There is a disconnected duplex outlet present with the wires wrapped in a bundle, where can I get currant from, the pressure switch? It has 4 screws two for the black on one side, two for white on the other, do I splice in for the outlet there?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 03, 2002

Answers

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

If your pump is a 120V you can get it off the pressure switch but is probably a 240V which means you are going to have to pick up a neutral somewhere else.You really need a voltmeter.Sorry thats not much help I know but is hard without looking at it.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

I just bridged the screws with a multi meter, everything read 110.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

If both sides going into the pump read 110 then you are running the pump on 220.You can use one of these legs for your hot wire for your light but will need to get a ground to make it work.I there a disconnect box where you are at?

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

The wire comes in to the pressure switch, then goes to a capasitor looking box where heavier wire go to the submurged pump, there is a reset button on the capasitor. Can I run the white to the well pipe? There is plastic connections so currant would not have metal pathway to get elsewhere. Or should I run the white to the supply wire ground?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

Don't exactly understand what you mean,is there a third wire coming from your power source that bypasses the pressure switch and goes to the pump.Don't change the wiring set up to your pump.If there is another wire this should be the neutral,check to make sure it shouldn't read any voltage.If you hook this neutral to one wire on your lamp and tap into one 110 leg on your pump the light should work. Also cut off all power to your pump when you do this,and be very careful as I'm guessing at this not being able to see it.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 03, 2002.


Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

I'm going to go look at my pressure switch setup and mabe I help with a better answer.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

The supply wire is 14 gague with bare ground, the ground connects at the pressure switch, the black connects to one set of contacts, the white to the other set. Like colors leave the switch and go to the capacitor, ground also, from the capacitor color changes to red, yellow, and black into the pump. The shut off for the system is 80 feet away, there is no other electric fizture in the shed except the outlet I am trying to connect. I understand I can pick up currant at either black or white (one only to be 110) where would the outlets white wire connect after I connect black to single leg of supply?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

Here is what I just did on mine and it worked took a pigtail[light bulb socket with 2 wires coming out.Put the black wire out of the pigtail on the 110 wire going into my pressure switch,then put the white wire coming out of the pigtail against on the body of the pressure switch and the light bulb lit up and burned fine so I guess thats all you need to do.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

I put the black wire to the black wire where the supply comes into the pumps pressure switch and the white wire to the supply wire ground. It works, if someone knows a safer way let me know.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

Speaking of liability insurance!

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), January 03, 2002.


Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

The only way I see is run a neutral from the power source to the pump house.It would be better thats for sure.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

I just get really nervious reading this thread. I do understand about needing to do something 'today' and about 'doing it yourself'. And, I've done things not quite up to snuff to get by for a day or two too. I don't want to be the pot calling the kettle black. :)

But mixing water & electricity can sure be dangerous. The white wire on your lamp needs to go to a nutral connection that feeds back to your load center/fuse box/ whatever. Any other connection to the pipes, to a ground wire, or to 'some other wire that worked' is just not safe, and can really hurt someone later down the road. It might 'work' today but it's not right. I know how these things go, and a person just never gets back to doing it 'right' since it is working now... And then something burns down, or someone gets electrocuted.

Just hope you think about it. Don't mean to preach.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 03, 2002.


Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

I think I would run an extension cord from the house, hook up a heat lamp for tonight and call an electrician in the morning. Good luck!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), January 03, 2002.

Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

Hi,

Why not just crack a fawcett or two in the house to keep the pump cycling often enough to keep the pipes and tank from freezing?. The heat from the water running in the system should carry you til morning. Then you can take your time and get the duplex outlet wired safely. Incidently, if the white wires on your switch are the neutrals for the pump, then you can hook to one of those...if you look in your breaker box behind the panel, you will see that all neutrals are connected and that they are also connected to ground. Am I wrong in this? I always thought a neutral was a neutral assuming the wiring had been done properly.

And just one piece of electrical/water trivia. Water is not a good conductor. It is highly resistant to the flow of current...pure water that is. If you have minerals in it, then you have ions and they transport the electrons. I always found that fascinating.

-- Oscar H. will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), January 03, 2002.


Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

220 has 3 wires, two hot, one ground or neutral. As a temporary measure only run one 110 hot wire and a ground to the outlet box. It'll work for now but would not recommend it as a permanent installation.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), January 03, 2002.


Response to Pump wireing info needed before sundown

Welcome to the club.connect the hot and neutral wires of your heat source to the power supply lines of your switch , have it grounded, and you should have power to your heater at all times. But you should have your water running a littlr so nothing else freezes up. I lost an old friend the other day. A 190? Myers piston pump, the head froze and cracked. Anyone out there with a spare? OAK

-- OAK (STRUGGLINGOAK@AOL.COM), January 04, 2002.

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