Recently had a new submerged well pump installed.
Are there any off the shelf devices that can be used to give a remote indication that the pump is on and running ?
Maybe something I can get at Home Depot or Lowes that can sense motor current draw and light a lamp ?
TIA
Just take a table lamp and remove the plug and and connect the two wires across the pressure regulator connections that turn on the pump. If it is 220, you hook one wire to neutral and the other to one of the connections.
I have a $120 multimeter that has an rs232 output that you could hook to a computer and with the meter amp clamp you can make a permanent record of the pumps use of electricity.
Probly not without running some wire--though perhaps some x10 device could do this...
Curious, why would you be concerned as to knowing when the pump is actually cycling ???
I found this interesting:
In my case, although it wasn't intended, I can hear the pump running if I listen closely. Why would you want to? Well, this spring it told me I had a leak that was getting worse, ran every hour but was accelerating until it was running every 30 minutes when I finally isolated the leaking underground pipe. If I had not been able to tell it was running I don't know when the leak would ahve been discovered.
Harry K
Suggest install a pressure gage.
Exactly my reason for wanting to know when it's running - (elderly parents house, they're hearing isn't that good, and the house has older pipes that have sprung pinhole leaks in the past). When it was the older jet pump, it could be heard, but the submerged pump 40 feet from the foundation sort of rules that out.
thanks for the replies so far
If the question is just that the pump has power(not that it is internally bad) you can hang a neon light off the pressure switch. There is probably a junction box at the well head where you can get to the leads. I have them on all of my pumps.
And just how is that supposed to show a slow leak without having to stand there staring at it for minutes on end?? Besides, I know of no well installations that do not have a pressure gauge.
Harry K
You silly, you dont have to stand there and stare at it..........you cycle the pump up till it cuts out and then you turn off the power--now dont use any water, till after you come back and checl it again an hour or two later--maybe go grocery shopping or watch a movie.......
Great suggestion PROVIDED you suspect you have a leak to begin with. In real life it isn't any good.
Harry K
Perhaps I missed something here--but at the outset I had asked why one would be concerned as to exactly when the pump cycles......I see no other reason unless one does indeed suspect a leak....
Additionally, no reason a pressure gage couldnt still be placed inside the house, giving a fairly reliable indication of pump cycling activity.......if pressure drops and nobody is using water, then you have strong evidence something is amiss--I suppose a pressure switch could even be added here to light an indicator bulb if one desired, the switch setting would be a few psi above minimum pressure at full flow conditions....this all unless there is a check valve between the well tank and the home, of course........
To explain the possible existence of a checkvalve, I guess I should add some more info.......
Our system has the well located over 1000 ft from the residence--piping is through 3/4in poly and so I got very low delivery and pressure at the house under full flow conditions when I bought the place..........
The situation has been mitigated to a large degree by my installation of a check valve, along with second bladder tank within the home.........so now, if I wanted to remotely monitor pressures, I would need to install two pressure gages inside the home, one before the check valve, and one after--this would give me indication ( in a roundabout way ) whether a leak was inside or outside of the home.......
thank you all who responded
i think what i'm going to do is acquire a pressure switch (with the same trip points as the pump, 40 psi cut in / 60 psi cut off), and use the easiest point in the kitchen to tie into (a flexible hose feeding the kitchen sink).
tie it into the cold side, and just wire up a low voltage battery in series with the switch to light up a lamp and beeper.
of course this is based on the presumption that the pressure in the house pipes is the same as the pressure reading i'd get at the input to the tank (driven from the submerged well pump). if they're tracking pretty much the same, i think it would give me an accurate picture of when the pump is running (and also indicate any pressure leakdowns from a pinhole leak, etc).
any feedback on this idea is welcome
thanks!
You need to adjust this pressure switch just a tad higher than the cut in pressure at the pump.
If you dont, it will never actuate.
And I would almost certainly use an ac adapter instead of a battery.
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