Troubleshooting Residential Submersible Pump Systems

Practical tips for applying job-specific troubleshooting techniques to your next submersible pump project

Dec. 1, 2008 David Herres | Electrical Construction and Maintenance

Why is it that residential deep well submersible pump system malfunctions are notoriously hard to diagnose? For one, a pump/motor assembly suspended 10 feet from the bottom of a 300-foot well brings new meaning to the word The symptoms also have a troublesome way of overlapping so that precise diagnosis can be elusive at first. Invariably, however, persistence and logic prevail for skilled electricians.

Discuss this Article 5

Anonymous (not verified)

on Mar 19, 2013

Excellent information written in plain English. Thanks for uncomplicating this issue

Jim D (not verified)

on Apr 16, 2013

I have a question about the yellow wire being common. If my L1 and L2 are both 120v wires since the pump is 240v, then how can the yellow be considered common? Look at the diagram on this page...L2 is a 120v leg and it is jumped to yellow.

I understand that both legs are out of phase 180 degrees. Would we then constitute the yellow as a common and the black as the hot just with 240v of electrical potential?

Anonymous (not verified)

on May 19, 2013

The yellow is L2. L1 flips from the red the black wire using the relay after the pump starts and it is now in run modes.

Rich Kuehne (not verified)

on Apr 29, 2013

Not sure how I found you, however, very glad I did. This write up is great. Read it, then print it, read it again and went to the pump. Follow the 220 to the control box. Test capacitor--no peak reading. The capacitor was bad in the control box. Replaced it. From time I read your paper to fix was around an hour.
Thank you very much. Great write up.
Rich

Anonymous (not verified)

on May 18, 2013

Outstanding write up.. Plain english...ANYONE can follow this... Very well done. Thank you.