On 3/9/2010 8:36 AM, John Gilmer wrote:
>>
>> I just replaced my well pump relay due to arcing wearing away the
>> contacts...
>>
>> It seems I am replacing the relay about every 1.5 to 2 years...and it
>> seems to happen always in the middle of winter...it is a bummer to replace
>> it when the weather is bad...I would like to get maybe 6 more months out
>> of one....
>>
> As others have mentioned, the relays used (I ASSuming you are talking about
> the "start" relay) usually last a LONG time as they only operate and release
> ONCE per start cycle.
> What can greatly reduce the life is "false starting" by which I mean that
> the pump starts, the relay opens but there isn't quite enough torque
> available to bring the pump up to full speed. It slows down and the
> "starting circuit" is once again activated.
> You can check this simply by watching the relay when it starts.
> It could well be there is "something" wrong with the capacitor.
> The 'next time' you might get an entirely new 'control' box and ensure that
> all accessible connections are tight.
It doesn't look like is chattering....I think we finally decided it was
running water all winter long to keep pipes from freezing....thank you
for your thoughts...
have fun.....sno
--
Correct Scientific Terminology:
Hypothesis - a guess as to why or how something occurs
Theory - a hypothesis that has been checked by enough experiments
to be generally assumed to be true.
Law - a hypothesis that has been checked by enough experiments
in enough different ways that it is assumed to be truer then a theory.
Note: nothing is proven in science, things are assumed to be true.
>> I just replaced my well pump relay due to arcing wearing away the
>> contacts...
>>
>> It seems I am replacing the relay about every 1.5 to 2 years...and it
>> seems to happen always in the middle of winter...it is a bummer to replace
>> it when the weather is bad...I would like to get maybe 6 more months out
>> of one....
>>
> As others have mentioned, the relays used (I ASSuming you are talking about
> the "start" relay) usually last a LONG time as they only operate and release
> ONCE per start cycle.
> What can greatly reduce the life is "false starting" by which I mean that
> the pump starts, the relay opens but there isn't quite enough torque
> available to bring the pump up to full speed. It slows down and the
> "starting circuit" is once again activated.
> You can check this simply by watching the relay when it starts.
> It could well be there is "something" wrong with the capacitor.
> The 'next time' you might get an entirely new 'control' box and ensure that
> all accessible connections are tight.