Well pump controls & relays with pump status indicators & pump protection feature:

This article describes methods useful to determine if a well pump is operating or not. We describe several methods for determining if a remote water pump or submersible well pump circuit is "on".

Additional details are given for the Cla-Val PC-1 pump controller and for Franklin Electric's PumpTec pump controller.

In addition to including several pump protection features, both of these devices offer sophisticated well pump status indicators that can help diagnose well and pump problems. Our page top photo illustrates a Universal well pump controller installed in a Minnesota home.

Well Pump Control Status Indicators & Lights

Reader Question: Alison said:

[Click to enlarge any image]

This may be a really dumb question, but because our pump is far from the house (switch is in garage)I don't hear when it is running or not. Is there a way to figure that out? It would likely help diagnose the issue if I knew when the pump was or was not running. Did that make any sense? Thank you again. 4/4/2014

Reply:

Alison it's an excellent question and more important than one might think.

A typical water pump pressure control switch such as the Square D model shown at left makes an audible "click" when it's relay switches the pump on or off, but otherwise this model gives no indication that the pump circuit is "on".

At page top we show a Universal remote well pump relay switch that operates a submersible well pump. The Universal pump relay is itself switched on and off by a pressure control switch at the water tank. No indication of "power on" is included on this device.

If the water system uses an above-ground well pump such as a one-line or two-line jet pump, and if the pump is nearby or accessible, you'll hear it running. But a remote well pump or a submersible (in the well) pump is not audible to someone standing by the pressure control switch.

Watch out: Some well pumps, particularly submersible models, can develop pressures high enough to be dangerous. In New Paltz NY a plumber was killed in part because he did not know that the submersible well pump was running.

He was messing with pressure tank control settings, over pressurized a water tank which, lacking a required pressure relief valve, burst, injuring him so seriously that as he was working alone, he died.

The problem is that in a well-running water system you may not hear much at all at the water pressure tank when a remote well pump is running.

How to Know the "On-Off" Status of a Remote or Submersible Well Pump

There are several solutions to this "is the water pump running" question

• If you happen to be close by when the water pump turns on or off you'll here the pressure control switch internal relay click - not a reliable indicator since one might not notice.
  
  Watch out:  just because the pump circuit is "on" that does not mean that the pump is actually running. As you'll see in the next item, some pump relay switches operate a second 240V relay used to turn on higher horsepower water pumps.
  
  Further, energizing the pump circuit does not assure that a pump is actually running: the pump itself could be damaged. Measuring the level of current draw (item 3 below) can sort out this confusion.
• Some water pump pressure control switches operate a separate heavy-duty pump relay, typically switching a 240V circuit, and some of these include an "on" light.
• An electrician (or other properly-trained individual) can use a clamp-on ammeter on the pump circuit (between the pressure control switch and the pump) to detect when current is flowing on that circuit.
  
  Watch out: before you go messing with pump wiring turn off the system. There are shock and electrocution hazards. Electrical work should be performed by someone who's qualified.
• An electrician can easily control a monitoring light - a small indicator lamp - in the well pump circuit so that when that circuit is live the indicator light is on. Note that if your water pump uses 220V then the indicator light probably also has to be a 220V unit. A low-voltage LED may also work in this application.

• Some pressure controls for wells may include a pump-on indicator light, LED, or display that gives "on" as well as other pump status information. Cla-Val's Pump Control Panel PC-1 includes indicators of pump operation and other data. Quoting from the company's product description:
  
  The Cla-Val PC-1 provides control of the pump and pump control valve preventing surges in the system when the pump starts or stops. It consists of a pre-wired electric control panel employing a programmable logic controller to sequence the pump and pump control valve during all modes of operation.
  
  The programmable logic controller which is housed in a NEMA 4X rated enclosure provides protection to the pumping system from damage due to mechanical, hydraulic or power failure.
  
  The PC-1 control includes indicator lights that can describe eleven different conditions using steady or flashing lights giving a sophisticated view of the pump's operation including not just that the equipment is running but that it has reached a proper discharge pressure level.
• Cla-Val, PO Box 1325 Newport Beach CA 92659-0325 Phone: 949-722-4800 Fax: 949-548-5441 www.cla-val.com. or
• Cla-Val Canada: 4687 Christie Drive Beamsville, Ontario Canada L0R 1B4 Phone: 905-563-4963 or
• Cla-Val Europe: Chemin dés Mesanges 1 CH-1032 Romanel/ Lausanne, Switzerland Phone: 41-21-643-15-55

In a different approach, Franklin Electric's PumpTec is a neat control that adds pump protection and includes operating indictor lights.

• Franklin Electric, 400 E. Spring St. Bluffton, IN 46714 Tel: 260-824-2900 Fax: 260-824-2909 www.franklin-electric.com. The company offers a submersible pump service hotline for their products: 800-348-2420. [Please don't embarrass us and yourself by calling Franklin to ask about other pump brands.]

The company's description of their PumpTec controller includes:

Pumptec is a microcomputer based pump protection device that continuously monitors motor load and power line conditions to provide protection against dry well conditions, waterlogged tanks, and abnormal line voltage conditions.

Indicator lights provide complete system status, which can be easily viewed without removing the cover.

Pumptec interrupts power to the motor whenever the motor load drops below a preset level or the load drops quickly. Pumptec is optimized to work with Franklin 2- & 3-wire single phase motors from 1/3 to 1.5 HP. An underload (dry well) adjustment is provided to address unusual situations.

The PumpTec controller uses three indicator lights to indicate power, electrical load, and voltage levels. An "underload" indication can indicate that the well is dry while an "overload" indication typically means that there is a problem with the pump motor, causing it to draw excessive current.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: Pedrollo water pump status light turns orange

2020/04/06 Anthony said:

I have a Pedrollo water pump and i have noticed that it's status light turns orange after a second of it being on.

Its green when its working.

What seems to be causing this?

This Q&A were posted originally at WATER PUMP WON'T START FAQs

Reply: table of Pedrollo water pump / Flux® pressure control indicator status light codes

Anthony,

If the status light is on solid on your Perollo water pump and the pump won't start, that can indicate a bad electrical connection.

If the Pedrollo pump status light is on and flashing and the pump won't start, that indicates insufficient water flow or perhaps a well that's running dry or a leak in well piping.

If the status light is on solid and the pump is running but wont' start, the ususal cause is a stuck check valve that needs cleaning or replacement.

See the summary table below, excerpted from this

• FLUX ELECTRONIC FLOW CONTROL SWITCH [PDF]

Also see this

• Pedrollo PUMP MANUAL [PDF] Pedrollo Electric Water Pumps, P.O.Box 52535, Moore Road, KZN. South Africa. 4083 Tel:+27 (0)82 651 984 Website: https://www.pedrollopumps.com/ email support@pedrollopumps.com

On 2019-07-25 by (mod) - additional high pressure limit switch for pump and well system?

Michael

You raise an interesting and useful question: is there a backup pressure limit control suitable for well water pump and tank systems.

In fact the pressure control switch itself is supposed to be doing that job.

Worse, I fear that when the pressure switch does NOT do the proper job of cutting off the pump (or turning it on when it should) it's usually because the pressure sensing port on the control bottom is debris clogged.

So I worry that adding more controls that work the same way will suffer the same clogging - we may be adding complexity without improving the system's safety.

We discuss this problem further at WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Runs_On.php

Sorry but I don't know an inexpensive duplicate pressure safety switch that uses some different technology to add another control.

There are some tankless pump systems like the SCALA 2 that will detect long running pumps and suspect leaks and can shut themselves down. Search InspectApedia.com for SCALA 2.

or see WATER PUMP VARIABLE FREQUENCY / VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE (VFDs)

I'll research further.

On 2019-07-25 by Michael Pepin

We had our pressure switch arc and leave the well on. The pressure was double what the normal cut off was when we caught it. Is there a product we can install to monitor the pressure and kill power to the well if the pressure exceeds the cut-off pressure of the pressure switch?

On 2019-03-08 by (mod) -

Grant

Typically when there is a separate water pump control relay along with a conventional pressure control switch, the pressure control switch is wired with a 120V circuit, senses water pressure, and is in turn used to switch on or off a heavy duty 240VAC circuit in the pump control box.

Watch out: if you are not familiar with safe electrical wiring you could be shocked or killed. Hire an electrician in that case - that is, before you get zapped.

On 2019-03-08 by (mod) -

Anon

In the ARTICLE INDEX you'll find links to PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH WIRING diagrams and details

On 2019-03-08 by Anonymous

Need wording diagram for pressure switch relay to panel?

On 2019-03-08 by Grant Dunnigan

Does the 220 go to pressure switch from power box or to relay box?Then one line from pressure switch to relay!From relay to pump!!

On 2019-02-02 by (mod) -

Sanjiv I'm sorrry but without knowing the brand and model of the control I can't know for sure what's going on. Perhaps you can attach a photo of the control, motor, switch, data tag, label, etc.

On 2019-02-02 by Sanjiv Kumar pandurang Kamble

My submarsibel motor switch red light problem 10minits plz help me

On 2018-06-20 by (mod) -

I would start with a look in the owner's manual for the system that you have. Virtually all such manuals will give you a troubleshooting section in the back that includes a decoding of the signal lights.

On 2018-06-19 by Michae

I have a Tuhorse solar pump model 3THS04S48V500. When I connect the solar panels all lights flash in the control box. Panels are providing enough voc power. Does anyone have an idea what I should do?

On 2016-02-23 by (mod) -

Because of over-use of the word Trilogy I was not successful in finding a Trilogy pump control system manual that might have included some diagnostics for their system.

After 30 minutes any automatic thermal overload reset should have re-set itself in the pump motor itself; try resetting the system again.

Keep in mind that when you keep going off on reset there is clearly a serious problem not a transient.

An example might be a well that's lost its water flow or a pump motor with a seizing bearing. On some pumps we can infer that the pump is under abnormal load (too low - no water, too high, seizing bearing) by noting the current draw at the motor.

Else we may need to pull the pump and test it as well as checking the water level and flow rate in the well.

On 2016-02-23 by Anonymous

I have a trilogy pump control system with a grundfos 1.5 HP auto terminal motor protection and submerged pump at 385'. I began getting an overload reading on the PCS-1500 and reset the system, this happened 6 times and then when I tried to reset the power indicator light stopped coming on as well. I have never had this dead out or problem before. I have checked fuses and breakers...what next?

Question:

(Sept 22, 2014) Anonymous said:
how does the control box work on an artesion well

Reply:

Anon:

Typically, since the artesian well, by definition, is delivering water at enough pressure to bring it out of the ground, the pressure controls will set the cut-in and cut-out above the well delivery pressure in order to deliver boosted water pressure within the building.

...

Continue reading at WATER PUMP PRESSURE SWITCH MANUALS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• PUMP CONTROL STATUS INDICATORS
• WATER PUMP LIFE EXPECTANCY
• WATER PUMP PRESSURE SWITCH MANUALS
• WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH
• WATER PUMP RELAY SWITCH
• WATER PUMP & TANK I&O & REPAIR MANUALS
• WATER PUMP WON'T START
• WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING

Suggested citation for this web page

PUMP CONTROL STATUS INDICATORS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS

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