Many of the ideas for my column are inspired by questions I get from readers and friends in the industry. A few weeks ago, someone asked how to wire in a pressure switch with a pump protection device that required a control relay. The pump protector’s internal relay was rated at 10 amps, sufficient for a 1 horsepower, 230 volt pump but not enough to handle his 3 horsepower pump motor directly, so an additional relay was called for.
I was contracted to fly to California as an expert witness for an attorney who was suing a well contractor because the well casing had been damaged due to an attempt to drive a dropped pump in the well.
Check valves are an important component of every submersible pump water system. In this article, we will talk about the reasons for using check and the different types of check valves, and show which ones are best for submersible applications. And, finally, we will go over the proper placement of check valves in these systems.
Chris Preston at Xylem has an official job title of Product Manager, but what he’s really good at is problem solving. As one of the speakers at this year’s National Ground Water Association Groundwater Expo in Nashville, he will be sharing his knowledge about troubleshooting submersible and jet pumps.
Thompson Pump and Manufacturing Co. announced the winner of the company’s Gator Giveaway Sweepstakes. Jeremy Eckroth, an environmental specialist at the Falkirk Mining Company, submitted the winning entry.
Several years ago, I wrote an article about drop pipe: the pipe that connects to a submersible pump and carries the well water to the well head. In that article, I focused on plastic drop pipe, both rigid PVC and semi-flexible HDPE (poly pipe), describing the pros and cons of each and the load bearing capacity of the various sizes.
The deck I discussed last month is looking good although the boards have shrunk a little bit—it’s OK, though. It is time to get back to our discussion of well screens.
