Water Well Journal
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/557876
more examples of over-pumping of the well and lowering of water tables, often resulting in cases of exposing the pump to cavitation or the motor to insufficient motor cooling. The use of low-level cutoff relays (Warrick, B/W Controls) are now being used in many installations where they would never have been considered in years past. The use of electro- mechanical relays is often the simplest and most reliable, not to mention cost effective, methods of providing low-water protection for a submersible pump and motor as it protects the installation at the root cause: declining water levels or produc- tion in the well. Beyond the time-tested methods I cite here, there are also newer electronic devices designed to perform the same function. This category includes innovative devices such as ultrasonic devices monitoring the water level in the well, capacitive devices that use the capacitive value of the water, and submersible pressure transducers that register the water depth (submergence) above them. The bottom line is this: Examine every installation for ex- posure to low-water conditions, even existing installations during a service call or replacement. Learn and know what is most prudent in your region as well as available from your supply house or wholesaler. Also if needed, recommend the installation of a new or retrofit protection device. In many cases, installers may prefer to use different de- vices than I cite here to match the local custom or personal preference. That's certainly okay, but no matter how you want to do the job, if the well conditions and pump installation par- ticulars call for low-water protection, it is incumbent upon you to convince the customer to consider one. 5. Know the primary causes of electrical system failures As I have said repeatedly, the new millennium has brought us a whole new set of problems with our electrical systems. There have always been cases where our electrical systems have been too overtaxed, just as there have been numerous cases where the utilities are providing our clients with ade- quate and reliable power. Unfortunately, there are now far too many electrical installations where the system is far over- loaded or inadequate and our pump motors are paying the ultimate cost: failure. While I cannot simply say you or your customer should in- sist upon your electrical utility providing good, quality electri- cal power in the proper capacity, there are still things you can do yourself to help protect the installation, assuming you know the various causes of electrical system failure and what you can do about them. The first thing you should know is, regardless of what I say, not all the power provided by the multitude of electrical utilities is bad or inadequate. Many of the power companies in the United States take pride in the quality and capacity of the power they provide, and not all the potential problems you find with electrical systems are even the fault of the power company to begin with. For many of you in lightning-prone areas, the often daily exposure to lightning storms can wreak havoc on well pump motors, especially submersibles, the perfect destination of a ground-directed, high-voltage spike. Use the proper method of lightning protection and always provide an alternate and se- cure route for the lightning or high voltage surge to take in- stead of going down the drop cable and out the motor winding and frame. You will almost certainly not prevent damage from a direct hit, but may avoid motor destruction from a surge on the power lines. 6. Standardize your installations Although this next item is not specifically about controls, it definitely ties into the subject. When I was still working in the field, one of the best ideas I learned when I jumped ship to Stettler Supply Co. in 1976 was the standardization of their pump installations. For exam- ple, when I moved to Stettler I was quickly taught how they performed their routine domestic pump installations and how they expected me to do the same. Not only did they routinely use small isolation valves under the pressure switch and gauge assembly, they used a pressure relief valve on the wellhead, a disconnect switch with fuses for a branch circuit protection device, and the proper placement of isolation valves within the piping. To be sure, not all installation routines used by a company in Oregon would be appropriate for those of you who gener- ally use pitless adapters in Michigan. But the primary item to consider is to develop and establish a standard type of instal- lation for your area of coverage and type of equipment and stick with it. You will not only cut down on the equipment you carry in your installation rigs, your inventory will decrease, what you need to carry on service trucks will be lighter, you will make more money, and you will be able to troubleshoot and repair your pump installations five years from now in less time and hassle. Oh yeah, did I mention you will make more money? 7. Refine your motor controls Many of you venture no further in pump installation than domestic or residential pump work. To you, a 5 hp sub- mersible on 2-inch drop pipe is a "big one." To still others, you routinely work with pump sizes of 16 inches or larger pump bowl diameters for use with vertical turbine or sub- mersible pumps with several hundreds of motor horsepower. This next item you should really know applies to both groups. Even though you may have background experience ENGINEERING from page 41 ENGINEERING continues on page 44 DACUM Codes To help meet your professional needs, this article covers skills and competencies found in DACUM charts for drillers and pump installers. PI refers to the pumps chart. The letter and number immediately following is the skill on the chart covered by the article. This article covers: PIA-3, PIA-4, PIB-4, PIC-5, PIC-7, PIC-9, PIE-3, PIE-14, PIE-15, PIF-2, PIF-5 More information on DACUM and the charts are available at www.NGWA.org. waterwelljournal.com 42 September 2015 WWJ