submersible pumps

[cliffed]

jus a quickie before i go golfing guys,looked at a water pump system the other day,consists offa ,sumersible pump & 2 x 3 phase pumps,wots the regs on these concerning the location their installed in,ie water contact,do they need rcds .No real literature with system,any ideas cheers speak later ta ra bab.ps not too sure yet on earthing system.:winkiss:

 

[malcolmsanford]

When you get back from your walk have a read of regs 522.3 concerning presence of water or high humidity for the wiring system.

Unless there is need for additional protection for cables buried, or if these pumps are in a special location etc then no there is no stipulation to have this equipment, unless the manufacturer requires them for some reason to be RCD protected

 

[Knobhead]

Never fitted an RCD to a submersible pump yet, and I must have fitted 100’s of them. Just ensure the earthing is adequate.

Johnboy is the one to ask on this one though.

 

[brigstockes]

Hello, I am also struggling with a bore hole pump, I have a single phase controller with a capacitor going to a 240v pump with 3 wires (brown/black/grey). I have taken a single phase from a nearby 3 phase supply but I get a low Voltage reading from the phase wire and the controller is reading lost phase, any ideas?

 

[Knobhead]

A/ why didn’t you start a new thread?
B/ if you’re getting low voltage look at the supply.

 

[johnboy6083]

As far as I'm aware there's no stipulation for RCD's on sump pumps, unless the cable needs protection: ie buried less than 50mm in a wall ect. One bit of advice though, and that is if the sump pump is fitted via a plug and socket then I would RCD protect it, unless the plug and docket is of a keyed type, so only that one device will fit the socket. Don't forget to leave lots of slack on the cable, and to route it so that the pump can easily be removed.

 

[brigstockes]

Thanks for the replies, sorry I didn't start a new thread should have, found an intermittent supply problem on one of the 3 phase supplies owner said "Oh yes wondered why it did that!"

 

[jamminuk]

Sorry to jump on this one but... As an electrician would you be expected to be able to overhaul something like a submersible pump? or any kind of pump for that matter, apart from ensuring it's been wired in correctly and there is supply going to it?

 

[Knobhead]

Yes
View attachment 8562

 

[ackbarthestar]

Sorry to jump on this one but... As an electrician would you be expected to be able to overhaul something like a submersible pump? or any kind of pump for that matter, apart from ensuring it's been wired in correctly and there is supply going to it?

Yes, I have serviced several on various occasions. The insulation sometimes fails, they jam up due to chemicals in the water and need to be descaled. Never attempted a rewind since the smaller ones have sealed electrical connections.

 

[Engineer54]

Sorry to jump on this one but... As an electrician would you be expected to be able to overhaul something like a submersible pump? or any kind of pump for that matter, apart from ensuring it's been wired in correctly and there is supply going to it?

If you mean cleaning impellers etc, and/or checking repairing of the wiring/cable supplying the pump motor, then Yes. If your talking about full servicing, then maybe if your an industrial type electrician that undertake such servicing as a matter of course in their daily work then Yes again. But it's extremely unlikely that the domestic electrician etc, will have the know how or the tools to undertake the task...

 

[Knobhead]

Sorry to jump on this one but... As an electrician would you be expected to be able to overhaul something like a submersible pump? or any kind of pump for that matter, apart from ensuring it's been wired in correctly and there is supply going to it?

I wouldn’t expect most electricians to tackle a pump, but needs must at times.

Normally I’d send a submersible pump back to the manufacturer (you get a piece of paper that says it’s guaranteed up to the moment you turn it on)! But when you’re up to you’re ares in the mire you have to resort to DIY. The biggest problem is always the seals, you can’t use the old ones they will leak. So it’s bodge it yourself time. I’ve spent many a happy hour trying to un-glue myself from home made seals, never had one fail though.

No it’s not an everyday job but it’s fun, especially when you lower the pump in to a sump and it WORKS!

The most important job though was to get a spare pump on order ASAP!
To be truthful they never lasted long but if it got us out of trouble it was worth it.