Installing capacitor- ?

Question

my capacitor blew apart (literally) on my well pump. i have a replacement but wanted to know if anyone had any advice or if there is anything special i should know about switching them - ? of course, i already have all the power off.

Answer 1

Hi again, No, nothing special about it. Pump wire is marked red, yellow, black. Fasten to appropriate terminals. The wire from the pressure tank will attach to the L1 an L2 terminals with the ground to the frame. Take a long hot shower you earned it today.----------------------------------...

           If the pump is shutting off by itself and not with the pressure switch it is probably drawing  too much amperage. On some electric motors there is a thermal switch which will cut out like you are describing. If you have access to a clip on ampmeter it is easy to figure out. Make sure you are getting the correct power to the pump all the way from the breaker. Maybe one side of the breaker is bad?  More than likely if you have checked the water level in the well and it is ok the motor is shot. It seems like you have a jet pump here and that is a cheaper one than a submerisible. Pressure switches usually run between 20 an 40 pounds or 30 to 50 in a heavy duty model. Sorry your odessey is continuing.

Answer 2

Only one concern.  Capacitors can hold a charge for a long time.  Discharge the new one by shorting across the electrical terminals before trying to hook it up just to be on the safe side.  The shock is always a surprise and seldom a pleasant thing.

Answer 3

does the pump shut off by itself at 20 ? or does it sit there and run ? is it a deep well (two pipes ) or a shallow well  (one pipe ) ?  have you been having a drought or dry spell in your area ? maybe the well is not recovering fast at this time of year ?  maybe some dirt or sediment stuck in the venturi . this will make the pump run but not go to pressure . the more information you give the more specific we can be with answers .

Answer 4

Use the same MFD rating, the same voltage rating,and the right polarity if applicable.That's it.

Answer 5

No, if you're pretty mechanically inclined then this should be a pretty easy fix as long as the capacitor is easy to get to. Good Luck!