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How to Find & Turn Off Electricity to the Water Pump
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This article describes How to Find the Water Pump Switch, How to Turn Off Power to the Pump. We explain when this electrical switch is used and we give advice about how to turn off the well pump in an emergency if you cannot find the local water pump switch itself.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
WATER PUMP ELECTRICAL ON-OFF SWITCHES - Another Way to Turn Off the Water
Most water pumps can be turned off electrically at two locations: a switch located
near the water pump or tank, such as shown the photo here and as the silver-colored electrical switch at left in this
close up photo
and also at the building's main electrical panel (where hopefully you have labeled the water pump circuit breaker or fuse).
In an emergency such as a burst water pipe or when you are repairing water system components and need to turn off the water pump,
you can usually simply switch the pump power switch to the "off" position.
To avoid flood damage to unoccupied buildings especially in freezing climates, we often leave water pumps turned
off both at the water valve and the pump electrical switch when a building is going to be left unoccupied and un-monitored.
But watch out! If the building is heated by a hot water or steam system, it may be necessary to guarantee that makeup water
can be added to the heating boiler (automatically or manually) during the heating season.
Leaving the water turned "off" during winter risks
loss of heat or boiler or building damage if the boiler can't be kept properly supplied with water. In these cases we may
send a dedicated water line to the heating boiler and install valves to turn off water to the remaining building areas
as a step in reducing the risk of water damage due to burst water piping or fixture leaks. |
This photo shows what appears to be a Square-D control panel with a lever along the box right side. To turn off
power to this pump the lever is pulled down to the "OFF" position. In this installation we may not see an ordinary
wall mounted electrical toggle switch like those shown earlier in this article.
You'll notice a couple of questionable
installation details here that suggest amateur and maybe not so safe workmanship: none of the electrical wiring
has been secured to the wall and it looks a bit sloppy, and we also see that an electrical outlet has been connected
and fed out of the pump control switch - possibly making improper use of this switch and the pump circuit.
Safety warnings DO NOT TOUCH any electrical switch if you are standing in water or on wet ground
since you could get shocked or even killed. If, for example, there is a puddle around the pump's electrical switch,
we'd prefer to go to the electrical panel (presumably at a more dry location) to shut down electricity to the
water pump. If all of the floors are wet we might have to use a dry wooden stick or broom handle to carefully
push the pump switch to the off position if we didn't want to touch it directly.
What if We Cannot Find the Switch to Turn Off the Water Pump?
Some water pump installations omit an ordinary wall switch to turn off power to the pump, particularly if the water tank and pump controls are installed close to the main electrical panel. Actually this is probably a violation of the U.S. and Canadian electrical codes since circuit breakers and individual fuses are not
intended to serve as equipment operating switches. You can see an installation like this in this photo where we found no pump control
electrical switches except in the electrical panel visible in the photo's upper left corner.
Or a separate heavy duty pump relay switch may be installed and no local visible toggle power switch may be present. Pump relays are discussed at WATER PUMP RELAY SWITCH.
Water pump fuse panels: Other water pump installations use a local fuse panel dedicated to the water pump.
On these installations the water pump may be switched off by pulling a lever on the side of the fuse box.
Safety warning live voltage is inside of all of these pump switches - and is a shock hazard. When you don't see an ordinary wall switch to turn off the water pump you're probably safer
going to the electrical panel where you can turn off power to the water pump by switching off the appropriate circuit breaker or pulling the appropriate fuse.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Moorabbin Office: Kingston Trade Centre, 100 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
Australian supplier of: Greywater systems, Solar power to grid packages, Edwards solar systems, Vulcan compact solar systems, water & solar system pumps & controls, and a wide rage of above ground & under ground water storage tanks: concrete, steel, plastic, modular, and bladder storage tanks.
- Smart Tank, Installation Instructions [ copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] - , Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf
- Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation [ copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect_Jet_Pumps_1.pdf ] - , Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
- Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation [ copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect.pdf ] - , Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
- Water Fact Sheet #3, Using Low-Yielding Wells [ copy on file as /water/Low_Yield_Wells_Penn_State.pdf ] - , Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
- When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
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