Can I pull 110 power from my well pump circuit?

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If you look two posts ago the pictures go in series from power coming in to going to the pump. Two hots and a ground coming from the 30amp breaker at my house panel. Looks like I am lacking a neutral but not sure if there is a way around that or if I have to pull new wire?
 
JoeD said:
You have to pull a new wire.
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That's not what I wanted to here.

How can I tell what size wire I need for the pump feed? I can't tell from the existing what size it is. I can pull all new
 
Chris,

A neutral isn't required to run the pump, only a ground for code. One horse subs are all 230 volt.

I'm pretty sure that box is a pumptec which monitors motor amps in case of a dry run situation. Hopefully it doesn't mean you have a low yield well. Can you run lots of water for extended periods without running out of water?
 
I can run great clean water all day and night if I want. Never had an issue.25 gpm if I remember correct.
 
That's real good. You can probably remove the pumptec or wire through the box. It could be a nuisance while hooked up. Having the other control means you have a three wire pump which means you really have a 4 wire pump including the ground wire.
 
Are you rewiring the pump or still trying to get a 120V outlet?
Wire size will depend on the amperage of the pump and circuit breaker being used.
Most of the time you can tell the wire size just by looking at it or see if the AWG rating is still readable.
 
I was trying to pull power from the pump breaker for a sprinkler timer. Doesn't look possible so my new thought is to pull the existing wires and either pull new wires for all or add a nuetral and pull all back through using existing conduit. It is about a 70 foot run down a slope or I would just trench a new conduit and pull from my house panel.
 
Chris said:
I was trying to pull power from the pump breaker for a sprinkler timer. Doesn't look possible so my new thought is to pull the existing wires and either pull new wires for all or add a nuetral and pull all back through using existing conduit. It is about a 70 foot run down a slope or I would just trench a new conduit and pull from my house panel.
Click to expand...

Since your 240V run, and it's antiquated by todays standards, does not have a neutral, 1st find out if you can obtain a 240V sprinkler timer, which would be a standard timer with a stepdown transformer.

Before you do this, you need to determine the operating amperage of the pump, compared to the breaker controlling the circuit.

If not, shut the pump circuit off at the breaker, obtain the length required of #12 white stranded and the size of the grnd conductor, because you use the existing grnd. conductor as the pull for the replacement grnd. and neutral conductors.

From there you can add a weather protected recep. and the timer right along with the other equip.
 
I'm thinking for the time being I will just move my timer to the house and down the road install another conduit so I can pull more power for some lighting and eventually a gate motor.
 
The 120V for the timer is stepped down within the sprinkler timer to 24V and the current draw is minimal.

When you do that, the variety you are contemplating, budget for 20% more than the known operational range.

Stranded wire is easier to work with.
 
What does it do?
Click to expand...
It monitors running amps of the motor. Each time the motor starts it takes a sample of the running amps; then looks for an abrupt change. Like the amp drop that would occur when a submersible pump runs out of water. This would open a set of points that would disable the motor for either a preset amount of time up to (I believe) 1.5 hours or until manually reset. This is set up at time of installation. As long as your pump can run wide open for hours, you don't need this kind of protection. It's for low yield wells that produce just a little more than humidity.
 
Makes sense. I'll leave it until it gives me issues. We are sitting in an underground river (so my well guy told me). A neighbor down the street can't get any water from the ground.
 
Can't hurt, the worse that can happen is a few nuisance trips for whatever reason.

Underground river huh? I'l bet that guy uses Willow sticks to find water too!:confused:
 
I bet he does. I can't even figure out how I have water. Supposedly my well is only 150 feet deep which is shallow for California. I live in a hill about 600 feet above the valley below me.
 
Chris
As you know you don’t have a common and you can’t use the green wire even though it is insulated as a common by code. You can ether pull a common from the house or install a 240-120 transformer with both 240 legs fused to protect the transformer and everything down stream. The transformer might have to be bonded to the ground stake you have out there. They sell a lot of 240-120 transformers that will output 100, 200, 300 watts etc. something like that will balance your 240 line and shouldn’t add enough extra load to be a problem. I would run that thru a GFCI or find a transformer with GFCI as part of a power supply. They sell those types to adapt European devices to American equipment.

I’m not an electrician and others can comment on their thoughts on doing it this way but for the small load in your shed a light and a valve I see no reason this won’t be to code and work.

If this is not a good idea tell us why.
 
Wondering if you went with a transformer yet on this?
 
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