imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I would not get too excited - how old was the old pump - maybe near the end of it's service life ANYWAY ! - I would stay CALM and amicable ! 8-)

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old man 88 Loc: Palmview, TX when not on road

Turn the breaker to the pump off at the house and use an ohmmeter to see if you got continuity between any of the wires at the pressure switch. If you have there is a short in the under ground wiring.
You can also do this on the pump wires hook meter to one wire on pump and the other to ground, if you have a reading on meter you have a short.
This will answer where the wiring is good or not.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Not suggesting getting aggressive - just get the old parts back. Standard procedure (if requested) with cars, electronics, etc., and don’t pay the bill until the new installation works. Let’s not forget that there’s 6K$ (I believe) at stake here, which is a LOT of money for a well pump. I learned a long time ago not to pay for the work until COMPLETELY satisfied, because you have limited negotiating ability after it’s paid.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Is the pump 120 or 240 VAC? If 240, then there should be high resistance from either phase to ground, but if 120, then the neutral is attached to earth ground at the panel even with the breaker open, so you’d have to unhook ALL wires from the pump before checking.

broncomaniac Loc: Lynchburg, VA

I, too, was going to suggest ohming out the wiring. It's a good diagnostic step if you have a meter handy but they can be had cheaply for a very basic model.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Where do you get the $6K figure ??? ....settle down

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TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

From Jerry’s original post on the subject - did you read that one? https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-570822-1.html

I don’t need to settle down - I’m advocating good consumer awareness and business practice. There are WIDE disparities in pricing and quality of work from multiple repair companies (be glad to post some examples if you like), and as a consumer, it’s up to you to look out for yourself. What part of asking for the defective parts to inspect and not paying until the work is satisafactorily completed do you disagree with?

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Yes, for $6K I WOULD be concerned - no question - quite exorbitant - but I guess this is up north (NY ? ) and in the winter time - must be quite a pump !

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

I am betting that the breaker itself is old. Maybe it needs replacing.

Hammer Loc: London UK

Jerry, you have my deepest sympathy . We assume a level of professionalism in the people we deal with and the confidence appears to be misplaced. I don't know if its me getting old but this issue seems to be getting worse year by year . Lack of technical skills, experience and overuse of assumption .

Suspect that the company has not employed highly experienced and trained people because they are too expensive . Also suspect that the actual fitter/plumber receives commission .

This makes me very angry and smacks of negligence if not plain fraud. Ask for a refund of costs , if culpability is denied, ask for a written explanation of what they recommended replacing the pump before checking the cables. Give them a time limit to reply. Perhaps also give them a draft of the negative feedback that you intend to place in social media and ask for their written comments before you place it . However, before going ballistic , suggest a meeting with a manager and sure you record it, with their permission of course.

Once the company becomes aware of the issues here they may prove to be very helpful and apologetic.

Sendai5355 Loc: On the banks of the Pedernales River, Texas

When my well pump stopped working, they found that the wiring from the breaker to the pump house had a short. Is it possible that the problem could be with the circuit breaker?

Dannj

I know enough about plumbing and electricity to be really, really dangerous but if I’ve followed this scenario correctly you’ve only had a plumber involved. Shouldn’t there be an electrician also?

traderjohn Loc: New York City

If you have no trust in these people why did you hire them?

sourdough58 Loc: Maine

The wire from your home to the pump should have been inside a conduit (by code), if after the wire is tested and proved to be shorted they should be able to pull a new wire, sometimes they need to dig next to the well casing because of the sharp angle of the wire going from underground and running up the side of the well casing. There is a old saying it can apply to anything man-made, "Electrical devices are man-made and man-made devices are prone to failure" so what I am saying is I would check the pressure switch and the circuit breaker as well I have seen these all fail, On another note if your pump is 20 yrs old or whatever in your area is considered old it can depend on water conditions in your area like iron in your water will suck the life out of your pump you may want to change the pump anyway labor prices being what they are if you may be "do" for a new pump soon anyway. one last thing to check if it is your pump being bad involves ( after the pump is pulled) is using rope and a weight to check the depth of your well, my well that I had drilled started out at 135 ft with 5 gal per min, about 20 yrs later I changed my pump and checked my well depth it was 110 ft over the years sand has filtered in and up to my pump and wrecked my pump, around here a new pump is held up off the bottom of the well about 20-30 ft. to allow for this, I wish you "well"

dpfoto Loc: Cape Coral, FL

Let this be a warning to you; NEVER use this company again. I live by an old adage: "Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me TWICE, shame on ME."