I already mentioned that I am an electrician by profession, I live in the countryside and we run a small household.
And I believe that without electricity a household can function, maybe it is a little more difficult but it can function.
But without water I don't think there is a household.
Although we have a water supply in the village, I don't want to bring it into my house, it smells like a septic tank and chlorine.
And during the summer there are regular water restrictions or the pressure in the system is very low.
That's why I have my own spring and water pump located in the shaft.
And for normal functioning, regular maintenance is required. So now I had to replace the pressure gauge and pressure switch. I can say that I remember the time when my pressure switch lasted ten years. Now I change it literally every season. I have tried various more expensive, higher quality variants and all I achieve is that it lasts two seasons. After that, the contacts wear out and the pressure switch starts to stick. Either it won't turn on the pump or it won't turn off the pump. Neither case is bad and it has to be replaced. Especially since we regularly water the garden and we need a reliable water supply.
To start working, you need to turn off the power and drain the water from the system to relieve the system,, then you can go down into the shaft to work.and close the main spring water valve in to shaft.
Unscrew the pressure gauge and disconnect the wires from the pressure switch, then unscrew it too.
I've done this about a dozen times, so I know right away which replacement parts to get. So I've already bought the replacement parts.
With the pressure switch, you also receive an instruction manual.Although I don't need it, I always check to see if something has changed.
Clean all joints with a wire brush and blow out the dust.
Hemp is hard to find, so I use Teflon tape for sealing.
Of course, don't overdo it with the Teflon tape, I'm already doing it from experience.
Wrap fifteen and a half rounds, just kidding :)
When you remove the cover from the pressure switch, it is clearly written on the contacts where the motor wire is and where the power wire is - line. In this part of Europe. - The black wire represents the phase-power. - The blue wire represents the neutral. - And the yellow-green wire is the ground.
Once you have connected the wires to the contacts, arrange them neatly so that you can put the pressure switch cover back on.
When the pressure gauge is screwed in and the pressure switch and wires are in place
You need to adjust the springs on the pressure switch itself
And you get instructions for that, but I do it by literally copying the position from the old pressure switch.
So we are left with the fine adjustment
The large spring on the pressure switch or the lower pressure, is the pump start pressure, in my case it is 2 bars
The small spring is the upper pressure, or the pump stop pressure, in my case it is 3 bars
And before we put the whole system into operation. We need to create a so-called air cushion . In fact, we also clean the large tank with the water in it. You do this with the compressor connected to the valve provided for that.
- I use a compressor motor from an old refrigerator. Since the installation broke on the old refrigerator and we decided to buy a new one. The motor was fine so I decided to use it and make a small portable compressor . It already had its own power cord, I connected the wires that go to the thermostat to a switch so that I can turn it on and off with a switch. And I added a hose to the part that blows air, the other part is for air intake.
When you connect the compressor, you turn on one of the taps where the water will flow out
and let it flow until the dirty water and the air itself start flowing.
This means that you have driven all the water out of the tank and that the air has moved the dirt from the bottom.
Once all the dirt is out, close the tap and let the compressor inflate the pressure in the tank to 1 bar.
Then turn off the compressor. and you can turn on the power to the pump. Of course, before that, turn off the main water valve. The motor will fill the tank with water and reach a pressure of 3 bars. Then test whether you did everything right, let the water flow out of the tap, measure the amount of water, an ordinary bucket with liter markings is enough. In my case, about 20 liters of water ran out, the pressure dropped to 2 bars and the motor started again to fill the tank.
At the beginning of the post I told you how my old pressure switch lasted ten years. And I had to take a picture, my tank was made in 1975, it is ten years older than me and works flawlessly. I think the pump is from that year too, because I see the old type of capacitor on it. They made good things in the former state of SFRY.
This pressure switch does not have to last as long as a tank. But it would be nice if it lasts for 4-5 years.
As an electrician, I will give you one piece of advice. if you are not sure what you are doing, better call a handyman and someone who knows how to do it. Don't play with electricity.
Thanks for reading. Until next time. Stay healthy.