You should invest and have a holding tank installed. Without a holding tank you will burn out that well motor prematurely. You don’t want that well pump kicking on continuously! If you decide to get a holding tank you should get the largest one that will fit in your space!
Electric feedback from water circulation pump
I have an electrical hum coming from my speakers (95 db sensitivity) whenever my whole house well water circulation pump turns on (which occurs anytime a faucet or shower is turned on). I have a dedicated 20 amp line to my listening room and this line is at lest 7 feet away from the pump. I believe the noise is coming from energy back fed from the pump into the breaker box.
I contacted my well company and they indicated this is a problem that usually affects TV images (mine are fine) and recommended I install a capacitor at the breaker box which will absorb the back feed of energy coming from the pump. I did this and there was no improvement.
I just had a Powerworx clean energy/surge protector added to each of our three electrical panels due to a recent lightening strike of my house (an ounce of prevention... I know). It was also purported to likely help the above issue. It did not.
My next move is to either invest in a power regenerator or power conditioner for in my room. If that does not help then my final move might be to install a pressurized holding tank so that the pump does not run as often. I am unsure of the cost or feasibility of this and therefore reserve it as a final option.
Any recommendations regarding power conditioning in this specific situation are welcomed. Thanks!
I contacted my well company and they indicated this is a problem that usually affects TV images (mine are fine) and recommended I install a capacitor at the breaker box which will absorb the back feed of energy coming from the pump. I did this and there was no improvement.
I just had a Powerworx clean energy/surge protector added to each of our three electrical panels due to a recent lightening strike of my house (an ounce of prevention... I know). It was also purported to likely help the above issue. It did not.
My next move is to either invest in a power regenerator or power conditioner for in my room. If that does not help then my final move might be to install a pressurized holding tank so that the pump does not run as often. I am unsure of the cost or feasibility of this and therefore reserve it as a final option.
Any recommendations regarding power conditioning in this specific situation are welcomed. Thanks!
18 responses Add your response
OP, just to clarify, do you not have any type of pressure vessel/tank that your well pumps into? This is fairly typical regarding homes on a private well. They aren't extremely expensive and they provide consistent water pressure to the home and prevent your pump from running constantly. Just curious. |
It would be considerably less expensive to change out the offending circulator (pump) and/or transformer. Price out a similar circulator from Grundfos, Taco or another reputable brands like Bell & Gosset (no Chinese junk) and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. https://www.supplyhouse.com/ has lots of listings for circulators. Transformers are inexpensive as well. I’d swap out the tranformer first before messing with the plumbing as it should only take a minute to do and then test. If that doesn’t get it, you’ll need a circulator suitable for potable (drinking) water Depending on how they are installed, they can be simple to replace, as are the transformers. Good luck. I’d be curious as to what circulator pump you have and how old it is, and likewise what shape the transformer is in. Check their grounds and if there are any loose wires to either device. I’ve five circ pumps and two transformers in my heating system, two of each close to the service panel and no issues. They are only a few years old though. |
Thank you all for your kind help. Sorry for the confusion about the hum vs hiss. No transformer hum to speak of, just speaker hiss. I have a Subdrive 20 submersible pump controller by Franklin Electric. It was installed three years ago when the house was built. So this is actually the well head pump controller that is making all the fuss. I also have a small (maybe 4 or 5 gallon) blue pressurized tank by Gould’s water technology called a hydro pro - not sure what it’s role is since the pump is frequently cycling on and off with the slightest drop in water pressure (ie water usage). Nevertheless when a faucet is turned on the pump controller is running. I contacted my well drilling company today and they said they only install underground cisterns and referred me to a plumber who was clueless as to a solution and thusly sent me to another well drilling company who is going to get back to me tomorrow. They have big kahuna status on internet review sites so I am hopeful they will provide a solution. I’ll let you know what turns up tomorrow. |
That Subdrive 20 submersible pump controller is something I’ve not heard of before. It sure is a pricey item, and must be the latest technology. Most systems on a well pump water into a much bigger holding tank, like noodlyarm describes, than your system utilizes, pressurizing the tank in the process. When you turn on your shower you release some of the pressure as the water flows out the shower head, and only periodically the well pump kicks back on to re-pressurize the tank. You might contact the SubDrive Company directly and ask for tech support or find out who installed your system. They should still be around if it only went in three years ago. Good luck. Mike |
Thanks Mike for your contribution. I just looked it up and agree with you, it's expensive. Easy to overlook things like that during a custom build. Too many choices and decisions. I'll check with SubDrive to see what options they have. I have not yet heard back from the other well company. I'll try again. Christopher |
May I suggest a Furman power strip, as well as any other series mode surge suppressor. They filter noise down to around 3 kHz, and can be had inexpensively, around $180. Another approach is to look at how your equipment is connected. Is your pump on it's own circuit? Is it on the same circuit/phase as your audio equipment? Does the Romex for one run next to another for 6' or more? |
mganga - I am curious if you were able to solve this problem. I have recently had a Franklin Subdrive pump controller installed and it creates a hissing noise whenever the pump runs. Franklin Tech support actually tells me this is intentional to cover up a noise that might disturb dogs. The pump is great but the hissing is driving me crazy and now it's on the stereo too just as you described - which is just unacceptable. Were you able to solve this? |
Franklin Electric’s selection of SubDrive15, SubDrive20, SubDrive30, SubDrive50 controllers use state-of-the-art technology to provide constant water pressure through variable speed control of submersible water well pumpshttps://www.rcworst.com/franklin-electric-5870205313c-subdrive20-connect-submersible-motor-constant-... variable speed control of submersible water well pumps VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) The controller should have had a noise filter built into the unit. Here is an example of a VFD noise filter https://www.amazon.com/Filter-Suppressor-Variable-Frequency-Drives/dp/B08BZ6BGN7 Only an example..... I would suggest you contact Franklin Electric Tech Support and tell them the problem you are having. Ask them what noise filter they would recommend. Also the best place to install the filter. I would assume near the SubDrive controller. |
Here is an example of a VFD noise filterAgain, the Web Link is meant as an example only and not for use with your VFD drive controller. The one shown on Amazon is a 3 phase unit. Your power no doubt is single phase. Also looking at the features for the Franklin Electric SubDrive it says it has filtering. Advanced Filtering to Remove Radio Frequency Interferencehttps://www.rcworst.com/franklin-electric-5870205313c-subdrive20-connect-submersible-motor-constant-... Your noise problem may be the VFD controller was not properly installed and wired following best practices for a VFD. Proper grounding is a must. Example: https://www.eaton.com/ecm/groups/public/@pub/@electrical/documents/content/ap040076en.pdf . |
Unfortunately this issue has not been resolved. I put a large capacitor into the pump controller to absorb back feed which helped only a little. I then bought a Shunyata power conditioner which has helped though not completely. So I try to listen when others aren’t home or awake or just put up with it. Turning up the volume helps but that of course doesn’t replace the loss of low level detail. I’ll have to look into the VFD controller as recommended. I was next thinking of getting a PS Audio Powerplant to give regeneration a try. |
@mganga Just using a capacitor will not solve your problem. And going bigger may cause problems on other AC mains powered devices in your home. Too much capacitance can cause a leading PF (Power Factor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor#Lagging_and_leading_power_factors Here is a video I found doing a simple Google search. The guy does a pretty good job of showing, explaining in layman terms, the before and after results of installing a line filter ahead of the VFD and ferrites on the load side that feeds the motor. I doubt he is an EE but he definitely has a basic electrical understanding of what he is doing. He tells you from the start his limitations. Note he didn’t say he sized the ac Line filter per the manufacturer of the filter as well as NEC for the FLA of the VFD / motor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJfiOqaeFDg Just a suggestion. You need to find a good Commercial/Industrial electrical contractor that installs VFDs and trouble shoots VFD noise problems. Who ever told you to just install a capacitor on the AC mains is not qualified, jmho..... The contractor’s electrician will use the correct sized ac Line filter for the FLA of the VFD/well pump motor per the manufacturer of the Line Filter as well as NEC. Just curious where is the VFD controller located? In an outdoor pump house near the well pump? |