2 Wire Vs 3 Wire Well Pump

The ground wire is not counted in the terminology.

2 wire vs 3 wire well pump. Most 4 submersible well pump motors used in residential applications are available in 2 wire or 3 wire configurations. In a 3 wire pump the relay and start capacitor is not in the pump but usually in your basement inside a control box. Since the ground is frozen we re running wire above ground for now. A 3 wire single phase motor requires a control box with a starting capacitor.

In this video i go over the differences of a 2 wire and a 3 wire submersible well pump this is associated with the starting components for the pump and whet. The wiring from our pumptrol switch to the well pump controller fried as did the wiring from the pump controller all the way to the pump. Control boxes are usually mounted on a wall above ground. 3 wire motors have a black red yellow and a green wire.

2 wire motors have two black and a green wire. Three wire well pumps house the starting components starting capacitors running capacitors relays and thermal overloads in a control box or panel. In a 2 wire pump the relay and start capacitor is located in the pump itself and the pump is in the well. Because of this starting arrangement the motor requires three hot leads plus a lead for the ground connection to operate correctly.

The wire is still 2 wire actually 3. The main difference between 2 wire and 3 wire well pumps is characterized by where the starting components for the motor are located. If your application doesn t require such a large well pump then it comes down to a few purchase decisions. The pump of course is still in the well.

The difference between a 2 wire and 3 wire pump is based on the type of motor that is used. 2 wire vs 3 wire well pumps.