Jet pump split open

[Zanne]

I've posted about my issues with my well system quite extensively, but this is a new one on me. Just replaced the pump last March but we had an unusual cold spell-- waaay colder than before. Most snow we've ever had here and coldest temps for the longest I can remember. The stupid pressure switch has lost sensitivity and doesn't always trigger the pump to fill the cistern. Not sure if the water froze and it quit and didn't try again, but it wasn't safe for me to go check until today and when I did check I found a pvc pipe had broken (not a hard fix) but that the pump itself split open.

I think that between the freezing temps and the pump heating up from trying to push air, the mix of heat and extreme cold caused it.

It's a Goulds J10S 1HP 230VAC pump that is hardwired to it's own breaker now (in the past it shared a breaker with the pump that fills the cistern).

I have an asinine system with a 2-wheeled pump that forces water up from the well (the pipe to the well is too small to fit a submersible pump). It brings the water to a large cistern. From the cistern the jet pump pushes water to a pressure tank and then to the house.

This is the type of switch that controls the pump to fill the cistern https://www.amazon.com/Your-One-Source-9036DG2R-Pressure/dp/B000ZN4QD4

I used a picture from a different link. The one I have looks more like the one pictured than linked. The linked one happens to be less expensive.

The aforementioned switch sits on top of a wooden block mounted to the cistern lid. Due to the 2-wheeled pump being 1hp 230VAC I have been unable to find one of those float switches that sits in the water and can flip up when water is full and down when water is low that will connect directly to the pump and I can't find a high voltage contactor or whatever device is needed to be an intermediary. The wires are 10AWG.

I know I need to insulate the pump shed better. It's a metal shed and has taken some damage. One corner is busted open and the doors came off after cows leaned on them. I did have some Reflectix up for awhile but cows knocked it down and shat all over it.

There are no longer any functioning electrical outlets in the shed, although I do hope to add some in the future.

We used to plug in heaters in there but the heaters broke and the outlets to plug them in died.

So now I need to figure out a future solution for multiple issues:
1. Insulating the shed and the pipes and pump to keep them from freezing in winter as well as to keep them from overheating/melting in the hot summers (gets over 105°F outside and even hotter inside the shed)
2. Providing some sort of air conditioning to keep it warm enough in winter but cooler in summer-- even if it's just a fan to blow hot hair out in summer (would prefer solar powered options if possible)
3. Find some way to make it so the jet pump won't run if the water in the cistern is too low (but something that can have a manual override in case something stops working).

The shed is outside the wifi range so it is unlikely we could use any sort of "smart" device.
Picture of some of the setup (this is after we had to fix up multiple issues)

Believe it or not, it was even more screwy before because there was no tank tee, the inlet valve was above the level of the pump, it was all sorts of convoluted and wrong. There were electrical cables everywhere. Galvanized steel on everything. We eventually replaced things so we have stainless steel (iron sediment in the water corrodes brass).


Note, the pvc to the top shutoff broke

There was an unknown break in the line somewhere so we couldn't use it anyway. The PEX to that one has been cut off and plugged.

So, any suggestions?

 

[havasu]

It you had power, run new wire. You need heat.

 

[Zanne]

It you had power, run new wire. You need heat.

That is the plan in the future. We need to add some GFCI outlets in there.

I wish the pump was within range of the wifi and that there was a device that would tell me when the water in the cistern is low via wifi so I could tell the pump to shut off from the comfort of the inside of the house instead of having to go out and flip a breaker. At least I do have that sub panel now so the pump can be shut off separately. I have a 3rd breaker in there for other electric, it just needs to get run when my friend has time, but he's going to be travelling a lot more for work to get more $$$ to pay his mortgage.

So, current crackpot ideas:

• Temporarily patch the pump with JB Weld Water Weld and clamp it and hope it holds until new pump comes in (and also hope nothing else burst).
• Get 2 large 16mil uv resistant waterproof tarps to wrap around the sides and front of the shed and have them meet in the center over the doorway.
• Put self adhesive waterproof poly tarp zipper over the seam where the two tarps meet over doorway
• Install reflectix style radiant barrier on inside walls and ceiling

Long-term solution is to eventually get the outlets in there to run a waterproof or outdoor space heater in the shed during winter
I also want to install some sort of solar powered gable fan to cool the shed during summer
Would love to build a whole new shed but that is not currently in the budget.

I'm probably going to have to replace that stupid pressure switch with another of its kind and hope it holds up. I need to figure out how to go from 3/4" conduit to 1/2" conduit to connect in to the ports on the switch. Fast and dirty way would be to use waterproof gorilla tape.

I'm also trying to figure out a way to reinforce some reflectix enough to make a little door or pair of doors that can stick to the front of the shed over the doorway behind the zipper and moved out of the way to access. I seriously considered double sided rigid foam board using tape as a hinge. Or finding some way to slide them. But pretty sure cows would break the foam board. I need to find some way to block the cows from going to that area.