Need help with water pressure booster pump when grid is down

[Charlie]

I need help understanding my solutions because I already made a mistake.
Loading Image...

What options do I have?

Do you know anything about soft start additions to booster pumps?
https://i.postimg.cc/x8h0XzCL/pressurepump.jpg

The General Electric" booster pump plate says:
Mod: 5KC39QN1157AX
HP: 1
HZ: 60
V: 115/230
PH: 1
RPM: 3450
CODE: L
JET PUMP MOTOR
SF: 1.4
SFA: 17.0/8.5
FR: 56C
AMB: 40C
CLASS: B
TIME RATING: CONT
SER: NBG

What options do I have?
a. Bigger generator (expensive)
b. Soft start maybe (whatever that is)
c. Battery + inverter (sized to just run the motor)
d. ?

Background information:

I bought a 5,500 starting watts and 4,500 running watts portable home
generator but I probably bought the wrong one because it can handle
everything in the house except when the water pressure booster pump surge
trips the generator's 30A fast-blow circuit breaker. (The slow-blow
resettable 30A fuses in the cable to the home electric meter & the 30Amp
panel circuit breakers do not blow).

I can assume the surge current is too high, and the generator bogs down,
and that makes the voltage shoot up and the current exceeds 30Amps
momentarily (enough to always blow the generator breaker every time).

The result is that when the power goes out, everything works except the
water pressure (I turn off the well pump because I have 5K gallons stored).

So I need a solution to lower the surge current of the booster pump.
Obviously a bigger generator would work - but there must be something
cheaper.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Mon, 13 May 2024 17:55:11 -0600, Charlie

Post by Charlie
The slow-blow
resettable 30A fuses in the cable to the home electric meter

If they are resettable, how are they fuses instead of circuit breakers?

[Indira]

What the guy needs is a soft starter but I don't know
how to recommend them for a 1 horsepower pump.

Maybe someone else does.

[bud--]

Post by Charlie
I need help understanding my solutions because I already made a mistake.
https://i.postimg.cc/x8h0XzCL/pressurepump.jpg
What options do I have?
Do you know anything about soft start additions to booster pumps?
https://i.postimg.cc/x8h0XzCL/pressurepump.jpg
Mod: 5KC39QN1157AX
HP: 1
HZ: 60
V: 115/230
PH: 1
RPM: 3450
CODE: L
JET PUMP MOTOR
SF: 1.4
SFA: 17.0/8.5 FR: 56C
AMB: 40C
CLASS: B
TIME RATING: CONT
SER: NBG
What options do I have?
a. Bigger generator (expensive)
b. Soft start maybe (whatever that is)
c. Battery + inverter (sized to just run the motor)
d. ?
I bought a 5,500 starting watts and 4,500 running watts portable home
generator but I probably bought the wrong one because it can handle
everything in the house except when the water pressure booster pump
surge trips the generator's 30A fast-blow circuit breaker. (The
slow-blow resettable 30A fuses in the cable to the home electric meter &
the 30Amp panel circuit breakers do not blow).
I can assume the surge current is too high, and the generator bogs down,
and that makes the voltage shoot up and the current exceeds 30Amps
momentarily (enough to always blow the generator breaker every time).
The result is that when the power goes out, everything works except the
water pressure (I turn off the well pump because I have 5K gallons stored).
So I need a solution to lower the surge current of the booster pump.
Obviously a bigger generator would work - but there must be something
cheaper.

I assume the pump is wired for 230V.
Does the pump start if nothing else is on?
Does the generator actually "bog down" with nothing else on? If it does
the generator may not work with this pump (except soft start?). (If the
generator bogs down the voltage likely drops which means the current has
to be even higher to create the mechanical power.)

5500W is 24A
4500W is 20A

If there is a surge rating why is the generator "30A FAST blow"? It
would appear it should be something like 20A slow blow (which almost all
circuit breakers are). An HACR breaker rating may help - haven't read
about them for a long time.

SF is service factor. You can run the pump at over 1 HP and shorten the
life, but not drastically. SFA is the current if running at the service
factor overload. There should be something like FLA - normal amp rating.

In general motor starting current is about 6x the running current. That
puts the starting current over the generator surge rating.

Starting against zero water pressure would be lower amps - may not be
practical.

Practical to have an elevated tank for gravity pressure? May have to
bypass the boost pump when using as gravity.

I haven't used soft start. May be practical. I think an inverter is
likely to be most expensive.

"Jet pump" sounds more like a well pump.

Would seem that the nameplate should have a line like "TP" - motor is
Thermally Protected - which will disconnect it if it gets too hot. Else
there should be external protection sized to the actual motor rating.