Smithwick Pump Repair

My tenant reported he had no water.  I called Smithwick on a Monday morning.  I was assured they would be there around 3:00 in the afternoon.  Around 5:30 I called again, and was assured they would be there by 8:00pm.  They never showed up or called.  The next day they called and let me know they would be there in the morning.  They finally came out, and claimed to have replaced the control box.  However, the control box was the same one I had before.  They informed me I needed a new pump.
I scheduled to have a new pump installed the next day.  That evening, I looked at the wiring and realized they never checked for power at the pump itself.  I checked it out and realized there was no power at the pump.  When they arrived the next day, I asked them to check the wiring before installing a new pump.  Sure enough, it was a burned wire.  They temporarily wired the pump which was fine with me.
Later that day, I buried the wire with new conduit and I installed a new control box from Lowe's and now everything works great.  If I had not checked the wire myself, I would have spend over $1250 and still had bad wiring from the control box to the pump head.
My conclusion is either they are crooked and tried to sell me a new pump when I did not need one, or they are incompetent.  Either way, find another company to service your well.  I gave them a C on price only because they charged what they said they would.  I gave a D on quality only because the wire they provided was decent.

See above: A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have been almost a customer of Smithwick Well Drilling for almost 5 years.
He was used multiple times, about 4 years ago, replacing my 2.5HP in ground pump with a 5HP (that he recommended) in-ground well pump that lasted about 4 years (normally it should last 8-10 years). Nine months ago, he again replaced our pump. The second 5HP pump that Mr Smithwick installed started to show similar symptoms of the first pump(having to reset breaker from time to time since replacement, and gradually got worst the last few months) so I called Mr Smithwick out twice. Each time, he just came over and assumed that my system had a bad Tank, Bad Stop Cycle Valve, Bad Irrigation system, and finally Bad Wire and Breaker going to the pump. Frustrated, I called another company for a second opinion they immediately indicated that they know of Smithwick’s work. They took their time to listen and ran detailed test on my whole electrical system and found NONE of the issues that Mr Smithwick stated I had. They found that my control box had a burnt out relay (Which was a reused part from the first pump that Mr Smithwick installed).
Also, the second technician that came out stated that I should not have been upgraded to a 5HP pump when everything else such as existing pipes and wiring was re-used from the 2.5HP pump that I originally had. The smaller pipe and smaller gauge wiring in effect makes it wasted to have a 5 HP in my well.
Furthermore, my first 5HP motor was tested by the second technician and he indicates there did not appear to be anything wrong with it. It was later hook up to my refurbished control box, and the motor ran fine. This indicates that I got a bad diagnosis and was charged another new pump install for no reason.
Attached is report from the second company:
FURNISHED LABOR, EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS TO INSPECT/REPAIR EXISTING 5HP SUBMERSIBLE PUMP SYSTEM DUE TO PUMP TRIPPING OUT RESET AS PER CUSTOMER. FOUND FAULTY RELAY IN EXISTING CONTROL BOX; FURNISHED AND INSTALLED NEW RELAY.SERVICE TECHNICIAN TESTED EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEM; FOUND NO CYCLING ISSUES. TESTED #12 WIRE GOING FROM WELL TO HOUSE, NO GROUND READING PRESENT. TESTED #14 WIRE GOING DOWN WELL, FOUND NO GROUND READING PRESENT. TESTED OHM READING ON PUMP SHOWED CLOSE TO 5HP. CHECKED AMP READING BEFORE REPLACEMENT OF RELAY: 100AMPS / AFTER REPLACEMENT OF RELAY, AMP READING: 16.5

unknown

After installing the new tank, a separate fitting leading to our water filtration system blew out. Smithwick immediately returned and repaired the fitting at no charge (even though they had not caused the fitting to fail). I am very happy with the service provided and would highly recommend Smithwick.

We had been experiencing low water pressure for years and even though we
had other companies in to take a look at our concerns, Smithwick was
the first to take us seriously and really listen to our issues. They
told us that we needed a new pump and that our well tank (less than 2
years old) was leaking. They had the well pump replaced in less that 2
hours and were back the next morning to replace the tank. We have
fantastic water pressure now and we couldn't be happier. I highly
recommend Smithwick!

The first time my automatic sprinklers activated, the new circuit breaker turned off all water to the house. The same men returned and this time said I needed to have my well dug up and replaced for yet another $1800. Instead, I hired a licensed electrician who inspected everything and replaced the new circuit breaker box with the correct unit. I also hired another professional to inspect/repair all the other work done. At least I got the leak in the pipe fixed.

He comes out in a short period of time, although sometimes it is the next morning if he is already working on someone else with no water. He is very friendly and nice.