Well pump cable, flat and round
Submersible pump cable buyers in New York
Well pump cable spends its life underwater in a steel casing, which is why the jacket matters more than the gauge and why pulled cable is almost never reusable.
Sell this cable
Send the construction, size and footage. Photographs can follow.
Prefer to talk? 614-715-3047 · saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com
Submersible pump cable is a 600 V flexible cable, normally 14 to 6 AWG, in flat or round construction, with two, three or four conductors depending on the pump and control arrangement. Flat cable fits between the drop pipe and the casing wall. Value depends on copper, length and jacket condition; cable pulled from a well is usually recovery material because the jacket and insulation have been wet for years.
Two-wire, three-wire and what the extra conductor does
A two-wire pump has the starting and running circuitry built into the motor, so the cable only needs to carry power down and let the pump run. A three-wire pump uses a control box at the surface with a start capacitor and relay, and the third conductor is the start winding lead that the box switches in and out. Add the equipment ground and a three-wire installation needs four conductors in the cable, which is why 'three-wire' and 'four-wire' are used loosely in the trade to describe the same thing.
That distinction decides what a coil can be used for. A part coil of 10/3 with ground will suit a deep-set pump with a control box; a 12/2 with ground will only suit a two-wire pump. A seller who knows which configuration is on the spool saves a buyer a measurement, and a buyer who is told 'well cable, about 200 ft' will price the coil as a guess.
Why the cable is flat, and where it runs
Flat construction exists for clearance. In a residential well the pump hangs on a drop pipe inside a casing that may be only a few inches larger than the pump, and a round cable bundle will not pass the pump or the torque arrestor without chafing. Flat cable lays against the drop pipe and is secured with tape or cable guards at intervals down the well, and the flat profile keeps the overall diameter small enough to fit.
Round cable appears in larger bores, in irrigation and municipal wells, and where the cable is run in conduit rather than strapped to the pipe. Both constructions carry the same 600 V rating and the same conductors; the difference is mechanical. In New York the flat version dominates residential and farm wells across the Catskills, the Adirondack edges, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier, and round cable turns up in agricultural and municipal work.
| Configuration | Typical pump | Where it is used | Value note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/2 with ground | Shallow jet or small submersible | Cottage and camp wells | Small copper content, common |
| 12/2 with ground | Two-wire submersible | Residential wells to moderate depth | The most common residential size |
| 10/2 with ground | Two-wire, deeper set | Deeper residential wells | Better copper value |
| 10/3 with ground | Three-wire with control box | Deep residential and farm wells | Four conductors, higher value |
| 8/3 with ground | Three-wire, large pump | Farm and light irrigation | Best value in the family |
| 6/3 with ground | Large irrigation and municipal | Agricultural and municipal wells | Heavy, usually on a reel |
Water is the whole story
Cable that has hung in a well for fifteen years has been wet for fifteen years. The jacket protects the insulation, but the jacket itself is abraded where it was taped to the drop pipe, pinched at the pitless adapter, and stretched when the pump was pulled. Water enters at those points, and once it is inside the assembly the insulation absorbs moisture and the conductors corrode. A length that looks sound on the outside can have black copper and swollen insulation a few feet in.
That is why pulled well cable is nearly always recovery material, and why the honest description matters. New surplus on a spool, or a part spool from a job where the well was shallower than expected, is a different product and can be reused. Pulled cable is copper in a wet jacket. Photographs of a stripped end and of the jacket at the pump end tell a buyer almost everything.
- The spool or coil label, with size, conductor count and footage
- A stripped end showing conductor color and any corrosion
- The jacket along its length, especially crush and abrasion points
- Whether the cable is flat or round, and the conductor count
- Whether it is new surplus or was pulled from a well
Specification
What a buyer needs to know about this cable
Every row below changes what a lot is worth. If the reel tag is gone, the jacket print and a cut end usually answer most of it.
Missing detail is not a problem — say what is missing and the review works from photographs.
| Type | Submersible pump cable for well and borehole service |
|---|---|
| Voltage rating | 600 V |
| Size range | 14 AWG through 6 AWG |
| Configurations | Two, three and four conductor; flat or round |
| Insulation | PVC or polyethylene with a jacket over the assembly |
| Use environment | Wet location, continuously submerged, inside a well casing |
| Related code | NEC Article 430 for motor circuits and Article 250 for grounding |
| Typical New York sizes | 12/2 and 10/2 for shallow pumps, 10/3 and 8/3 for deeper sets with a control box |
Constructions
Well cable lots we review
The family is small and seasonal, and most lots are either a pump installer's surplus or a pulled length.
Installer part spools
Part spools of 12/2 and 10/3 from a pump installer, stored dry and labelled. The best category, and often reusable.
Over-ordered job spools
Spools bought for a deep well that turned out shallower, still banded. Full-length cable with a known rating.
Pulled well cable
Cable removed when a pump was replaced. Wet, abraded and usually recovery material, though the copper is sound.
Farm and irrigation lengths
8/3 and 6/3 from agricultural wells, often on a reel and in better condition than residential pulls.
Mixed gauge coils
Several part coils from a installer's van. Worth sorting by configuration, since two-wire and three-wire cable are not interchangeable.
New York
Submersible pump cable in the New York market
Outside the cities, New York runs on wells. The Catskills, the Adirondack foothills, the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier and the rural parts of the Hudson Valley all depend on private wells, and every pump replacement produces a length of cable that comes up with the pump. Farm and irrigation wells add larger sizes, and municipal wellfields add round cable in conduit.
The supply is seasonal and local. Pump installers replace most pumps between spring and autumn, and the cable accumulates in their vans and shops until someone clears it out. That makes lots small and mixed, and it makes the description more important than the volume: a spool of 10/3 with ground and 180 ft left is a useful thing to a local installer, while a wet coil of 12/2 pulled from a well is copper.
What helps a New York lot move
- Conductor count and whether a ground conductor is included
- Flat or round construction, and the size
- Footage remaining, and whether the spool is original
- Whether the cable is new surplus or was pulled from a well
- Condition of the jacket at the pump end, where abrasion shows
Seller questions
Questions sellers ask
What is the difference between 2-wire and 3-wire well pump cable?
A two-wire pump has its starting components built into the motor, so the cable carries power and ground only. A three-wire pump uses a control box at the surface, and the third conductor is the start winding lead. With the ground included, a three-wire installation uses four conductors in the cable.
Why is well pump cable flat?
To fit inside the casing. A flat cable lies against the drop pipe and passes the pump, the torque arrestor and the pitless adapter without chafing, which a round bundle of the same conductors would not. Round cable is used in larger bores and where the cable runs in conduit.
Can cable pulled from a well be reused?
Rarely. It has been wet for years, the jacket is abraded where it was taped to the pipe, and water has usually reached the insulation. It is bought on its copper content and priced as recovery rather than as cable. New surplus and part spools that were never installed are a different product and can be reused.
What gauge is used for a residential well pump?
Most residential submersible pumps use 12/2 or 10/2 with ground for a two-wire pump, and 10/3 or 8/3 with ground where a control box is used. The size is set by the motor current, the depth and the voltage drop over the run, not by the cable alone.
Do you buy small quantities of well cable?
Yes, and small lots are normal in this family. A single part spool of 10/3 with ground and a known length can be worth a review, though freight usually means it is collected with other material from the same area.
Keep reading
Related pages
- USE-2 cable buyersDirect-burial single conductor for the run to the wellhead
- SOOW cord buyersThe other wet-location flexible cable
- Copper wire buyersWhere pulled well cable ends up
- URD cable buyersUtility-side underground distribution
- Contractor leftover buyersSmall installer lots
- Water damaged cable buyersCable that has been submerged
Next step
Send the lot details
Include the storage city, how it is stored and what can reach it. If you have photographs of reel tags or jacket print, send them with the enquiry.
Send the lot
One desk reviews every lot that arrives.
Prefer to talk? 614-715-3047 · saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com