TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to well systems and, more particularly, to an Internet-enabled well management system.

BACKGROUND

A well system generally includes a water pump that draws water from a well to a plumbing system of a structure. A pressure tank is often utilized to provide water under pressure to the plumbing system to supplement the water pump and also to allow the water pump to run intermittently. Even when the pump is capable of meeting demand, a continuously running pump may have a shorter operational lifetime.

A pressure switch enables the well pump to operate intermittently while also ensuring that the system maintains pressure. The pressure switch is a device that opens and closes an electrical contact based on a water pressure acting against an input of the pressure switch. The pressure switch is configured to close the electrical contact, and therefore activate the pump, when the pressure acting against the input falls to a predetermined cut-in pressure. Similarly, the pressure switch is configured to open the electrical contact (i.e. turn off the pump) when the pressure acting against the input rises to a predetermined cut-out pressure.

A pressure switch merely maintains a system pressure within a configured range and does not provide any pump protection. In addition, physical inspection of the well system (i.e. the pressure tank and/or pump) is required in order to ascertain a status and/or make system adjustments.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A simplified summary is provided herein to help enable a basic or general understanding of various aspects of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments that follow in the more detailed description and the accompanying drawings. This summary is not intended, however, as an extensive or exhaustive overview. Instead, the sole purpose of the summary is to present some concepts related to some exemplary non-limiting embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description of the various embodiments that follow.

In various, non-limiting embodiments, a well management system provides Internet-enabled monitoring, configuration, and control of a well system that may include a pump and a pressure tank. A controller is operatively coupled to the pump that moves a fluid from a source to a distribution system. The controller can incorporate or be communicatively coupled to a pressure sensor that measures a fluid pressure of the system. The controller controls the pump based on pressure readings from the sensor to maintain a configured pressure range within the system.

The controller can communicate with a management system via a communications network. The management system is further in communication with one or more client devices, which may be associated with a homeowner, a service provider, a manufacturer, or the like. Via the management system, the client devices can receive information from the controller and send commands to the controller.

These and other embodiments are described in more detail below.

