[JimE]

Victor.

Not much to break in on these types of pumps - only 2 ball bearings - pretty negligable.

Darren.

"As I increased head pressure(closed the valve and increased resistence to flow) the current dropped. I don't know what happens inside all I know is the numbers I have in front of me. The more head pressure the lower the draw"

Exactly. I think someone pointed that out already : )

IME the only way you are going to get an accurate measurement at the low amps is to run directly through the meter - the 87 is rated for 10 amps I think. (double check yourself to settle fears of exploding meters : ) Disconnect a power lead at the motor and stick the meter inline. I dont know what the heck you've been told about measuring separate poles but I think thats BS. Maybe also check the voltage across the line terminals of the motor while running. IME I've also found that the true rms meters give a "false" reading compared to nameplate data in this type of situation. If you have a non-rms meter kicking around maybe see what that says. If you can get the motor manufacturers name plate data thats helpful - need service factor(SF), amps(A), and service factor amps(SFA).

$500 bucks! Yikes. Got to be a cheaper alternative out there.

Steve.

I'll talk more about pump "theory" when I 've got some more time.

Jim