In many villages, 3 phase power for pump sets comes in shifts, often late at night, and the timing changes from week to week. So farmers wait up, walk to the borewell in the dark or the rain, switch the motor on, and walk back again to switch it off. Night power is also when motors burn most easily: every pump in the village starts at once, the voltage drops, a phase goes missing, or the borewell runs dry while you are asleep. Here is how to run your borewell on night power without going to the field, and without burning your motor.
Why 3 phase power comes at night
Farm feeders get only a few hours of 3 phase supply a day. The state has promised farmers 7 hours a day, but in many areas it comes in shorter shifts. Your ESCOM (BESCOM, HESCOM, GESCOM, MESCOM or CESC) splits these hours into day and night shifts, and often rotates them between villages every week. That is why one week the power comes in the afternoon and the next week at midnight. The exact timing depends on your feeder.
You can’t change when the power comes. You can change who switches the motor on and off: you, walking to the field, or your starter, by itself and from your phone.
Why night power is risky for your motor
Night supply is not just inconvenient. It is when most of the causes of motor burning come together:
| What happens at night | What it does to your motor | What a BTCO starter does |
|---|---|---|
| Every pump in the village starts at once when power comes | Voltage drops, the motor pulls more current and heats up | Waits a few seconds (start delay) before starting, and trips on current if the voltage fluctuation pushes it too high |
| A fuse blows or a jumper burns on the line | One phase is missing. The motor runs on two phases and can burn in minutes | Stops the motor at once and shows Mains Problem (single phasing protection) |
| The pump runs for hours while you sleep | The borewell water level drops below the pump and the motor runs dry | Shows Dry Run Trip, stops the motor, and tries again after the dry restart time you set (dry run protection) |
| Power cuts and comes back several times | Someone has to switch the motor on again each time | Starts the motor again by itself when the power returns |
| Heavy load on the line all night | The motor pulls too much current and overheats | Trips on overload before the winding burns |
The answer comes in three steps. Each one saves you another walk to the field.
Step 1: A fully automatic starter switches the motor on when power comes
A fully automatic starter starts the motor by itself when the 3 phase power comes, at 2 a.m. or any other time, and starts it again after every power cut. Every BTCO starter is fully automatic. It waits a few seconds after the power returns before starting, so your motor doesn’t start in the middle of the voltage dip when the whole village switches on.
One thing to know: if the starter stopped because of a supply fault (Mains Problem, for example a missing phase), it starts the motor again by itself only if the starter’s auto switch is ON.
Step 2: A timer switches it off when the field has enough water
Automatic start alone means the motor runs until the power goes. With a starter with timer, the motor runs only for the hours you choose and then stops by itself, so the field doesn’t flood and the borewell doesn’t run dry by morning.
- Normal timer: runs for set hours, then stops.
- Cyclic timer: ON for a while, OFF for a while, again and again. On a weak borewell, the OFF time lets the water level come back up.
- RTC timer: starts at the same clock time every day, up to two sessions a day.
Power cut in the middle of a timer run? The timer carries on when the power comes back and runs the motor only for the balance time, so the field gets the water you planned and the motor doesn’t run longer than you wanted.
Step 3: A mobile starter tells you when power comes, and lets you switch from home
A mobile starter is the last step: you stay at home, and the starter at the borewell talks to your phone. Fit the BTCO GSM Module (4G) to your BTCO starter and you can:
- Know the moment power comes or goes. Alerts arrive on your phone when the power is cut and when it comes back, so you never have to wait up or guess.
- Switch the motor ON or OFF from your bed, with the free BTCO Starters app or by SMS from any phone.
- Know why the motor stopped. Every trip comes to your phone with the reason, for example Dry Run Trip or Mains Problem, so you know whether you need to go to the field at all.
- Set and change timers from the app, including the Scheduler, which gives each day of the week its own timing. Useful when the power shift changes every week.
- Check the voltage and current on each phase, and see 7 days of motor logs.
- Add family members as users, so whoever is awake can switch the pump.
Weak internet in your village at night? SMS control works on the ordinary mobile network, without internet. There is no missed-call control: BTCO mobile starters work with the app and SMS.
The phone switches the motor; the starter keeps it from burning
Switching from your phone is only half the job. At night nobody is watching the pump, so the protection inside the starter matters even more. In a BTCO mobile starter, the starter keeps every protection working all night, whether the motor was started by the power coming, by a timer or from your phone: dry run, single phasing, overload, voltage fluctuation, earth fault and cable faults. If anything goes wrong, it stops the motor before it burns and tells you why. See every protection in our submersible motor protection guide.
Which BTCO starter do you need for night power?
Every BTCO starter is fully automatic and can become a mobile starter with the GSM Module. Pick the starter for your motor:
Already have a BTCO starter? If it was bought in January 2024 or later, you can add the GSM Module to it. If it is older, call us or your dealer first and we will check. Not sure which starter your motor needs? Answer a few questions in the starter finder.
Frequently asked questions
What time does 3 phase power come for farmers in Karnataka?
It depends on your ESCOM and your feeder. Farm feeders get a few hours of 3 phase supply a day, split into day and night shifts, and the shifts are often rotated between villages every week. A mobile starter sends an alert to your phone when the power comes, so you don’t need to know the timing in advance.
Will my motor start by itself when the power comes at night?
Yes, with a fully automatic starter. Every BTCO starter starts the motor by itself when the 3 phase power comes, after a short start delay, and starts it again after every power cut. After a Mains Problem trip, such as a missing phase, it restarts by itself only if the starter’s auto switch is ON.
How can I switch my borewell motor on from home at night?
Fit the BTCO GSM Module (4G) to your BTCO starter. You can then switch the motor ON or OFF with the free BTCO Starters app or by SMS from any phone, get an alert when the power comes or goes, and see why the motor stopped.
Does the mobile starter work if there is no internet in my village?
Yes. SMS control works on the ordinary mobile network, without internet, so you can switch the motor ON or OFF and check its status by SMS. The app needs internet on your phone. There is no missed-call control.
What happens to the timer if the power goes off at night?
The timer carries on. When the power comes back, the starter runs the motor only for the balance time that was left, so the field gets the planned water and the motor doesn’t run longer than you set.
Why do motors burn more on night power?
When the power comes, every pump in the village starts at once and the voltage drops, so motors pull more current. Fuses blow and phases go missing, and the borewell can run dry while the pump runs unwatched for hours. A BTCO starter trips on current and protects against single phasing, dry run and overload, so it stops the motor before it burns.
Can I add mobile control to my existing starter?
If you have a BTCO starter bought in January 2024 or later, you can add the BTCO GSM Module to it. For older BTCO starters, call us or your dealer first and we will check.
Stop walking to the field at night
Call or WhatsApp us with your motor’s HP and your power supply, and tell us when your power usually comes. We’ll suggest the right BTCO starter, timer and GSM Module. Read more about the BTCO mobile starter, compare every model on our submersible pump starters page, or visit your nearest BTCO Starters dealer.
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