How to replace well pump?

[Highbeam]

I recently pulled a 275' deep pump connected with black poly. The install was only a few years old and the reason was that the wires had chaffed the well casing and a short circuit developed. We had a whole group of guys to trade off lifting and also to lay the pipe out on the ground.

The pitless adapter only very slightly protrudes into the well casing once you lift the black poly pipe out of it. The wires will have a wire nut right at the well cap so you can disconnect the circuit at the poly pipe when you begin.

Be sure to zip tie or even tape the wires at regular intervals against the poly pipe to prevent the rubbing.

Some wells in my area use galvanized iron pipe and those buggers are heavy. We pull those 20 feet at a time with a boom truck and then unthread the section, repeat.

The pump will be heavy to pull up since that long poly pipe is full of water. There is a lot of water in a two hundred foot long pipe. The water will mostly drain out as you raise the pump so it will be much easier to drop the pump down. Plus gravity helps.

Don't drop the pump. Some well setups will allow you to drop the pump and not be able to retrieve it.

[dmccarty]

How "bendable" is the black pipe?

I want to build a well house and one of my concerns is being able to pull the pump. I know some people who have fixed well houses with very little space inside. They have maybe 8 feet to the ceiling and a standard size door in front of the well. One well is very old maybe 75-100 years old and the other is 20ish years old.

I sure do not want to build a well house, say 12x12, and then have to tear it apart to repair the pump.

I THINK we have the black pipe for the well. I know its the supply to the house from the well. One of the things I did not get to see what the well drilling on our well.

Later,
Dan

[tommu56]

The black 1" poly pipe comes in a roll about 3- 4 ft in diameter from the factory once you open it up you can bend it in a 5' diameter with out any problem.

As for pulling a solid pipe a friend of mine had that issue we put a 2' piece of 4" pvc pipe through roof with a boot flashed to roof and a pipe cap on when we were done.

tom

[beenthere]

Had to pull my pump last summer. It hung on the galvanized pipe, and put it back with 20+' sections of special plastic well pipe with threaded male/female fittings on ends. Pump sits about 275' in a 320' well.

Here is shot of rig for pulling, and one of putting the plastic back down. Shows the clamp for holding the plastic pipe. Getting ready to put the well head on. I don't have the pitless setup, but instead what they call a Morrison head.

[Highbeam]

Ha! I've seen "skylights" put into well houses for this reason too. The black poly is very flexible even when cold. You will easily be able to stand on the ground and pull the pump with the hose going right over your shoulder so if you can stand up in the well house comfortably then you can get the hose out.

The real height consideration is the tool that you use to remove the pipe from the pitless adapter. Some of these adapters are 5' below grade so you need a 6' long metal tool to pluck it out of the well. As you raise the tool you will need clearance to lift the tool straight up for the 6 or so feet above your casing. Our pitless adapters are only 2-3 feet below grade (freeze depth) so it's not that big of a deal.

Most folks build a pumphouse beside the well that houses the pump tanks and controls. You don't really need the well itself inside the building.

[BryanMA]

wrt flexibility of the black plastic - we had a wellhead inside an addition in our home (under a trap door in the floor). It was flexible enough that it could be pulled and sent out a window in the room and across the backyard.

Another question you asked was about replacing the pipe. When the pump turns on and off, it can torque the end of the pipe. If the pipe finally cracks, the pump will run a lot as it is just recirculating the water back into the well. Sometimes people don't notice this problem until they get their electric bill. Around here, when people replace the pump, they always replace the pipe as well, although the new flexible black plastic piping can last for a long time.

[Highbeam]

There's a device called a torque arrestor that you install near the pump that prevents the twist from transferring to the pipe. It's like a split rubber football thing that clamps onto the black pipe and fits snugly to the casing. Another benefit is that the pump and wires are centered in the casing. The movement of the whole system is what chaffs wires.

[moeh1]

Highbeam is right on target with the torque arrestor. In addition, they also have some white plastic spacers that go over the pipe about every 20 feet to keep the whole pipe centered in the well. These have a spot to snap the wires in to keep them from getting whipped around. I got mine at Graingers years ago.

[turnkey4099]

Originally Posted by moeh1

Highbeam is right on target with the torque arrestor. In addition, they also have some white plastic spacers that go over the pipe about every 20 feet to keep the whole pipe centered in the well. These have a spot to snap the wires in to keep them from getting whipped around. I got mine at Graingers years ago.

re: torque arresters. I know about them but have always wondered how you pull the well with them in there. If they are tight enough to keep the pump from twisting it would also be too tight to pull up. Are they removable somehow?

Harry K

[turnkey4099]

Originally Posted by dmccarty

How "bendable" is the black pipe?

I want to build a well house and one of my concerns is being able to pull the pump. I know some people who have fixed well houses with very little space inside. They have maybe 8 feet to the ceiling and a standard size door in front of the well. One well is very old maybe 75-100 years old and the other is 20ish years old.

I sure do not want to build a well house, say 12x12, and then have to tear it apart to repair the pump.

I THINK we have the black pipe for the well. I know its the supply to the house from the well. One of the things I did not get to see what the well drilling on our well.

Later,
Dan

Just my opinion but...

Why build a well house? Put the pressure tank and pump controls in the house or someother heated place. Accomplishes two things. All the normal maintenance items are easily accessible without crawling into a hole in the ground and there is no problem with freezing temps. Here, everyong I know with a well house has to keep a light burning 24/7 all winter to keep the tank from freezing. That tank does not have to be right at the well head.

As to access to pull the well. Either a 'skylight' set up or a removable roof - I have seen both.

Harry K