How to replace well pump?

[Richard]

I don't need to replace mine (at least, yet). I'm merely curious.

As I look at my well head, I contemplate the mechanics. My well is maybe 300+ feet deep, my pump itself is at say, 200' and the static water level is at say... 100'.

There is going to be a cable AND some kind of tubing that is attached to the pump.

To start lifting these things out of my 6" casing, you are going to need to twist and bend the wire and more interestingly.... the water pipe.

To make matters even more complicated, again, as I look at my own system, it seems the electricity goes into the well via a piece of conduit, pretty much at the top of the well.

The water itself, seems to come out beneath grade. Does it come through the well casing at 12" below grade...24" below grade?

For conversations, let's not worry about that TOO much and simply say it's 12" (any deeper only complicates my thinking process)

So, as I vision it, you have a pipe that would be about 200' long. It's connected at one end to the pump, goes up the well to this location where it's going to make a 90 degree bend to go through the casing (underground) and over to my house.

How on earth do you pull the water pipe up such that you can create a tight enough bend in it to pull it past itself (at the 12" deep mark)

??

Again, mine is fine, this is simply me being curious about things I am probably better off not being curious about.

 

[heehaw]

an "A" frame over the top of the well is a big help: with a pulley to run the rope thru: an i have used a 55gallon barrel jammed up against the well, for the pipe to go over as it comes out, so it won't be so apt to kink: i am assuming you are using black plastic pipe: as you, or someone, pulls the rope thru the pulley, someone else is backing up with the water pipe or possibly rolling it up as it comes out: which ever is easiest: i have hooked the rope to a vehicle an let someone pull it that way, as long as you stay in really close, quick contact.. i've also pulled them by just hand over hand: up to about 125 ft...in my younger days...go to lowes or home depot, they will have the below grade water line connections an you can see what your dealing with there...
heehaw.

 

[Richard]

Ahhh... well, there's my first problem.

I was presuming the water line was made of something like PVC and not a flexable pipe.

So you basically pull this long 'snake' out of the ground, do what ever you need to do at the pump and feed it back down the mouth of the pipe?

Would you replace the pipe?

Replace the rope?


Again... just asking for conversations sake, my pump is working fine BUT, I realize the day may come.

I also presume having a loader or backhoe might make the hoisting easier or would you suggest it's better to do by hand with a pully ? (more fingertip controll)

 

[Youare]

I have installed my well pump many years ago. I set my pump at 375 feet so it is near what you have.

There should be what is called a pitless adapter at the level the water pipe goes from the well to the house, around here it is at least 5 feet below ground level. There is a tool that looks like a large T-handle with a pipe fitting on one end that screws into the top of the pitless adapter.

The pipe going down to the pump is attached to the pitless adapter. The pitless adapter is a right angle fitting allowing the water to flow from the pump pipe then out through the side of the well casing to the house. When the T-handled tool is screwed into the top of the pitless adapter you can then give it a tug and remove one part of the adapter that has the water pipe connected to it.

Then you can begin to pull the pipe, wire, safety rope, and pump up out of the well. As you pull the pipe you will need some one to stretch out the pipe as it lay along the ground so it does not kink, wrapping it around the house works. Once you start this operation by hand you can not stop until the whole mess it out of the well. Pulling that slimmy pipe hand over hand for 300 feet will take a couple of people unless you have shoulders like the hulk.

The pump people have a three wheeld afair that sets on top of the well casing that is powered by an electric motor that drives the pipe and pump right up out of the well, all you need is someone to stretch out the pipe as it comes out of the well.

When I put my pump in I had a part of vice grips that have a pipe fitting welded to the jaws then cut in half. The inside diameter of the pipe fitting was a little smaller than the plastic well pipe. When we had to stop pulling or pushing the pipe we could clamp the vice grips on the pipe and rest it on the well casing.

You may be able to rent the machine that pulls the plastic well pipe. Check you wire going along the pipe over time the wire rubs on the pipe and itself and will chafe a bare spot through the insulation. Replace the nylon safety rope. You will need a splice kit for the underwater connection to the pump.

To have this done professionally should take about 3 hours, it will take you all day. The well should be shocked with at least a quart of bleach after everything is put back in.

Randy

 

[jayste]

while mine doesn't have a pitless adapter I do have PVC. It's 20' joints with collars that attach each joint. When I pull mine I use a 2X8 board thats long enough to span the casing say 10-12" long and I cut a slot in it that will just fit the OD of the tubing but not let the collar go by(some folks call this a slip block). My son and I will pull ours and its about 180'. As we are pulling it up we raise it high enough to get the collar up out of the casing, slide the board over the tubing and let it rest on top of the casing. At this time we unscrew the top joint out of the collar and lay it on the ground. Repeat for the remainder of joints all the while keeping a hold of the well rope that it tied to the pump. Our wires are just taped to the side of the tubing with black tape. Reverse procedure when installing back in well.

Jay

 

[moeh1]

2 or 3 folks pull 125' feet by hand here without any issue. Thats the average depth here. Down the road a mile it is more like what you have, and 200' worth is doable but quite heavy. If you have the black flex pipe and a round bale and a tractor handy, you can pull the pump slowly that way by wrapping it over a bale to keep from kinking. If you have rigid pipe, the other guys have described it, plus the wiring at the top, you'll need the submersible shrink crimp kit for a new pump. I've read that the average live of a submersible is like 8 years, hoping that author was wrong, or I'm on borrowed time....

 

[emmy71]

I've read that the average live of a submersible is like 8 years, hoping that author was wrong, or I'm on borrowed time....

I hope that's wrong because that is about how long ago I helped my dad replace his. And when I say helped that means I pulled the pump and he wired up the new one.

Terry

 

[dex3361]

My Red Jacket pump 1/2 HP with Black poly pipe has been in for 22 years and I have been on pump watch for 7 years if it dies I will install the same pump back in. I have only pulled it out 1 time and I used a 100 galvanized t handle to screw into the pitless adapter to begin the pull.

 

[tommu56]

here is how i pulle d my pump to lower it

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/b...tan-winch.html

thread 12

tom

ps what up with all the pump Questions today?

 

[RobertN]

We have a 450' well, pump at 425'. We have black poly pipe. Was here when the well company replaced the pump.

They had a car rim mounted on a frame so it could rotate. They pulled the pipe up about 8', letting it ride over that rotating rim so the poly pip did not kink. Then the put a rope around the top of the poly pipe and well"head". There was an existing rope in the wheel, they tied to it too. Then, they drove 425' pulling the whole shabang out.

We had two issues; one a broken wire, and two, a 10 year old pump in bad shape.