Yikes! Well pump replaced.

[8N Ren]

Alan that's an ouch! I have to get a new well drilled, booking the guy today, seems anything well related costs a ton, but it's really hard to live without. I soon will feel your pain. Hope the new hardware works as it should for a longtime.

 

[Equipmentpro99]

Alan that's an ouch! I have to get a new well drilled, booking the guy today, seems anything well related costs a ton, but it's really hard to live without. I soon will feel your pain. Hope the new hardware works as it should for a longtime.

If you can find someone with an old cable tool (or hammer) drill rig. They are slow and cost a little more per foot but they dont always have to go as deep. A rotary rig uses a type of drilling mud that can seal up smaller veins of water, so the driller misses it and keeps going deeper and anytime you go deeper everything costs more, pump, wire, well, etc..... A cable rig just uses water to drill so even if theres a small amount of water in the well the driller will notice it. The only downside is some areas a cable rig cant drill because of limestone, granite etc so then your stuck with a rotary rig.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Are the days longer in Kentucky? :laughing:

Yep we are on daylight expanding time.

 

[8N Ren]

If you can find someone with an old cable tool (or hammer) drill rig. They are slow and cost a little more per foot but they dont always have to go as deep. A rotary rig uses a type of drilling mud that can seal up smaller veins of water, so the driller misses it and keeps going deeper and anytime you go deeper everything costs more, pump, wire, well, etc..... A cable rig just uses water to drill so even if theres a small amount of water in the well the driller will notice it. The only downside is some areas a cable rig cant drill because of limestone, granite etc so then your stuck with a rotary rig.

No outfits like that in these parts unfortunately.
Alan how the set up so far?

 

[TheGoose]

Seriously, why do you need such a large pump? Even if the static was close to the TD I'm still not sure you need a 5-HP. I would think that a 3 or possibly a 2-HP would be enough.

Do you know your static level? What is the make/model of the new pump?

2005 was $2500.

2014 $5,672.34.

500 foot well, 5HP 20gpm pump, motor, and control box replaced. After the job was done I asked what if I put a 10 gpm pump, maybe a 2HP? Would have saved $2,000. Not sure I could tell any difference.

 

[Ranger Rick]

2005 was $2500.

2014 $5,672.34.

500 foot well, 5HP 20gpm pump, motor, and control box replaced. After the job was done I asked what if I put a 10 gpm pump, maybe a 2HP? Would have saved $2,000. Not sure I could tell any difference.

You may have saved money if you bought the 10 gpm pump but it looks like you would have low water pressure and less 10 gpm because of the depth of the pump in the well. I found this chart on the web when I searched on "size submersible well pump" Performance Chart for GS Stainless Steel Series, 4", 3 Wire, 10GPM, 2HP, 230V, Submersible Pump The blue area is for a 2hp 10 gpm pump. At 500 feet you would get 9.9 gpm at 20 psi. That is a little low for me. If the pressure is increased to 40 psi the flow rate decreases. I think your well driller sold you a pump that would give you the amount of water you needed and the pressure you need to use the water because of the depth of your well.
Our water in the country is expensive to get and maintain. Hopefully you will not have to replace it again anytime soon.

 

[Jstpssng]

Yep we are on daylight expanding time.

That must be nice... I've always said thay I might get everything done if the days were just 8 hours longer.
U

 

[Alan L.]

Yes it does 20 easy 24/7. Original pump was a 25 and no problem there either. Driller says it it probably producing 35 or so. It is servicing my house, but I also have a 2 bedroom apt in my metal building and we are constantly watering something in the summer, sometimes several hoses going at once. They charged me a little extra because they got their rig stuck for 2 days, plus the guys had to come out 2 different days. Labor was $1600 which seems a little high. Two guys maybe 7 hours each, plus the service rig. The pump/motor/control box was about $3500 by itself.

 

[Alan L.]

If you can find someone with an old cable tool (or hammer) drill rig. They are slow and cost a little more per foot but they dont always have to go as deep. A rotary rig uses a type of drilling mud that can seal up smaller veins of water, so the driller misses it and keeps going deeper and anytime you go deeper everything costs more, pump, wire, well, etc..... A cable rig just uses water to drill so even if theres a small amount of water in the well the driller will notice it. The only downside is some areas a cable rig cant drill because of limestone, granite etc so then your stuck with a rotary rig.

The formation here is well known and they tell me you have to get past the first couple of pockets to get good water. The more shallow water is heavy on iron and sulphur.

 

[Alan L.]

Seriously, why do you need such a large pump? Even if the static was close to the TD I'm still not sure you need a 5-HP. I would think that a 3 or possibly a 2-HP would be enough.

Do you know your static level? What is the make/model of the new pump?

I don't know what the new one is, but the old one was Berkeley model L20P4JMGS-03, Franklin motor. The new one is Berkeley and looks exactly the same so I would assume it is basically the same. When the well was first drilled I was not given the option of what size pump - the driller says he matches the pump to the well production and at the time that was 25 gpm. Then they just replaced it with what was in it both times it has been replaced. I should have gotten on here and asked about what I'd be giving up going with a smaller pump BEFORE calling them out to fix it. Also should have discussed the cost up front, but frankly i was so tired of taking a bath in a gallon jug of Dollar General spring water I would have paid nearly anything to get the water flowing.