well problem

[TheGoose]

I just priced a new pump hoist-they start at $50,000 for a very basic model. A medium equipped one that your typical driller uses is about $75K. The guy who put your pump in for $800 lost money on that job. Typical pump hoist needs two guys to run. You got a decent price.

gauthier, I think you had a jet pump replaced with the footvalve etc. No way anybody could put that pump in at that price.

 

[gauthier]

Why would you think I'm lying? either you are very weak or you have never tried to pull a pump out of a well,[maybe your a well pump puller?],,130 foot down more or less,think it was 1 inch plastic pipe,one man pulled at the well by hand,[just using his hands],another took the end with casing cap[it was a buried well] and also pulled,,5 min,,its out,,

My other well is a regular casing above ground with a pitless,,had it replaced a few years ago,,its about 80-90 ft down,,two men[different company] came screwed a pipe into piteless adaperter,one one guy at well one guy leading off with the end,,no hoists were used in either case.Think they charged about the same,even though the pump wasn't down as far and it was 6 years ago.

Now,they had a hoist,but they didn't use it in either case,,and can't believe the hoist I saw would have even cost 3 grand,let alone what you said.

And yes,they charged me 100-150 bucks labor to pull that pump and put new 3/4 hp goulds pump and hook it up at well after new one was put back[you know 70 bucks an hour ain't bad money most places for using your back, a pickup and a few hand tools.How much do you think they oughta charge for that??

Just passing on a few facts about the people who work pulling well pumps,,some want to charge more than a guy who hires his backhoe out or does dozer work,,they know if you call them,skys the limit for price cause you gotta have water,and some are honest,I found some honest people.

These people by the way,do this for a living,they had a new looked like 3/4-1 ton club cab truck,utility bed,4wd,guy even wrote my bill up on his laptop in back of his truck[musta had a dozen submersable pumps in side box],they hook up all the wells for a local well driller who stays busy all year,,

And neither of my wells use a jet pump,goulds 3/4 subersable pump.

Oh,after rereading your post,you do this for a living sounds like,no wonder you think you should get 400 an hour.

 

[TheGoose]

Just passing on a few facts about the people who work pulling well pumps,,some want to charge more than a guy who hires his backhoe out or does dozer work,,they know if you call them,skys the limit for price cause you gotta have water,and some are honest,I found some honest people.

I can't really make heads or tails of this sentence.

No, I'm not in the well business and have not been in 10 years. But I have pulled many a pump. Sounds like the pump was hung on poly pipe, which changes the game.

Not calling you a liar, sounds like you got a super deal on the pump/labor.

Most well repair people I know are not rich and are are pretty honest. Does not matter if your in a bind for water or not, the price stays the same.

Consider that an average pump hoist costs $75-$80K it is quite a large investment to only get $150 in labor. I understand that sometimes you don't need the pump hoist but back surgery ain't cheap.

Regards.

 

[TheGoose]

Also keep in mind that in different areas the price is also different.

I had a plumber recently out to my house, looked at a problem for me. Nothing was broke loose etc. Just a visual. He had to crawl in the attic for about 10 minutes and look at a drain line. He charged me $85 for a service call.

 

[gauthier]

Well,well,get it,,anyways,since you didn't understand it,will try to say it again and maybe you will,[well],,people who can charge more than their service is actually worth,and get away with it will,thats just human nature for some,those types generally don't stay in bussiness long,some are ethical and charge an honest rate for their services,those stay in bussiness.

When I needed help,[old buried well,hadn't used it in 15-17 years,with pulling and putting a new pump in it],just started calling from phone book,[not many to choose from here in rural w.v.],,there were about 5 advertising,,the one company I had used before,called them,they never called back,next one said[after explaining situation to him],1500 and that was his bottom line,said no,,next one called and at first said 1500,than after 2 min of talking,said maybe 1,000-1,1000,said thought he was to high,,next one[the one who put the new pump in],said maybe 700! and they were the only ones recommended to me by the busiest well driller in this area,said done,he said I was number 20 in line,,two weeks later,,he does the job,does a good job and it was under 900 bucks,[had them do a little extra stuff while they were at it,,and believe labor on reciept was under 200 bucks,3/4 hp goulds pump,at about 130 ft deep.

And I'm sure they make hoists that cost 500,000 dollars,but the one I saw,folded up on back of his truck,couldn't be worth more than a few thousand[like said,they did it by hand,and maybe they had a 50,000 hoist they used for really deep wells?],,,but welders who have rigs worth70-80 grand[or more] and a special skill to go along with it,may be lucky to get 100 bucks or so an hour for them and their rig,,a dozer owner may only get what? 100 an hour or so for operator and dozer?Whats a mid size dozer cost?

So what I'm saying is,a pump putter inner,who wants to charge 300 an hour is taking advantage of a situation.

 

[TheGoose]

There is a very big difference in pulling a pump hung on poly pipe vs. pulling one hung on sch 80 pvc or galvanized pipe that come in 20' joints. Yes, you may be able to pull that pump by hand on polypipe, but you can't do that very easily on 20' sections.

Poly pipe comes in rolls, there are no joints, therefore you can just pull it all out in one section and then coil it on the ground.

I DO NOT recommend hanging a pump on polypipe although I realize that lots of people do.

Every situation is different so you can't just throw a blanket statement out that somebody is over-charging. And you can't compare prices in Rural W.V. to suburban PA etc, it just won't match up.

Glad you let your fingers do the walking and save a few bucks, that's what I recommend everybody do if possible.

 

[gauthier]

Them pumps been hanging on that black plastic pipe for years and years[one probably 20,replaced pump once in that time],the other probably close to 50 years,just replaced pump once myself,but know it had been replaced at least two more times.

Why not the black plastic? torque of motor or something?

Yeah,you can compare prices in different parts of the country,the pumps cost the same,pipe/wire/fittings cost the same,pickups cost the same,gas is close,,about the only thing you got left is how much a fellow charges to do a job,,and even in dc,100 bucks an hour for just labor/handtools/pickup, is about right I'd say.

I know people need to make more in certain areas cause cost of property,,,but say 75 or even a hundred an hour here,should not translate to 300 an hour there. But maybe it does?,thats just one of the reasons I wouldn't live in a place like that.

But,probably 80-90 percent of this country is like here as far as cost[or not far off anyways],it was the 80-90 percent of the country I was talking about,not la,dc,phily,boston,new york city type places,,which might hold a lot of people,but still maybe only 10 percent of the country or less.

But I'll bet you one thing,those men who put my pump in are busy today[and tommorow] putting someone elses pump in,and those two places that called me and wanted 1500 bucks probably are not.

 

[TheGoose]

What has happened to mine is the wire got rubbed through on the inside of the well casing by the slight movement when the pump turns on. There is quite a bit of torque in the pump and it will spin a little when it goes on. By the way my well is 145' deep and all that water in the line is quite heavy!

Next after testing the wires, we have a short in the black. So they are going to have to pull the pump up.

Them pumps been hanging on that black plastic pipe for years and years[one probably 20,replaced pump once in that time],the other probably close to 50 years,just replaced pump once myself,but know it had been replaced at least two more times.

Why not the black plastic? torque of motor or something?


I know people need to make more in certain areas cause cost of property,,,but say 75 or even a hundred an hour here,should not translate to 300 an hour there. But maybe it does?,thats just one of the reasons I wouldn't live in a place like that.

But,probably 80-90 percent of this country is like here as far as cost[or not far off anyways],it was the 80-90 percent of the country I was talking about,not la,dc,phily,boston,new york city type places,,which might hold a lot of people,but still maybe only 10 percent of the country or less.

But I'll bet you one thing,those men who put my pump in are busy today[and tommorow] putting someone elses pump in,and those two places that called me and wanted 1500 bucks probably are not.

And there you go. Two replies on the same thread. Both had black poly pipe, both had bad places in the wire where the pipe/wire had rubbed the casing and allowed the wire to get shorted out. The original pump probably would have lasted another 5 years. Don't bother telling me about torque arrestors, they are the cause of many a hung pump. Sch 80 pvc, brass or stainless couplings, and the wire taped every 10'. You won't have this problem after that, plus it's a lot stronger. Heck I would still hang em all on galvanized if it were my choice.

 

[gauthier]

Well[like saying well],so the reason not to use black plastic is the pump moves the pipe and it rubs the wires on the casing? well,the one well I got that hasn't happened in 20 years,pumps down 80 feet or so I think,,

The other well I havn't used alot,but it hasn't happened there either.

So,,,,from my experience,it is not a problem.

Now there maybe a depth limit to using it[don't know],

 

[gauthier]

If the problem is the electric line rubbing the casing and causing a short,why not put some kinda conduit on electric line to help prevent it instead of using sections of pvc type pipe or metal that require one of those 50,000 grand winches?
They sell plastic or the like conduit,even a water hose over the section of line down to the bottom of casing. Sure they make something that would work and be cheaper than alternative.[if it really is a big problem],like I said,so far,it ain't been with me,could change tommorow I know]..