120v submersible pump for a 2" well casing

[JCoastie]

I am on city water, but live rural USA in hurricane country and like to be prepared with alternatives.
When my house was being built, the previous owners had an RV on site and they had a well installed, everything was cut off when they left. It is only a 2 inch well casing, and I do not plan on changing that. The well is fairly far from the house, and in an emergency the house will be powered by my 240v generator, but there is a 120v outlet not too far from the well that I can supply power to. As I recall, water was about 70 feet down when I tested it a few years ago, at this point I don't know the total depth, but I'll get those details in the near future. So I am looking for suggestions on a 120v submersible pump that will fit and work well within a 2 inch well casing. This would only be for emergency use.

 

[ArlyA]

Are you sure the well casing is only 2". Seems kind of small..

 

[JCoastie]

Are you sure the well casing is only 2". Seems kind of small..

yes

 

[Doofy]

They do make Submersible Pumps for 2" casings...Google on eBay.

 

[JCoastie]

that one is 220v, but I do see a 120v option 2" (50mm) 110V Submersible 0.5HP Bore Water Pump Deep Well Pump Farm Watering | eBay

Seems reviews of 2" pumps are pretty bad, so ideally the source would be from somewhere returnable, vs ebay, or if someone has personal experience with a specific seller/pump combo.

The one I linked above, lists as 120v, but the sticker shows 220v/50hz which is an overseas setup, and that's what a lot of reviews of the type said on amazon too. Selling overseas 2" pumps here that don't really work.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Drop a well point and use a Deep Well Jet Pump.

2" submersible deep pump requires bigger than 2" casing, I would think.

 

[Doofy]

A submersible would be ideal. I would imagine it would need to be a low-volume pump since there is not much storage capacity in a 2" casing. Build your own air-operated pump to try. Cheapest route to go.

 

[ning]

Also, get the water in the well tested before you go too far down this path.

 

[Tinhack]

A submersible would be ideal. I would imagine it would need to be a low-volume pump since there is not much storage capacity in a 2" casing. Build your own air-operated pump to try. Cheapest route to go.

That's for sure--Less than 21ozs. per foot.

Was it a wind mill well? That's the only well type around with a 2" casing.

 

[ponytug]

You could use an air lift pump to get water onto the surface an into a tank. Basically, you put a small air line down to below the water line and bubble up the water with the air bubbles. Having a narrow pipe works in your favor, but you need a way to collect the water from the air spray at the surface. You need to "tune" the air volume for maximum water yield.

All the best,

Peter

 

[JCoastie]

never heard of an air lift pump before. Saw a few videos on youtube and that looks like a good emergency solution.
Would I need to run a smaller water line, like a 1.25 or so along with a 1/2 or 3/4 air line, or would the 2" well casing be fine with a 1/2 or 3/4 air line?

 

[Doofy]

Never tried constructing a small air powered water lift pump but I did make a 4" one for mucking out my well. I used standard 1/4" air hose to provide the air. I blew out a lot of sand and debris.

 

[ponytug]

never heard of an air lift pump before. Saw a few videos on youtube and that looks like a good emergency solution.
Would I need to run a smaller water line, like a 1.25 or so along with a 1/2 or 3/4 air line, or would the 2" well casing be fine with a 1/2 or 3/4 air line?

Well, it depends a bit on how high the yield is on your well, and how big your compressor is. If they are both small, yes, I think you would benefit from running a smaller pipe, but I would try it out first and then decide. As I wrote earlier, you have to "tune" these pumps a bit.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Egon]

If it’s for emergency purposes only consider one of the original hand pumps that have a sucker rod and a down hole pump.

 

[JCoastie]

Just as the initial test, do I need 2 pipes, one for water and one for air, or can I just pump air down the well and water will come up? Seems like the air would just bubble out and not force water up with just an air pipe and nothing else?

 

[JCoastie]

Not great news on the well front, I measured it this morning.
Water is at 53 feet
End of well is 66 feet

Not much distance between the water level and bottom. On a positive note, it seems clean at the bottom, and it hasn't been used in about 15 years.

 

[ponytug]

If you use a separate water pipe, then you would need a port or an elbow to get the air into the water pipe. Ideally, the open end of the air pipe is a few feet up from the bottom of your water pipe, so it stays "primed", and the bottom of the water pipe is a few feet up from the bottom of the well. You could put a hole in the side of the water pipe and stuff the air line in, or you could rig up an elbow. My concern is the small diameter casing doesn't give lots of room, and you don't want anything to snag.

Does that help?

All the best,

Peter

 

[Doofy]

Probably not enough volume for an air/water type pump. An old fashioned pitcher pump just might be the way to go.

 

[fried1765]

Probably not enough volume for an air/water type pump. An old fashioned pitcher pump just might be the way to go.

A "pitcher pump" will not even come close to sucking water up from 53'.
An old fashioned rod pump will do that though.
I have a functioning rod pump with static water level level at 36'

 

[Doofy]

There are manual pumps that will pump down to 100'.