Well problem. Worth $2300?

[aczlan]

Seeing a trend of people who have had pumps died because the well ran dry.
I strongly recommend replacing your pressure switch with one that has a low pressure cutout.
It costs a few bucks more, but if the pressure in your system drops below 20 psi it shuts down the pump. to start it back up you hold up a little lever on the side until it gets above 20 psi.

It's a whole lot cheaper than a new pump.

Aaron Z

 

[dodge man]

I’m pretty sure it didn’t run dry, I was using when it quit, it just slowly ran out of water. The guy told me the new pump has the pressure switch built in. No we’ll house either, it’s just the casing sticking about 2 feet above ground and within 7 feet of my paved driveway.

 

[TnAndy]

New 3 wire 3/4hp pump and control box $469 free shipping

Red Lion RL12G07-3W2V 12 GPM 3/4 HP Deep Well Submersible Pump 3-Wire 230V w/ Control Box

They aren't hard to pull. I've done mine (220'), neighbors (350'), another neighbors (180') using the front loader on the tractor to lift the pipe, the clamp the pipe at the well head so you can lower the loader to get another 'bite', and unscrew the pipe (we use sch 40 screw end PVC here) when you get to a joint. Repeat until the pump comes out. Not that hard a job for two guys.

 

[fruitcakesa]

The 1/2 hp 120v deep well pump quit the February before last. It was 25 years old. I first tried a new control box but no go.
Then I followed the procedure to electrically test the pump while it was still the 200 feet down in the well and that showed that the pump was bad.
I called a local well driller and within an hour 2 guys showed up in a company truck with a hoist and a reel type device that pulled the pump out of the well.
They of course had arrived with a 3/4 hp 220v pump with attached control. Luckily the basement subpanel was close enough and had 2 open spaces to insert a 220 v breaker.
2 hours after they had arrived, the deed was done. Total for everything was $1100. Seems like I got a good deal compared to some of you others.

 

[TractorGuy]

Thanks downslope, that was kind of the answer I was looking for. I know how this works, someone comes on here asks if a price for something is fair, and people say they had that done last week for half of what they were quoted. I kind of expected posts like that. I was more looking for good reasons to fix the well I had not thought of.

So far our rural water has been 100% reliable. It’s part of a very large system in terms of area, but mostly rural in nature. One of the water towers is within 5 miles. I do have an IBC tote I could use for emergencies but that would be a last resort. When we only had the well we were without water several times, probably once every two years on average, usually because of a lose of power.

I think the question you might consider is did you get a fair quote. What if someone else would do it for half that amount. Would it be worth it to you to fix it then?

Actually needing new pipe is rare I was told. The guy that came back to replace ALL my pipe on my insistence said I was wasting money but I wasn't about to pay labor twice in one year and not get all new pipe.

 

[dodge man]

I could easily get another price, the one I got is from a plumbing and electrical company. Even at $1500 I’m not sure I’d get it done. The guy was worried the pipe would be galvanized.

 

[Fuddy1952]

A few weeks ago I replaced our 1/2hp pump with a really good Goulds 3/4hp. I wired a light on well house so pump on, light on. Most it's run is about 15-20 seconds.
Now you're asking reasons to replace it?
Me...at the very least I'd pull it. What have you got to lose? I had a guy helping pull mine. It's not hard by hand. I pulled mine by myself years ago when it had 1" galvanized! I replaced with 1" black plastic. I wore non slip gloves. Not bad at all.
One failure years ago simply was a wire broke near pump.
Pulling it won't cost you a dime. You can see water level, check pump and pipe, wiring, etc. Could be something simple and you're back in business, just cost some time. If pump itself is bad then decide how much $ it's worth to you, otherwise just cap off the well.
You may decide to then go with a wind or hand water pump either as a novelty, or secondary water source, etc.

SunshineWorks

 

[grsthegreat]

If thats all the water your using per year id not invest a dime in it. If your worried about emergency water supply, alot of people here bury 1,000 drinking rated tanks piped inline with well or utility water so its always fresh. Then they have a small 125v pump to supply pressure from a small generator. This water is used for livestock, drinking, etc as a short time emergency supply. Cheap to install.

 

[Peter 315]

I fixed my well water problem a couple weeks ago $ 1.59 , A ride on the bike to the hardware store and a little backhoe time all done.............

 

[BoylermanCT]

When we first moved to our home 10 years ago, well went out and I called the well company. They replaced the pump for $1600. Watched them do it and said I would never pay someone to do that again. 2 years ago the well went out again. Bought a new 3/4hp pump for $400 and pulled the old one out by hand - 210' of black poly pipe. Replaced the pump and set it back down the well. Turned it on and nothing. Pulled the pump out again, and checked the electricity. Power at the top but no power at the bottom. Replaced the wiring for $150. Saw the old wiring has been spliced 6 times! Sent the pump down and everything worked fine. Total time 3-4 hours. It is not a hard job and you can do it for 1/4 to 1/3 the price.

 

[Diggin It]

I wouldn稚 exactly say we irrigate with the well. Most days less than 10 gallons of water. I致e planted some grass seed in some small areas so it might be 20 gallons a day lately.

For that, I'd be collecting rainwater in barrels or a tote, or running to a pond/stream with a pump to fill barrels.

Nobody can accurately comment on the time it would take to pull YOUR well pipe based on how long it takes to pull theirs. There are too many variables.

 

[Diggin It]

They aren't hard to pull.

You don't know that. You don't know that HIS pipe isn't partially collapsed or swelled from rust/corrosion or other blockage. You don't have any idea of the conditions at HIS place.

 

[Diggin It]

2 years ago the well went out again. Bought a new 3/4hp pump for $400 and pulled the old one out by hand - 210' of black poly pipe. Replaced the pump and set it back down the well. Turned it on and nothing. Pulled the pump out again, and checked the electricity. Power at the top but no power at the bottom. Replaced the wiring for $150. Saw the old wiring has been spliced 6 times! Sent the pump down and everything worked fine. Total time 3-4 hours. It is not a hard job and you can do it for 1/4 to 1/3 the price.

Did you then check the pump you took out to see if it was good?

And again, you don't know the conditions at HIS place. HE may not be able to pull HIS out as easily as you pulled yours. None of us are there. The well guy was. Only his well guy knows for sure.

 

[Valveman]

If it is on steel pipe I wouldn't try to pull it myself. It will be heavy and need a hoist. Low pressure cut off switches with the lever on the side are more of a nuisance than a help, as they don't always catch a dry well condition. There are other devices like the Cycle Sensor and Pumptek that look at amps instead of pressure, and are much more reliable and don't give nuisance trips like the low pressure switch. For me, it is not so much a financial decision as a security one. I don't want to be dependent on someone else supplying me water. It is too important. I am working with a group of people in Colorado right now who just had their community water shut off and are having to drill wells. The local government, in their infinite wisdom, decided the water was just over the admissible level of nitrates or something and shut down the water provider. None of the homeowners had room to drill a well or install the pump controls. All 40 homeowners are having to find a spot to get a drilling rig in and figure how to put the controls in the house.

Oh and BTW, any submersible pump that has a pressure switch built in is a problem waiting to happen. Sounds like he maybe pushing one of those tankless type controllers or a variable speed type pump, which is like purchasing a high priced tar baby. Stick with traditional pump and pressure switch, just limit or eliminate the on/off cycling to make it last.

 

[Gem99ultra]

If your rural water system is reliable and you're getting good clean water from it, I sure wouldn't spend a dime on repairing the well, especially for an occasional few hundred gallons of water.

I've had UNreliable rural water supply before, and they were simply a nightmare, breaking down all the time, sometimes for days at a time. We've been on a 100% well water system here now, with two wells. And they're always nickle and dime-ing you to death. If its not sand, iron, sulfur, bacteria, or a number of other problems to address, its a hardware repair problem. I'd certainly rather the rural water supplier have to deal with those than me shelling out mega-dollars to patch up my system. Of course, in our case, there's no alternative.

 

[Valveman]

Sand, iron, sulfur, etc., can cause a need for a little regular maintenance. But if your hardware is not holding up that can be resolved. Most wells don't give any problems and the equipment can last 20-30 years without any maintenance. A good well and a reliable pump system can be the best investment you can make. Noting else matters after about 3 days without water.

 

[PILOON]

Seeing a trend of people who have had pumps died because the well ran dry.
I strongly recommend replacing your pressure switch with one that has a low pressure cutout.
It costs a few bucks more, but if the pressure in your system drops below 20 psi it shuts down the pump. to start it back up you hold up a little lever on the side until it gets above 20 psi.

It's a whole lot cheaper than a new pump.

Aaron Z

Also should you bust a pipe, like frost likes to do, when the pressure drops it'll shut down and save you tons of water damage.

 

[cdaigle430]

Thanks downslope, that was kind of the answer I was looking for. I know how this works, someone comes on here asks if a price for something is fair, and people say they had that done last week for half of what they were quoted. I kind of expected posts like that. I was more looking for good reasons to fix the well I had not thought of.

So far our rural water has been 100% reliable. Itç—´ part of a very large system in terms of area, but mostly rural in nature. One of the water towers is within 5 miles. I do have an IBC tote I could use for emergencies but that would be a last resort. When we only had the well we were without water several times, probably once every two years on average, usually because of a lose of power.

I think its worth having a backup that may someday become your primary. I mean do you even know how good the water is? Has it been tested? Im wondering why a rural home switches from well to city water to begin with. Maybe the casing was broken and caused issues which is why it was switched to city water. How many gallons per minute was the well capable of, did it run dry and so on...

How much does 500 gallons of city water cost?

Im just curious thats all I would much rather stick with my own fresh water than to use treated water. Sorry I know its off your original subject but i am curious.

 

[ericm979]

The last time we had our pump replaced the well company added a "pump saver". It detects overspeed, dry well, over/under voltage, etc and shuts down the pump on a timer. There is also a hand held "informer" display unit that can query the memory on the pump saver so you can find out when it's seen transient errors. Our water system has a 10,000 gallon tank that is gravity feed to the house, so I can't tell that the pump is shut off until many days later when the tank is dry. I use the display unit to monitor the well. If it starts getting overspeed errors it's sucking air, and that means it's time to cut back on watering the lawn. So far we've had one series of drought years where that's happened. (the well service company also put an extra stick of pipe in last time to get the pump lower).

 

[Diggin It]

How much does 500 gallons of city water cost?

Im just curious thats all

In my case, about 5 bucks. I pay $25 or so for the first 1,000 gallons which includes all the account costs. Additional usage is billed at about $10/1,000 gallons.