Well Problem

[houstonscott]

Looks like the insurance company has settled and is going to drill a new 980' well. Work is being scheduled and paperwork will accompany at closing. Any suggestions for supervising this job and is there a particular brand of pump that is clearly the best I should demand be installed over another. I have be doing some research and Franklin Electric seemed to bubble to top. Your comments and recommendations.

HS

 

[freddyr]

Looks like the insurance company has settled and is going to drill a new 980' well. Work is being scheduled and paperwork will accompany at closing. Any suggestions for supervising this job and is there a particular brand of pump that is clearly the best I should demand be installed over another. I have be doing some research and Franklin Electric seemed to bubble to top. Your comments and recommendations.

HS

Goulds or myers, grufudess, The franklin electric motors are on 90% of well pumps, Goulds just dropped them a few years ago. Don't go to lowes etc!

 

[TheGoose]

Goulds and Pentair both have the same motor. Goulds calls it Centripro, Pentair (sta rite/ myers) calls it pentek.

Franklin electric bought out jacuzzu a few years back and started making pumps, which is why Goulds/Pentair made their own motor company.

For something that deep I might be inclined to look at the Grundfos, which uses their own motors.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Got lucky on my well today. Got home yesterday around 5pm to find we had no water. I checked the breaker then the pressure switch. Hot on both sides of the switch so I turned off the power, pulled one leg from the pump and checked for continuity. Finding none, I figured the 8-9 year old pump was done for.

I can't lift so I called the HVAC people I use. They were to send someone at noon today but they showed at 8:30 which was better. They pulled the pump and there was all of about 75' of pipe. There was only two of those plastic torque arresters or whatever the proper term is and they were down by the pump. Regardless, the wire had rubbed through. They spliced the wire temporarily and the pump ran so they made the splices permanent and put the pump back in. They did not have any torque arresters so the problem may come back.

So, I got away cheap and if and when the pump quits again, I won't be calling the plumber being that it is that easy to pull. My last property had a pump down 275'.

We do have another issue and that is that the water looks a bit shall we say scuzzy? The water level is about 30 feet below the ground surface and the well driller put in the plastic pipe that you see these days, not iron. Not sure if a pipe joint leaks or what to cause what is probably surface water to get into the well. It may just be a high water table and fractured rock.

I need to get the water tested then put some kind of filter on I guess. Though the water tastes fine and makes good coffee, we drink bottled water because the water in our area is high in minerals. Don't need no kidney stones. We just use it for everything else (and my coffee).

 

[TheGoose]

Was the pump hung on black poly pipe?

 

[QRTRHRS]

Was the pump hung on black poly pipe?

Yes it is. I used to help out a friend who did HVAC, etc., replace well pumps. He liked to replace the black poly with a type of pipe that had two layers. The outer layer was blue while the inner was opaque. He said studies showed that the chemicals that the black pipe is made up of will leach into water. I never looked into that claim, perhaps someone on this site has?

 

[Mousefield]

Goulds and Pentair both have the same motor. Goulds calls it Centripro, Pentair (sta rite/ myers) calls it pentek.

Franklin electric bought out jacuzzu a few years back and started making pumps, which is why Goulds/Pentair made their own motor company.

For something that deep I might be inclined to look at the Grundfos, which uses their own motors.

I have 2 submersible pumps, one in the well and one in our storage tank. The one in the well is a Grundfos, which is rated as one of the best you can buy. 13 years and no problems so far.

 

[TheGoose]

Can't comment on the blue/opaque pipe leaching. Plastic is basically inert as far as I know.

The #1 failure of water well pumps hung on black poly is rubbed wire on the casing. I rarely, if ever, see it happen on other types of installation.

For best results use sch 80 PVC with either brass or stainless couplings. Or they make a special drop pipe which uses male x female fittings built into the pipe. Tape the wire tight every 20' (every joint) and you should never have a problem.

Black polypipe is popular in the northwest and other areas but I personally don't like it.

Yes it is. I used to help out a friend who did HVAC, etc., replace well pumps. He liked to replace the black poly with a type of pipe that had two layers. The outer layer was blue while the inner was opaque. He said studies showed that the chemicals that the black pipe is made up of will leach into water. I never looked into that claim, perhaps someone on this site has?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

You can't trust black poly pipe to hang a pump. You need a healthy plastic safety rope, either poly or nylon, or someday you will be fishing the pump off the bottom of the well.

 

[QRTRHRS]

You can't trust black poly pipe to hang a pump. You need a healthy plastic safety rope, either poly or nylon, or someday you will be fishing the pump off the bottom of the well.

I hear that. When I helped my friend we always did that and I had forgotten about it until you mentioned that. Of course mine has no safety rope but I will put that on my list for when it gets pulled again.