The connection of the two lines is in my basement, so I would be able to see any connection failure. I appreciate all of the input though. I done some reading on a pump website. My pump has 8 stages of impellers. It says abrasives in the water can cause impeller wear which can cause low pressure. The well is a year old and it definetly has abrasives in it. It has not completely cleared up yet. I'm suspecting now that some of the impellers are worn out.
Well pump question.
- Thread starter MDM
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Egon
Epic Contributor
Have you convinced yourself that you have to pull the pump as has been in the back of your mind from before the first post??
Do it!
Do it!
dbdartman
Platinum Member
MDM said:
Yes, dirt/sand/grit in the water will wear the impellers.
gerard
Veteran Member
Egon said:Have you convinced yourself that you have to pull the pump as has been in the back of your mind from before the first post??
Do it!
I second Egon but would consider having a well company do it. They use a tripod set up that makes it a pretty quick job compared to doing it yourself. I'm a big proponent of doing as much myself as possible but some things are just better left to pros! (or maybe I'm just gettin lazy in my old age - that's a possiblity too!!)
RonMar
Elite Member
Where are the check valves located at in the system? Do you have more than 2(one on each pump line and one at the pressure tank inlet)? If you did, I could see a scenario where one is pumping some water down the other well past a bad checkvalve. Are there hand operated valves to completely isolate the two pumps? If there are, I would do this to rule out that possibility before I would pull the pump. I would also probably try and see if I could build pressure at the well head, as well as measure the electrical voltage drop at the wellhead(garbage in, garbage out)...
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
Some advice based on just doing this a few of months ago:
If you do need to pull it - have a friends available to help. If the pipe has water in it - it will be extremely heavy. You will probably need to build a simple rig with 2x4s and a pulley to lift it out (BTW - hanging a pulley off a tractor bucket would be a simple replacement for the 2x4 rigging - wish I thought of this earlier). Even without water, the outside of the pipe will be muddy, slippery, and difficult to grip. Once you start pulling - you can't stop or it will go back in the well. With a friend - you can take turns pulling/resting (not doing this was a mistake I regretted the next day).
If you do need to pull it - replace everything (pump, electrical wire, check valves, pull rope, black pipe, torque arrestors, etc.) as it is not worth doing again. A pro will charge anywhere from $1800 to $2500 just to replace the pump (quotes that I got for a well a little deeper than yours) and doing it yourself will cost about $600 if you replace everything in the well (the brass check valves were about $20 a piece). BTW - Put a brass check valve at both ends (at the pump and at the top of the pipe run). Don't depend on the plastic check valve built into the pump to last.
Make sure you heat shrink your electrical connections (Lowes sells the kit) and loosely tape the electrical wire to the black pipe (otherwise it will scrape against the side of the well casing and eventually short out). BTW - you can't use just any electrical wire - plumbing supply shops sell a special yellow wire that is designed especially for use with submersible pumps. Lowes sometimes has it too.
Plenty of sites to show you how to do all this (just can't find any of them in my bookmarks - try google). Good luck - hope things work out for you.
Joe
I just reread the above and am a bit confused about which well you are talking about. Did the installer use a 15-20 year old pump in a new well? Does not make sense why an installer would do this as the pump is only 5 - 10 percent the cost of drilling the well (and not a good way to earn a happy customer). Did he also reuse the black pipe and check valves from the other well? Impeller failure or small break in pipe (i.e. leak under pressure) are the two most likely problems. Wish you well.
If you do need to pull it - have a friends available to help. If the pipe has water in it - it will be extremely heavy. You will probably need to build a simple rig with 2x4s and a pulley to lift it out (BTW - hanging a pulley off a tractor bucket would be a simple replacement for the 2x4 rigging - wish I thought of this earlier). Even without water, the outside of the pipe will be muddy, slippery, and difficult to grip. Once you start pulling - you can't stop or it will go back in the well. With a friend - you can take turns pulling/resting (not doing this was a mistake I regretted the next day).
If you do need to pull it - replace everything (pump, electrical wire, check valves, pull rope, black pipe, torque arrestors, etc.) as it is not worth doing again. A pro will charge anywhere from $1800 to $2500 just to replace the pump (quotes that I got for a well a little deeper than yours) and doing it yourself will cost about $600 if you replace everything in the well (the brass check valves were about $20 a piece). BTW - Put a brass check valve at both ends (at the pump and at the top of the pipe run). Don't depend on the plastic check valve built into the pump to last.
Make sure you heat shrink your electrical connections (Lowes sells the kit) and loosely tape the electrical wire to the black pipe (otherwise it will scrape against the side of the well casing and eventually short out). BTW - you can't use just any electrical wire - plumbing supply shops sell a special yellow wire that is designed especially for use with submersible pumps. Lowes sometimes has it too.
Plenty of sites to show you how to do all this (just can't find any of them in my bookmarks - try google). Good luck - hope things work out for you.
Joe
I just reread the above and am a bit confused about which well you are talking about. Did the installer use a 15-20 year old pump in a new well? Does not make sense why an installer would do this as the pump is only 5 - 10 percent the cost of drilling the well (and not a good way to earn a happy customer). Did he also reuse the black pipe and check valves from the other well? Impeller failure or small break in pipe (i.e. leak under pressure) are the two most likely problems. Wish you well.
I istalled the pump on this new well. I have an older well too. I used an older pump that was still working in the new well. I'm glad I didn't get a new one since the water has never completly cleared up. I hate to put a new pump in it without clear water. It is as clear as it has ever been right now, so I guess I will put a new one in it. After I check the pump out. If may be a simple case of the strainer being plugged up.
Steve_Miller
Veteran Member
MDM said:
With the saturated ground comments, I would say your pitless adapter is leaking or something somewhere in that vicinity. In my opinion, if the impeller were to wear to the point of not being able to produce enough pressure you would have seen this problem long before now with your switch set at 28 - 48psi.
Steve
Steve_Miller said:
Makes a good point. Sorry - I didn't realize that you had done the install - you already know how much of a pain this is. I only wanted to make sure you knew what to expect. Eliminate all possibilities before replacing pump. Putting pump in is easy - taking it out is not. The saturated ground is a good clue that you may have a leak under pressure. If it was later in the year - the extra green grass would also be a clue. Time to get out the backhoe and have some fun. Good luck.
Joe
The same thing happened to me (almost same depth). It was a pinhole in the drop pipe at about 80'.
Another way to tell is when you power off the motor, the pressure (your 22psi) falls off.
A front end loader and a chain can help you pull up the unit. Be prepared with all new pipe. Its worth the cost to be free of leaks, rust, calcium and worry. If you are handy, make a pipe gripper from a piece of 1/2"`flat stock.
Of course, there's the stone/dirt in the check valve issue....
Another way to tell is when you power off the motor, the pressure (your 22psi) falls off.
A front end loader and a chain can help you pull up the unit. Be prepared with all new pipe. Its worth the cost to be free of leaks, rust, calcium and worry. If you are handy, make a pipe gripper from a piece of 1/2"`flat stock.
Of course, there's the stone/dirt in the check valve issue....
