Well????

[s1120]

Well, we spent some time at the land this weekend, and got the well uncovered. This is a setup I have never seen before. Any got any input? The well house is about 8-10feet deep, with a drilled casing on the bottom, and what looks like a tank, pump unit next to it.

 

[s1120]

Here is another one.

 

[s1120]

And the last one.

Is this a workable system? I ma used to a capped off pipe, with an in well pump, this is new to me.

 

[s1120]

And the last one.

Is this a workable system? I am used to a capped off pipe, with an in well pump, this is new to me.

 

[GlueGuy]

Paul,

That's quite a bundle of wire you got there. I can only assume that the well pump was at a lower level at one time, or they just wanted to have lots of spare wire.

I'm also assuming that there is a submersable pump at the bottom of the casing? Do you have any idea how deep the casing goes?

From your photos, I couldn't see if there was a pressure tank there or not. Your text seems to imply that there is. Also, is that a pump I see in one of those photos? I think I could make out a motor, but I can't be sure.

I'm going to make a stab that all the coiled wire is "leftover" somehow for the submersable pump. If that's the case, I would open up whatever junction box is in there and cut off and re-attach the wire to eliminate the excess. Number two, I would put a real cover over the casing to keep out critters and other undesirable stuff.

Beyond that, if that is a pressure pump that I saw in the photos, I would just make sure that the cover (if any) is good enough to keep critters and rain/snow out. I suspect that the underground arrangement is to protect from severe cold?

The GlueGuy

 

[GlennT]

This looks familiar. I grew up on a farm in South Dakota and we had a well setup like this--at least it seems to be similar. You probably have a deep-well jet pump sitting next to the casing. One pipe brings water up to the pump and the other returns excess water to the well. When my wife and I purchased property in Wisconsin, we also had a situation like this and we used it for many years. The pit had a wooden cover and the previous owners piled hay bales on top each winter to keep everything from freezing. The pump motor and the slight amount of heat from the water being brought up was enough to keep everything from freezing--even in subzero weather. Having the top of the casing below grade was not permitted by code, but we were in a rural area and it was fairly common. If flooding would occur and the pit would fill with water it would contaminate the well. Wouldn't do the pump motor any good either. Anyway, we had a dependable system with a good Myers jet pump that we used for over 25 years before it wore out. Lord knows how many years it was in service before we purchased the place.

 

[Jag]

Yes you have a jet pump, but jet pumps are shallow well. The plastic pipe should go down into the casing about 25 to 30 feet, to a foot valve. It takes in water by the venturi effect. Not the most efficent way but they are cheap and easy to use and maintane... One bad thing if you lose the prime in the pump you have to have water to fill both pipes to repripme.. The pipe and foot valve should be easy to pull by hand... Any well or pump company should be able to tell you all you need to know about the set-up. The wire should have gone from the pump motor to an electrical hook up. That is all.

 

[DFB]

Paul,

From what I can see in the pics it looks similar to the setup that we once had at the ol' farm here in ME.
A cased well terminating below grade, 2 pipes and a jet pump. Our pump and pressure tank were located in the basement though.

What was explained to me is that it increases the usable depth that water can be drawn up from a deep well using a jet pump. The lift of a jet pump is usually 25-30 ft max and by forcing water back down and around water can be forced up from about 60 ft down.

As for all the wire my guess is that there may have been a submersible pump down the well at one time and when it was removed the excess wire was coiled and left right there, maybe in case another pump was ever to be installed.

Looks like another one of history's mysteries. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

DFB

 

[s1120]

Ya, I thought that that was a jet pump. That is a motor under all that wire. I did not understand the wire, why we had so much? I also thought an in well pump at one time, but there is a jet pump also?? There is power wire going underground to where the trailer was, so I do not think it was to power the jet pump. Well, I guess we will never know. I will be calling a well guy to check it out, I did not go down there to look, because that ladder is pretty scary looking./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

 

[ddl]

GlennT, Where in South Dakota did you grow up? I grew up on a farm outside the city of Gann Valley, S.D. Population in its hayday of 90 people, now it has about 25 people.
Dan L