Rebuilding the well pump

[D2Cat]

Have a hand dug well about 6' in diameter laced with rock, 24' to the bottom and then 4' of muck. Water lever was down to about 18' a while back. I have an elec. pump setting at the top and pumps water up to a couple hydrants and an automatic waterer. The pump house is a chest freezer modified on one end for of elec conduit to barn panel and water exit to hyd. Other end of freezer has a hole for the suction pipe.

Well also has a hand pump. I'm replacing the leathers on the check valve and suction in the cylinder on the suction pipe. I broke the cylinder trying to remove the ends! Finding a replacement cylinder becomes a task since they are a thing of the past. After going through my "bone pile" I found two more cylinders!! One is brass. It's too nice to put into a well.

 

[fried1765]

I have

Have a hand dug well about 6' in diameter laced with rock, 24' to the bottom and then 4' of muck. Water lever was down to about 18' a while back. I have an elec. pump setting at the top and pumps water up to a couple hydrants and an automatic waterer. The pump house is a chest freezer modified on one end for of elec conduit to barn panel and water exit to hyd. Other end of freezer has a hole for the suction pipe.

Well also has a hand pump. I'm replacing the leathers on the check valve and suction in the cylinder on the suction pipe. I broke the cylinder trying to remove the ends! Finding a replacement cylinder becomes a task since they are a thing of the past. After going through my "bone pile" I found two more cylinders!! One is brass. It's too nice to put into a well.

Have a similar setup, but mine is a 2" galvanized steel pipe driven to 40' with rods down to a pump chamber, above the stainless point.
Point is apparently clogged with iron after 30+ years.
Can't find anybody who will pull it up, and fix it.
I pulled it up 30 years ago, but at 82 that ain't gonna happen again!
My cylinder is brass also.

 

[DustyRusty]

Try dumping some Iron Out powder down the pipe and see if that will dissolve the rust. You have virtually nothing to lose, since it only costs about $10 for a jug of Iron Out at your local home improvement or hardware store

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I 'modified' a neighbour's pump last month. Couldn't get it apart,tossed on bandsaw then cleaned up the guts. new leather($12). Used a 4" to 2" ABS adapter to replace the lower end fitting. He reinstalled into field well and all is good.

 

[Flintknapper]

Have a hand dug well about 6' in diameter laced with rock, 24' to the bottom and then 4' of muck. Water lever was down to about 18' a while back. I have an elec. pump setting at the top and pumps water up to a couple hydrants and an automatic waterer. The pump house is a chest freezer modified on one end for of elec conduit to barn panel and water exit to hyd. Other end of freezer has a hole for the suction pipe.

Well also has a hand pump. I'm replacing the leathers on the check valve and suction in the cylinder on the suction pipe. I broke the cylinder trying to remove the ends! Finding a replacement cylinder becomes a task since they are a thing of the past. After going through my "bone pile" I found two more cylinders!! One is brass. It's too nice to put into a well.

IF the brass one is not being used elsewhere....then I submit it is perfect for your application. The premise being it is better off being used....than sitting around to be admired IF your well is an essential or at least something you want to work upon demand.

On one of our Ranch Properties years ago...there was a shallow drilled well (approximately 80 feet into limestone) and it had a pump jack. It was driven by a small electric motor, a pulley and a V belt.

From time to time I would have to replace the 'Leathers and Cap Packing Material' to restore it when it started leaking too badly to lift the water and pump it. These were common materials at Hardware Stores at the time.

The pump jack was housed in a small wooden structure and in the winter time I would hang a heat lamp bulb in there to keep it from freezing.

This was just a weekend 'get away' place so I never upgraded any of it. But I can still hear the rhythmic 'Clack-Clack' coming from the pump house as it cycled each time.

That property has Multi-million dollar homes built on top of it now. Used to be a 50 acre peaceful get away on Bullcreek just outside of Austin, TX. Oh well....enough of that. Your post caused me to reminisce.

 

[mcmxi]

Have a hand dug well about 6' in diameter laced with rock, 24' to the bottom and then 4' of muck. Water lever was down to about 18' a while back. I have an elec. pump setting at the top and pumps water up to a couple hydrants and an automatic waterer. The pump house is a chest freezer modified on one end for of elec conduit to barn panel and water exit to hyd. Other end of freezer has a hole for the suction pipe.

Well also has a hand pump. I'm replacing the leathers on the check valve and suction in the cylinder on the suction pipe. I broke the cylinder trying to remove the ends! Finding a replacement cylinder becomes a task since they are a thing of the past. After going through my "bone pile" I found two more cylinders!! One is brass. It's too nice to put into a well.

When you're done, can you do mine. It's only 550 feet down, and hasn't run in more than a few years. I'd like to get the well running again to act as a back-up water source.

 

[fried1765]

Try dumping some Iron Out powder down the pipe and see if that will dissolve the rust. You have virtually nothing to lose, since it only costs about $10 for a jug of Iron Out at your local home improvement or hardware store

Thanks for the suggestion.
There is also a product called NuWell-100 for cleaning the point, and I am tempted to try it.
Other issue I have is that the leathers are now 30 years old, and probably should be replaced .
Don't know if I can find where to buy them.

 

[Flintknapper]

When you're done, can you do mine. It's only 550 feet down,

^^^^

500 FEET....!

Dang......you live in Death Valley?

 

[skeets]

Mine is only 220' deep and I would like to get it pulled and checked out, the guy that drilled the well is dead, and I cant find anyone that is willing to pull the pump,,, I guess it truely is a thing of the past

 

[D2Cat]

Thanks for the suggestion.
There is also a product called NuWell-100 for cleaning the point, and I am tempted to try it.
Other issue I have is that the leathers are now 30 years old, and probably should be replaced .
Don't know if I can find where to buy them.

Twenty five years ago when we bought this farm I replace the leathers in the cylinder. They were difficult to find. I had to ask around and keep asking. Finally drove 60 miles to a town that had a hardware store that had them.

Now days just look on Amazon or Ebay. They're easy to find and inexpensive. There is a place in Westfield, Indiana that sells windmill and pump parts. Very knowledgeable and easy to get a hold of and very helpful. Their number 940---597--7735. Here's an example. https://www.ebay.com/itm/394102839927?hash=item5bc25c1a77:g:FvEAAOSw44BYjkGy

 

[DustyRusty]

The last time I had to pull my water well pump which is approximately 435 feet down, I had a friend come over, and we pulled the pitless adapter and then he started walking down the old dirt road, pulling on the black plastic hose and the wires as I guided it out of the well. After a couple of hours we had it out and the pump laying on the ground. I installed a new pump and dropped it back into the well. I am sure glad that it hasn't needed any repairs since. He and I are now 20 years older, and I don't think that between us we have enough energy to do this again. If it should have to be done again, I will use the Kubota to pull the piping out of the well casing. I have a spare pump in the cellar because at our old house, every time there was a lightning storm, the pump would get fried by the lightning. Thankfully that problem is history now.

 

[Motion]

Have a hand dug well about 6' in diameter laced with rock, 24' to the bottom and then 4' of muck. Water lever was down to about 18' a while back. I have an elec. pump setting at the top and pumps water up to a couple hydrants and an automatic waterer. The pump house is a chest freezer modified on one end for of elec conduit to barn panel and water exit to hyd. Other end of freezer has a hole for the suction pipe.

Well also has a hand pump. I'm replacing the leathers on the check valve and suction in the cylinder on the suction pipe. I broke the cylinder trying to remove the ends! Finding a replacement cylinder becomes a task since they are a thing of the past. After going through my "bone pile" I found two more cylinders!! One is brass. It's too nice to put into a well.

Exactly what are you saving the brass cylinder for, your grandkids? i'd suggest installing it and get pumping. I'm fortunate one of my three wells is free flow, at 400 feet giving me 10.5 PSI (24ft.) at the well head running running 25GPM, 24/7 for the past 32 years.

 

[pigdoc]

I've had to repair my water service TWICE in the last couple of years. First time, I was away on business, and the wife called a local business to pull and replace the submersible (Ka-CHING!). Then, they wanted $3000 to drag a backhoe up to the top of our mountain to dig up the pipe in the area of the pitless adapter. (Pffffft!) I got home on a Friday afternoon, grabbed a round point shovel and had the whole thing exposed in an hour. Prior idiot 'plumber' used an iron nipple into the brass pitless adapter and it had corroded all the way through. The continuous pumping is what burned up the submersible pump. Guess what - I'm buying a new pitless adapter, because I can't clean the iron out of the threads. That time, I put a brass nipple into it. In less than 24 hours, I had our water up and running again. Thought I was done, but a couple years later the ground got real soggy again around the well casing. So, I dug the whole thing up AGAIN last August. [Always the hottest day of the year!] This time, the brass nipple had corroded (due to electrolysis) and broke through at the threads. I guess not all 'brass' is "brass", especially if it comes from China! Dissimilar metals and all...Put a stainless nipple in there this time... We'll see. I bedded the pipe in play sand after coating it with roofing cement before burying it again. Next time, maybe I'll mix some limestone in...

Soil is quite acid around here - makes a good electrolyte. And, my well is very shallow (only 60 feet), so it pumps a lot of clay. A beautiful, bright orange, very fine clay. Gives me a good visual as to when the sediment filters (yes, two of them) need to be changed, which is about every 3 months.

-Paul

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

There is a tool to pull the submersible pump, pipe and wire called an "UP-Z-DAZY PUMP PULLER”. You may be able to rent one in your area if you know where to look. Example (https://longeneckers.com/product/up-z-dazy-pump-puller/)
With this, one person can pull the pump, replace it and lower it back in the well in a few hours. I hired a well company once to pull my daughters (250’) at $2700 which included the new pump but there is a well supply company near me that has the machine to rent and sells the pump at near wholesale to renters of the machine..

 

[D2Cat]

Exactly what are you saving the brass cylinder for, your grandkids? i'd suggest installing it and get pumping. I'm fortunate one of my three wells is free flow, at 400 feet giving me 10.5 PSI (24ft.) at the well head running running 25GPM, 24/7 for the past 32 years.

I'm actually not using it because I have another one that I had cleaned and installed new leathers and it was 3" dia. The brass cylinder was discovered a few day later so I didn't really need it and it's 2 1/2" dia. and didn't want to change things out.

This set up is really pretty simple and easy to work on. The biggest challenge is setting the pump jack and getting it attached to the suction pipe. The pump jack has an 1 1/4 in threaded galvanized steel pipe screwed into in and it extend below the base flange about 14". From there I have 20' of PVC to the cylinder, then a tail piece that's a few inches.

The well has a concrete slab at the top with a steel plate. There is also an 8" open in the plate at about where the pump water would fall. It's held in place with two SS bolts I installed years ago. Same setup on the base of the pump jack. The steel plate also had a "J" hook welded inside that hole which I use to anchor a couple of simple anchors from the cylinder to. The PVC is connected to the steel pipe with a compression coupling.

I actually knocked that coupling loose when I was modifying the suction pipe for my elec. pump. I felt the resistance when I put that pipe down there and couldn't figure what it was....Then the hand pump didn't draw water.... I new!

That's the long story of why I have the brass cylinder still laying in the shop!

Before I found the one I ended up using or the brass one, I was going to fabricate a cylinder out of sch. 80 PVC conduit I had!!

 

[ctfjr]

Ours is down 320' iirc. The well was drilled to 340. About a year ago the pump crapped out. The local company charged me ~$1100 for replacing it including a new control box (the pump was in warrantee).
They were out in a couple of hours of my call. Except for waiting for the chlorination and purging it all out, we were without water for a very short time.

 

[mcmxi]

^^^^

500 FEET....!

Dang......you live in Death Valley?

Montana is all over the place with well depths, but 500 feet is fairly typical. whether you're down in the valley bottom or 2,000 ft higher up on a mountain. There are people right next to Flathead Lake that don't have water rights, and when they have a well drilled it's 400 feet or more! Go figure.

Up here a 500 ft well will cost around $40k to $50k so not an insignificant cost. The well at my house supposedly dried up (according to the previous owners who were there for 17 years), but two summers ago I determined that there's water at around 250 ft. I would build an A-frame, hang a snatch block from it, and then use a tractor to pull the pump up for inspection.

 

[Lil Foot]

^^^^

500 FEET....!

Dang......you live in Death Valley?

Mine is at 620ft.