View Single Post
  #7   Report Post  
posted to rec.boats
KC KC is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,563
Default anybody familiar with old wells?

On 8/27/2014 3:19 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2014 14:47:09 -0400, KC wrote:

On 8/27/2014 2:31 PM,
wrote:
**** CAUTION READ THE WHOLE NOTE ****-

That looks like a 4" well with a submersible pump at the bottom (on
the end if that pipe).
When the cap comes loose you should be able to pull the whole deal out
but it is going to be heavy. There is a 35-40 pound pump and a pipe
full of water. How deep do you think it is?

The caution part STOP NOW
Either glue a T fitting with stubs of pipe on the end of the well pipe
pr drill a hole in it and put a rope through it, tied off to something
solid

When you get that cap out, the pipe may (and probably will) come loose
and go down the hole
Then you are ****ed. A "T" with stubs of pipe bigger than the casing
give you a good handle and also keeps it from going down the hole.
You may even want to back that up with a screw through the fitting
into the pipe
At least drill and tie a rope on it.
Usually guys put a rope on the pump when they install them and attach
it to the cap but YMMV on that.

I have seen plenty come out, simply hanging on the wire.


So, by your statement I assume that pipe and pump is suspended and not
resting on the bottom of the well? If so, there must be something else
besides the well cap holding it up? The design of the well cap doesn't
suggest that but I am off to grab a Tee and a couple stubs now..

And thanks for the idea, drilling a hole and using a steel rod might be
a good solution to holding that pipe between grabs and cuts as it comes
out of the ground.

The well is 200 feet +/- 25 feet. I found specs on line for 1 1/2 inch
pipe and it said is was 2.78 pounds per running foot so at 200 feet I
have slightly under 600 pounds of pipe plus pump, plus water, plus wire
and anything else they might have put down there, doing all my figuring
based on 2000 pounds, although I feel it will be closer to 1000.

I haven't decided if I am going to build a staging out of 6x6's or use
the winch off a 4x4 (12 v) orrrrrr a block and tackle, come along, etc.
But I am heading out to get a tee and make a "top" for that pipe.


The cap is what holds the pipe and the pump.
Once you are sure you have the pipe secured you can try to lever that
cap up and prop it on top of the well casing to get access to the
hole. Drop a nut on your fishing rod down there and see how far it is
to the pump. You might be able to do this through one of those NPT
holes in the cap.


I am 99% sure my dad said "it's 183 feet". Now what exactly he meant I
don't know but I am figuring everything on 200 feet. I will check the
water level when I get through the cap.

Don't use a lead sinker, in case you lose it.


Good point.

There is a good chance the pump is not all the way to the bottom of
the well. My well is 200' but the static water level is about 30'
down. The pump is at 60 right now. It was 40' 10 years ago.
This static water level is significantly lower than it was 10 years
ago and 20 years ago it was artesian.
Most of that water was wasted on growing grass (not mine)
Aquifers all over the world are dropping at an alarming rate.
You might find your pump is just not deep enough.
Again your fishing rod is your friend. Put a weight and a bobber on,
drop it down and see how deep the static water level is.


I will check it but I remember the story of drilling, 150 feet gave them
enough to pass, but they went down to the next Aquifer at 183. Our
Aquifer comes from Canada according to studies and supplied our
neighborhood for 30 years until the 80's when 95% of the homes in the
area up over the hill went to city water. We and a few other houses on
our street that were just caught up in another neighborhoods problem,
didn't switch over. Thanks again out to the hardware store and the house
on the shore.. issues there too... later.