Jacey

You plumbers don't do wells or what?? I need info on a pulled pump that has a pitless adapter that was corroded as all get out and we want to remove and replace. Took three hours to break it loose so we could remove pump and both the guys just wanted to tear it out and run the stuff out the top. Anybody know where to stear me..??

nhmaster3015

I'll steer you twards an excavator, because to change the whole pitless you're gonna have to dig it up first. Running it out the top of the well would be a freeze problem as well as savage.

Jacey

It's dug up already. We are in Texas and it's apparently an unusual method since we rarely have prolonged hard freezes. Am anticipating building a well house. Is there a number I could call to make sure we are not irreverably screwing this up? Loval driller's cannot be trusted to be forthcoming with info, when they are not doing the job. Finances preclude this option this year..anyone else in that boat?

Kgmz

Is the well going to be in the well house?

If so you can run the pipe out of the top, just get a cast iron well seal. The well seal will have a rubber seal underneath, and is split so you can get it around the pipe. It will also have holes in it to run your wire and a hole so you can put in a eye to hold the rope. If you have any extra holes, make sure and seal them so nothing can fall into your well. Like a rodent, etc.

As for the hole the pitless adapter was in, you will have to weld it shut. You don't want to take a chance of anything coming into your well casing and contaminating the well.

Also run large enough wire to the pump house so you can have a sub panel to run the well pump, lights, and a heater if neccessary.


I have never had a problem with a pitless adapter even years later. What kind of adapter was it? Bronze, Stainless, etc.

Did they have a length of pipe above the adapter so you have something to hold on to, to pull it out?

What kind of pipe do you have running down to the pump? Poly, PVC, iron, etc.

nhmaster3015

Since it's dug up why not change the pitless adaptor? They cost about 30 bucks. One big nut holds it on to the well caseing. Let the inside piece drop to the bottom of the well if you want or put the old half back in and take it out. I think you're making a big deal out of 20 minutes work. Building a well house is going to cost way more than a 30 dollar adaptor.

Jacey

This pitless adapter (p/a henceforth) is probably 30+ years old. It runs laterlly into the well casement on one side, and into the pressure tank and a spigot on the other. The pump connects to sch 80 pvc. Against my plumber friends advice, I am thinking it would be best to leave it in, now that we have it out and it seems to have some spring action in it. Maybe there is some sort of penetrating oil or greese that would prevent it seizing up again years down the road when we have to access this new pump? The price on a 2003 estimate for a p/a was 277.00...don't know about a 30.00 job, and it does seem too cheap not to be another metal disaster down the road. My plumber wanted to rig up a 10gpm pump instead of the 200.00 more expensive 5gpm that was in it, and recommended for wimpy 3gpm well I have (and that is bragging). He thinks it can be choked down to the right gpm with a reducer of some sort and the overdraw recirculated back into the well. Any comments on that? (BTW..great input on this..really appreciate it..both of you!)

Aggie67

I had to hire a well guy to do this last year. It looked very easy to do, but since I was selling my house, I wanted a permit and job done correctly. It took him less than a full day to pull the pump, pipe, and replace the p/a and well head (I had a buried head, state now requires exposed head). Just a matter of finding the vendor to supply the parts, in my opinion. But, my opinion also says to leave critical utilities to a pro (well contractor). I won't touch a well head. I've heard of a horror story where a DIYer did it and ended up with coliform bacteria in the well because he forgot to shock it. I know some of my guys have replaced their own well pumps in the past. But I won't stick my neck out. And don't forget to chlorinate the well after you're done.

baxterb06

I agree with changing the PA. Should be the easiest/cheapest solution. As mentioned, dont forget to shock it, but be careful when you do and dont drop the pellets or whatever you use on the new PA, it will cause it to corrode faster.

Jacey

Any insites on the 10gpm w/reducer vs 5gpm as it is now?

Aggie67

As an engineer, that's a bit odd to me. Why did he suggest a larger pump and then a reducer? That's going to cost more money for electricity, and if you're not careful, the thing is going to bang on and off more quickly. You might end up drawing sediment into the strainer (which will shorten the life of the pump), too, because when the flow rate in that localized area suddenly doubles, the water going into the strainer and pump will be traveling at twice the speed it was with a 5 gpm pump, making it likely that sediment will be entrained in the water flow. At least until it gets swept out and used to flowing at 10 gpm. But again, why pay for the power?

Jacey

I'm not sure. It seemed to me, since it is a weak well, that the discharge at lower levels would be problematic for a reason I couldn't put my finger on, and that all those reducer parts and couplings would be time consuming, and just more things to go wrong. Hadn't factored in the power expense, but we were balking at the idea that a 5gpm pump costs 200.00 more than the 10gpm.

Aggie67

Be careful. A quick Grainger search showed me a 5 gpm pump good for 530 feet costs about $560, a 5 gpm for 360 ft is $415, and a 10 gpm for 260 feet for $275. Depends on how deep your well is.

Kgmz

Definitely replace that pitless adapter.

What kind of adapter is it, you said something about spring action?

Most pitless adapters are very simple just 2 tapered pieces that slide together with seals in between.

Picture of typical pitless adapter.




And by looking at this you will see what I meant by a pipe out of the top so you can pull it out. Look at the pic where it says pull pipe.

Jacey

Are you saying to replace the pitless adapter as opposed to taking it out and doing without? We wound up leaving the original one in place, although ancient looking, the O ring was still in grreat shape, and when we replaced it in the hold, it went in flawlessly. (unlike the hours it took to remove) The spring action I refer to is a splayed chicken foot metal piece that folds down against the opposite wall of the casing, as the piece fits inside the pipe exiting the opposite side. That is the piece that froze up in trying to remove it. P/A didn't have the upright piece, but it does now. Since it seems to be working, my only next and probably last question would be, how much water is in a 6 " x 60' foot (depth of water in well to bottom) and how much chlorine to add to shock the water, to avoid over or underkill??