Let there be water.

old · Jan 4, 2010

Well I have the pump/well problem fixed now. If I had thought about it I should have known the problem but I hate working in zap-u-tron stuff. Old pump is still good, payed $350 for a new 110V one that I'm taking back tomorrow. Rusted nuts I think said something about taping the wire to the pipe so as not to rub the wire and cause it to brake. Well yep you guessed it that was the problem. I drove 50 miles round trip at 6:30 tonight to go buy 110 feet of well pump wire to get things working again. Got the pump back down around 8:30 tonight and turned it on and no water. So now what in the world is wrong. Pulled the pipe loose going into the pressure tank and still no water. So figure I'd have to pull it again. Well it was 2 degrees out and the pipe had laid on the ground for 3 or 4 hours so figured I would let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Went out and turned on the breakers and had water so the problem was the pipe had ice some place in it. So now I get to take the new pump back but boy the cost of that 110 foot of wire sure hurt at $1.32 per foot but got a discount because of being a D.A.V. and them not having the 12-3 that I needed and had to get 12-4 and Lowes sold it to me for $0.98 a foot instead of the $1.32 per. Now I get to take a hot bath tonight and then drive 100 mile one way to the V.A. hospital tomorrow for a check up

msb · Jan 4, 2010

Been there, done that except it was 13 below and only 40' deep. Good luck on the check up.

Roy in Ga · Jan 4, 2010

I bet the V. A. docks are glad of that I am glad you got it fixed with a little less cost than a new pump

GordoSD · Jan 4, 2010

Well, you are getting a free 500 dollar checkup, so I'd say you are well ahead of the game.
Did you serve in Korea or Viet Nam? I did four tours in Nam.

Gordo

old · Jan 4, 2010

Me also but since I am going there for a bad shoulder and the way I worked it today maybe this time they will find what is wrong with it. Sort of bad when you sit and type this that it goes numb or feels like it has zap-u-trons running up and down that arm

old · Jan 4, 2010

I am what is called a Nam vet but did not go there just was in at the last of it. I joined the navy so as not to get drafted. Heard to many bad story's about Nam so figured I would go in the navy and stay out but still serve that way. Still got out with service connected problems and still fighting over some of them. Navy 1974-1980 USSBN 633 and CV62 JFK

NCWayne · Jan 4, 2010

It's nice to have running water ain't it??? I just replaced my 12 or so year old well pump a few weeks back. Unfortunately mine was fairly deep, 160 feet down, but I was able to do it 20 feet at a time, uncoupling pipe and untaping wire as I went and recoupleing it and retaping the wire every 8 or so feet going back. Thankfully the crane on my current service truck had enough height so I didn't have to do it by hand like I did when lightning got it the last time. This go 'round the pump was still working but the coupling on top of the pump (plastic and part of the pump so not repairable) where it hooks to the pipe had cracked multiple times and was letting the water spray out there instead of building pressure in the line.
You made out OK money wise even though you got bit by the wire...(we did Dad's about 3 years ago and he had the same problem, shorted wires, and his was taped and closer to 200 feet down). I had to go with a 1/2HP 220 pump and by itself it cost me nearly $350. With new pipe couplings, tape, etc it wound up costing me in the $400 range complete. Oh well the price we pay for modern conveniences.....

Richard from SE AZ · Jan 4, 2010

Boy, you guys are lucky!!! 40 feet!!! I just replaced the pump and wire here at my place in SE AZ. My well is 380'deep with the pump set at 320' and with an average of about 60 feet of water above it. We need the depth because during the summer, especially during periods of drought (like now) and with all the farming that is done here our water is draw down alot. All the farmers irrigate with ground water. One of the farmers that I used to work for ocassionally had 18 wells on his fields feeding pivots and they all pump 8" of water 24-7 during the growing season which is pretty long here. I love that work. Always wanted to be a farmer.

old · Jan 5, 2010

Hey have you heard of or know where sissortan SD is??? Many many years ago my parents lived up there. But that was a few years before my time.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 5, 2010

If you can't return the wire or have some left over, maybe you could solve your other problem and put in an underground wire? If it's the right type of wire that is. Dave

Bartt · Jan 5, 2010

Gordo, How did you last 4 tours in Nam? I lasted 9 months, year in hospital. 2nd/501st, 101st Airborne. Welcome home. Dick in Vermont.

kenstrac · Jan 5, 2010

I hope you sanitized your well after.

Howard H. · Jan 5, 2010

What does that mean?? I"ve never heard of anyone doing that out here - but most of our wells are 350-400 feet deep...

HH

Sam#3 · Jan 5, 2010

Running water was OK but I like the kind that comes from pipes.
Running water= "Sammy run to the well and bring in a bucket of water." Wash days took a lot of running.

kenstrac · Jan 5, 2010

When you pull a well line out you lay it on the ground that is not sanitary and you put it back into well you must sanitize it with bleach or you could contaminate the well and all the lines in the house.

JDemaris · Jan 5, 2010

Most of the failed pumps I've had to fix were just a case of broken wires and/or improperly installed shock-arrestor (twist shock, not electric shock). The pipe/pump needs shock absorbers to keep things from twisting and slamming around every time that motor starts. A little bit more involved then just taping the wire to the pipe, but not big deal.

I used to work for a well driller. He'd put in new pumps anyway, regardless if just one broken wire. I guess it was a money maker for him. But, to his defense, if we pulled up a 30 year old pump, fixed a broken wire and reinstalled, and then it actually DID fail a month later, we'd be blamed. Not much different that a motor repair job at a tractor dealership. Certain items get replaced even if parts have a lot of life left in them.

GordoSD · Jan 5, 2010

It's "Sisseton", and it's NE of me 75 miles. It's on an Indian Res.

Gordo

rrlund · Jan 5, 2010

So I was right. It was a wire. Just IN the well,not in the flower bed.

old · Jan 5, 2010

Ya about 10 foot up from the pump and I guess that is why it acted like it did

old · Jan 5, 2010

My dad was a preacher in a small church in that town more then 50 years ago is why I asked

Howard H. · Jan 5, 2010

That's interesting... Out here, people drip oil down the pump shafting to lubricate the shaft bearings... Of course, pumping from 200 gal/min to 1200 gal/min just sucks the drip oil back out with the water.

I've seen a bunch of wells get pulled, but never heard of sanitizing them. That old column pipe laying out sure looks pretty rusty on everything below the water line, but repairs are made - and then everything stuck back down the hole. Mostly in the 300-600 foot deep range out here.

I've never tasted better water than out here over the Ogallala acquifer.

HH

kenstrac · Jan 5, 2010

Read this
http://www.bbchlor.com/PDF%20Files/Shock%20Chlorination%20For%20Private%20Well%20Owners.pdf

JMS/.MN · Jan 5, 2010

Had a similar problem over 20 years ago- well driller ran the wire inside a small pvc, protecting it from twist damage No problem since.

teddy52food · Jan 6, 2010

Ya and when he took a wizz, he had to keep backing up!

eastexan · Jan 6, 2010

(quoted from post at 07:08:58 01/05/10) When you pull a well line out you lay it on the ground that is not sanitary and you put it back into well you must sanitize it with bleach or you could contaminate the well and all the lines in the house.

When I first moved on my place 3 years ago, the well water smelled like a sewer. It's a shallow well about 30" wide and 50' deep.
The guy I bought it from said the water was bad and had hooked his house up to the county water system. But he was still using the well to water his garden.

Since the water smelled like a sewer, I had thought that whoever installed the septic tank had installed a lateral line too close to the well.
It smelled so bad that I didn't want to even use it for watering the grass or garden.

Someone told me to try "shocking" the well by pouring bleach in it.
I thought that at least it would probably make the water smell better for a little while. So I poured 2 gallons of bleach in it and after checking it several days later, it had cleaned right up.

Now it's been 3 years and has never gotten contaminated again, so I assume it hadn't been contaminated by the septic tank, but by surface water or something else introducing bacteria into it.

It still looks and smells clean. But I still need to have it tested to make sure it's safe to drink, in case we should ever need to use it for sanitary water. I've never had a well get contaminated before. But I know now that even though it's rare, it can happen.

Ronnie

TimMiller · Jan 6, 2010

Speaking of wells the pipe comming from our tank just broke off on me. I was draining the tank and covering it with a tarp since it is supposed to get down to freezing for a few days, and i barely touched the pvc pipe and it snapped right off at the tank. I hope they did not glue the pvc pipe to the tank or i will really be in a lot of trouble. Any suggestions on how to get the threaded pvc pipe end unscrewed from the tank. When it happened it was late out, so i just shoved a piece of plastic into the hole to keep critters out and covered the whole thing up with a tarp. I'm also thinking about using all galvanized piping to keep this from happening again. The well is just used for watering cattle, so there is a hose outlet on top of the pvc pipe, and a 2" threaded fitting to hook up a big 2" hose to fill up the big water tanks.

old · Jan 6, 2010

You should be able to take a hack saw blade and cut most of the way threw that pipe in 2 or 3 places then take a hammer and punch etc and pop it right out even if it is glued in

Let there be water.

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