Can't get pump out of well

[slowrider]

I have a deep well pump that I need to remove. When I started pulling the PVC it came out about 15 feet and stopped (still could not see it). I tried turning it but it is binding on something down there. I have been careful with the electric wires. It was drilled about 1970. The casing is steel pipe about 4.5 inches. Any tricks I am missing? No clue how deep the well is.

Thanks

[jproffer]

what are you lifting it with?...if your lifting it by hand it can't be very deep. Nothing against you, what I mean is if ANY person is lifting it by hand, alone, it can't be very deep. The well could have caved in, or is there a liner (another piece of PVC pipe inside the casing...maybe 4" diameter)...if you look into the casing you should be able to see it, if it's too dark, forget the flashlight, grab a mirror on a sunny day and use sunlight to try to see. Whatever its stuck on, and assuming you're pulling it by hand, if you call a well service they can get it out safer, faster, and easier than you can do by hand. Remember if you drop your pump into the well (I'm assuming you need it thats why your pulling it), you'll have to call them anyway, but this time its a camera/fishing job...costs ALOT more.

[WML13]

If the pump is above water level this trick would be easier, but even if it isnt you could try a wet dry shop vac with an extension to clean off the top of the pump.. you would be amazed at the amount of crap that falls down on top of them. The vac might pick up what is snagging the pump at a narrow point, and even let you bring it up. I pulled up a dead animal out of a well this way once. Be sure to reinforce the joints of the vac extensions with duct tape so you dont leave them down there too!

[Gary Slusser]

The 4.5" is about the OD of 4" pipe and if you have a 4" pump (3 7/8") and the casing is steel, then rust could be building up as you scrape it off raising the pump. Will the pump go back down? Is the drop pipe really PVC or poly tubing?

Gary
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Doug Aleshire, Super Moderator 2

[slowrider]

The well casing is steel. The pump is attached to 1" pvc pipe. I can lift the pipe about 10 to 15 feet and it binds. It is very heavy. If I let go, it goes back down. I can't see the pump, it is too deep. I can see down at least 40 feet but that is not enough.

[slowrider]

I wonder if the pump was installed below the casing and the top of the pump is hitting the bottom of the casing as I try to get it out. That would mean it is just a matter of getting it to align properly. I just don't know enough about wells.

[jproffer]

The pum is below the casing, almost for sure, casing is only required 30 ft. (I think) into bedrock, definately not all the way down in any case. But even heavy wall casing is only 1/4" wall, and the drill hole isnt bigger than that (it holds the casing up) I don't think its catching the casing on the way up. Look at it this way, whatever it's caught on, it has to come past it one way or another, get some friends to come over and 2 or 3 of you pull it, see if it will come past the obstruction, DONT jerk it, just pull firmly. If you bang it on the bottom of whatever it is, you'll probably break the couplings holding the pipe together, then it's a fishing job for your pump service company.

One other thing, to elaborate on the "if you're lifting it by hand its not deep" bit, my partner, myself and the homeowner pulled one by hand once because we couldn't get the truck into the well. It was all that all 3 of us could do to pull it 20 feet at a time, and we had a well-clamp to hold it between pipe sections to remove them. That pump was 200 feet if memory serves, so if you can lift yours by yourself, it may be........150...maybe ,and would probably be easier to just pull it all at once (if you get it free) without removing pipe sections. Another thing to remember (again, if you get it free from the bottom), when you get to the water level the pipe will be wet, so have help and have more standing by plus plenty of rags, towels, anything to dry the pipe with. If you drop it, and try to stop it with the pipe thats already out, you'll break the pipe over the casing.

As you pull, use the pump cable as a safety, it will hold the pump and pipe if you drop it, tie it around a tree, truck bumper, or anything handy, adjusting once in a while so there's not alot of slack.

[slowrider]

I did have my HS lineman son helping pull it up.

The well is 300+ miles from my house and I can't get there very often. I need it to refill a large livestock tank that gravity feeds stock tanks when I am not there.

It there any other way around this problem? Can I run another pipe down next to the existing pump? I think it is too deep for a jet pump. Can't drop another pump down without removing the pipe/pump in there. I have seen article about manual pumps with foot valves but this needs to fill a 1000 gallon tank.

Thanks for the help.

Mike

[jproffer]

Unless there's another well available to feed the tank, the pump/pipe will have to be pulled. A jet pump, manual pump, or anything else won't help because, as you already realize, it won't fit with the other. Drop a pipe in next to the existing?...I'm not following what you have in mind. Do you mean to see if you could knock whatever's holding you up loose? Could work, and you'll know how deep you're dealing with.

If the existing pump is bad, and IF you knew how deep the well was drilled, I'd say just drop it, if there was room and put a new pump/pipe/cable on top of it, but if you're only pulling 15 feet (and, as such could only cut off 15 feet of pipe before dropping it) that could be risky. Could very well leave the old pipe too high to install a new pump to depth. If that is the case (the pump is bad), I guess trying to jerk past the obstruction wouldn't hurt, worst that could happen is you break a coupling and drop the pump and whatever pipe is below that coupling in the hole. Then replace and hope you hit water before you hit old pipe. I'm still thinkin...short of calling a well company...I'm about spent for ideas, but I'm still thinkin :D

If you know the company that drilled it originally, and if they're still in business, you could call and ask, they have to keep a drill depth log, but 1970...i dunno. Worth a shot maybe.

If you get it out, by whatever means, and are ready to re-install and need help, I'll keep checking in, but I'll keep my mind on the removal half until I hear otherwise :)

[bob1968]

if after all this work you cant get the pump out of the well you do have a alteritive......grundfos makes a pump called a jet sub.....its a submersible pump that has a diameter of about 2 1/2 or 2 7/8 inches......it should fit between the pipe and the casing......ive had to do this several times when it became impossible to get the pump out of a caving in well.......just pull up your old pump as far as possible and cut the pipe and let the old pump fall to the bottom then install the new smaller diameter pump.....one thing this is a last resort solution....becareful installing new pump so you dont cut the wires going down because more then likely you wont ever get the new pump out either so you want to make sure you do it right the first time...hope this helps

[Bob Haller]

A good friend wamted to look in his 130 deep well. He attached a lightbulb (from a flashlight ) to a single D sized battery and let it down the hole on a heavy string. it illuminated what was down there real well.

You could use sections of PVC pipe scewed together and connected to a shop vac to hopefully clear off the obstruction.

problems like this fascinate me. if your near piottsburgh I would love to help.

[Gary Slusser]

I've lifted 517' of PE tubing with a 1 hp pump on it with the cable etc. with my T handle in the pitless. You can't do that more than once or twice and you can't get it more than a foot or two alone but... it is enough to twist the tubing and bounce it trying to get the pump/whatever unstuck (in a 6" well). Cable guards and torque arrestors can cause sticking too.

Gary
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Doug Aleshire, Super Moderator 2

[jproffer]

517...whewwwwwwww......thats quite abit to do alone. We pulled 200' by hand, pulled it OUT that is, and it took 3 of us with breaks in between sections (had a clamp...truck wouldn't get in there). The OP is pulling 10-15 feet and getting stuck according to original post. Any ideas I've not thought of?

[Gary Slusser]

lol "lifted" didn't mean pulled by hand, just lifted a foot or so 1-2 times as I was trying to get the pitless together. But when I was a bit younger like ten years ago I pulled alone to 150-170' a number of times. I rigged up large pipe wrenches to allow numerous breaks to wipe off hands/gloves and let the back and arms rest.... then I quit doing that by refusing the jobs until I bought my pump pulling machine a few years ago; it makes life much easier. :cool:

Gary
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Doug Aleshire, Super Moderator 2

[nomind]

Ah. yes, "When we were younger"--I remember pulling 160-180 regular back then, once even pulled a 242 on my own. Thank God it was only a 1/2 hp pump and had a good 3/8 rope that I clamped to the casing with vise grips so I could get a breather every 15 or so feet after 160. But never again- I leave those stunts to the young guys or figure out an easier way now. Had a laugh last year when a nursery owner I'd never met called me to a no-water emergency, saying "the pump's only 53 feet down" . Yeah- then it turned out to be a 5hp pump. No pulling that by hand !, I rigged an A frame out of 4x4 he had, and using an old 6" pulley I always carry, we pulled it out with his lawn tractor.

[nomind]

Did you get that pump out yet :confused: