Wells, Sump Pumps and Septic Sewage Systems - well w/3"casing-adequate pump for pond?

Hey,
I purchase some land that has a pond and had an old delapitated windmill over a 3" well to assist in putting water in the pond. We tore down the mill and now have just the 3" well.

Recently I needed to dig another well elsewhere on our acerage and when the "well guy" came out I asked if they made a submersible for a 3" casing and if it would be efficient at assisting a 1 1/2 acre pond.

He said that it would'nt be too efficient and the pumps for 3" casings that he knew of were expensive and the only ones he knew of were imports.

Basically he was saying that the pump would have no longevity under the strains and that it would have to be often replaced and it would be expensive.
I'd appreciate any other opinions on this and whether or not you would concur with "my well man".

what is the depth to water, you can most likely use a good quality jet pump to fill that pond from that well. find a good local pump supply company and talk to them, don't go to a big box store. size of the caseing doesn't matter as much as the quality of the water bearing zone your screen is in.

life begins when the kids leave home and the dog dies.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure how deep the well is. When I tore down the windmill, I also took a part the windmills pump at the well head and pulled out all the piping in the casing. All I can remember about the amount of piping that came out of the casing is that there was a lot of it.
Is there an easy way for a "layman" (a carpenter actually) to determine the length to the water bearing zone? (Like maybe a long string with something attached to it?)

string with small bell attached to it listen for the plop, measure the string, then drop to bottom and measure that, that will tell you the total depth of the water, and the water colum. jet pumps can pump from depths of 100 ft or more properly set up.

Murphy was an optimist

There used to be a 3" pump that was very expensive. They have some now that are the same price as most jet pumps. They are made by a U.S. pump maker.
Just Google 3" submersible pumps. There are several pump to chose from.

If this is going to be used for a pond. I would go with the submersible.
During the winter, it won't be used all that much. With the sub. there is no need to ever prime it. If it sits over the winter there are no seals to dry or seize up. It is ready to go when you are. They are available in 110 or 220 volt.
As with most pumps. It is going to depend on how much water you are going to need, and how much water the well will make.
If it had a windmill on it. You should be fine with a small jet or submersible. Say no more than 10 gpm.
Most windmills only made about 3 to 8 gpm. Depending on the wind of course.


Travis

Thanks for this info guys.

Just went out and redropped a line to check the depth of column. First try was yesterday with the bell but it was it was a little light to judge the depth of column conclusively. Today I tied off 2 lbs. to the line and dropped. It plopped at 80 ft. (as expected) and then commenced to running out the rest of the 300 ft roll of string and still did'nt hit bottom. So, that thing appears to be a bottomless pit of water.

Months ago my well guy told me 3" pumps could'nt offer a decent GPM for a wet weather pond that was 1.5 acres. (I wonder if he thought I was trying to fill it over night? :confused:) What would be a decent GPM in a 3" pump that one could expect to be better than average "drinking water pumps"?

Submersible Pump - Three Four Inch Submersible Pumps - PumpsAndTanks.com (http://www.pumpsandtanks.com/Pumps/submersible_pumps.htm)
here is a web site that will help you on flows available for your aplication

what part of the country are you located in? I wonder if when the well was drilled it hit a cavern? a well over 300ft with wl at about 80ft is a lot of water.

if we're not supposed to eat animals why are they made out of meat?

Submersible Pump - Three Four Inch Submersible Pumps - PumpsAndTanks.com (http://www.pumpsandtanks.com/Pumps/submersible_pumps.htm)
here is a web site that will help you on flows available for your aplication

what part of the country are you located in? I wonder if when the well was drilled it hit a cavern? a well over 300ft with wl at about 80ft is a lot of water.

if we're not supposed to eat animals why are they made out of meat?

We're in Effingham county Georgia. My well man said a lot of the wells back in the 70's were done deep around this area. It's definitely worth while I think to bring out of the ground. He also said he was concerned about the casing because although they did them deep in the 70's, they did not run their casings very deep. He's coming out to blow it out today for test. Thanks for the link.