Poly transition at top of well

[mbmitche]

I have a 4" submersible in a 6" drilled well, 170 ft deep (cased to 82 ft, rock below). My drop pipe/fitting in the pipe has a crack in it. The pump runs, and as soon as pressure is reached, the pump shuts off and the pressure drops to 0. I placed a check valve just outside of the wellhead to isolate the wellhead to house from the drop pipe, so I know the break is in the well itself.

This has happened twice in the last 20 years - the first time was because the original pump was installed on Sch 40 pipe, and the threaded male adapter to the pump split about 270 degrees around and held steady by a thread. Stupidly, I replaced that pipe with new Sch 40 pipe, and the same exact thing happened about 5 years later. That time, I replaced the pipe with poly pipe with a brass male adapter insert at the pump, and then a female insert adapter about 12" from the top of the well, and Sch 40 with a male adapter to the well seal. Given that I don't get a huge water hammer when the pump starts, I suspect that the break might be the male adapter and I'm only getting a few feet of pipe air when it starts up. I haven't pulled it to verify that yet.

I'm going to just open it up and replace the pump and pipe since the pump is 13 years old. My real question is what is the best way to transition from poly pipe to something else to go through the well seal and support the weight of the pump/pipe? I don't know the best way but I know it likely doesn't involve Sch 40 male adapters.

This time, I'm thinking a male adapter out of the poly, a short piece of threaded sch 80 (like 12") through the well seal, and a threaded coupling to join them. The Sch 80 would just have a glued fitting on the topside to sit on the well seal.

What is a better way?

Thanks!
Mike

 

[Valveman]

This time, I'm thinking a male adapter out of the poly, a short piece of threaded sch 80 (like 12") through the well seal, and a threaded coupling to join them. The Sch 80 would just have a glued fitting on the topside to sit on the well seal.

That all sounds good except for gluing a fitting onto the Sch 80 nipple. The nipple should be threaded on both ends. The bottom thread goes to a coupling and then the barb adapter. The top end gets a brass or SS coupling, elbow, or tee threaded on top of the well seal to hold the weight.

 

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[Reach4]

A pitless adapter is nice for adapting a drop pipe to the horizontal pipe coming out. It has the bonus of freeze protection if that matters for your area. They are normally installed below the freeze line, but if your piece of NC does not freeze, you could have a pitless above ground.

 

[mbmitche]

Thanks for the replies.

Freeze? What's a freeze? Just kidding, it does get cold enough here to freeze occasionally.. but pitless adapters are uncommon. That suggestion makes a lot of sense though - most other places would need pitless adapters so you wouldn't have a a pipe coming through the top of the well seal. I searched and searched for an answer to my question and couldn't find one - the pitless is probably why.

Thanks!

 

[Greenmonster123]

The way I set the irrigation wells that have well seals starting from the bottom is: pump>Long barb insert male adapter>poly drop pipe>Long barb insert female adapter>18" sch 80 nipple through the wellseal>brass tee

 

[VAWellDriller]

I like brass though the seal and brass insert under; then you've got something you can really pull on if/when...the seal gets stuck.