Burned by pump co? Desperately need advice on what to do next

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reider77

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On friday night my well pump stopped working. I called the local pump guy who I have dealt with before and has always done decent work and seemed honest. He came out right away and could not get the system running - said they had to dig up the pump to check out.
He returned the next morning. They dug up the pump and told me it needed to be replaced. I have a very deep well, and the pump sat about 500' down. I asked about cost he said about $1200 for new pump (3/4hp 5gpm), not including labor. He and one other person spent the next 7 hours replacing the pump, after which I was presented with a $2800 bill. It seemed high, but at that point I wasnt going to fight the bill and paid. I just wanted some running water.
A few hours later the pump failed again.
The next morning the two returned and dug up the pump. It seems they had miscalculated the depth of the pump for which they apologized and said what I really needed was a 1 hp pump, but in order to put that in I also needed all new wire - more cost and they couldnt even get the wire until Monday so I would have to go 2 more days without water. OR alternatively they could bring the pump up by 150 ft and it "should" be okay. I let them bring the pump up 150'
Today after using the water all day - it seems there is not enough water to support our use as pressure gets low very quickly.
I dont know what to do
- I feel I have been ripped off as now after researching further the cost seems very high
- I still dont have a functioning well that produces enough water and I still need to fix this
Whats the best thing to do next?
 

LLigetfa

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The depth to the water is what governs the pump size, not the depth the pump is set at. Raising the pump 150 feet only serves to reduce the amount of reserve in a slow producing well. It does not really lighten the load on the pump.

From the sounds of it, your well is not producing enough water and a bigger pump will not make it recover faster. Increasing the HP will require more cooling flow past the pump motor. What may have killed the old pump is heat, perhaps from too much cycling, or perhaps the well is top fed and the motor is not getting cooling flow past it.

If a pump is undersized for the depth, the GPM of flow can diminish to that of the well recovery. If it is oversized for the depth, it will simply pump the well dry faster and suck air. You might be stuck between a rock and a very hard place.
 

Ballvalve

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150' does not require NEW wire. Look at the franklim AIM manual on line, the wire sizes are very user friendly. I would guess your pump guy is not hitting on all cylinders.

Never paid more than 500 bucks for a pump as you mentioned.
 
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