Help! Pump and pipe fell in well!

[Shawanda]

I paid someone to install a pump into my well. Well me not knowing anything about Wells being this is my first I didn't know what he was suppose to use or not use. The well is 548 feet with a 4 casing, he used 3/4 pvc pipe and glued it, he didn't let the glue dry good and the top pipe come a loose and it fell. He left before I could get back and wont return my phone calls or anything. We don't know how far down in fell, we ran a flashlight on a string down and it stops around 80 to 100 feet. But we cant see anything but the light. I had someone else come and try to retrieve it but the pipe and tooI he had was going straight past it he said. Any ideas on what I need to do? How I can get it out or what kind of camera I can run down it to look and see how far down it went? Any help would be great! This is my only source of water. Thanks

 

[Texas Wellman]

Ugh. You're about to learn an expensive lesson. Sometimes when you try to do things the cheap way it ends up costing way more.

Find a reputable well company who only specializes in wells. Not a handyman or such. If you're lucky they'll be able to fish it out using specialized tools, hours of time, and years of experience. Then have them put you in a pump and whatever else you need.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

And never use glued pipe in a well, or smaller than 1".

 

[Shawanda]

Ugh. You're about to learn an expensive lesson. Sometimes when you try to do things the cheap way it ends up costing way more.

Find a reputable well company who only specializes in wells. Not a handyman or such. If you're lucky they'll be able to fish it out using specialized tools, hours of time, and years of experience. Then have them put you in a pump and whatever else you need.

I had a company come out but the tools he had he couldn't get it. I've learned and paid for that lesson dearly and still paying for it.

 

[Reach4]

You could try reflecting the sun down the well to see if you can see something. I have never done it, but I have read about that here.

 

[Texas Wellman]

Did he have a hoist truck and put steel pipe with a fishing tool on the end down in the well?

You need to be able to get down in the well with something like that to fish with.

 

[Shawanda]

Did he have a hoist truck and put steel pipe with a fishing tool on the end down in the well?

You need to be able to get down in the well with something like that to fish with.

He did and on the end of it he had something that look like a spear

 

[Craigpump]

You need someone with a Downhole camera so you can see what's looking up.

Then, I would probably go in with either a snare or overshot type of tool on steel pipe to retrieve the wire, pipe & pump. Install the pump on threaded and coupled (not glued) sch 80 with new wire, chlorinate and put the cap on.

 

[Shawanda]

You need someone with a Downhole camera so you can see what's looking up.

Then, I would probably go in with either a snare or overshot type of tool on steel pipe to retrieve the wire, pipe & pump. Install the pump on threaded and coupled (not glued) sch 80 with new wire, chlorinate and put the cap on.

I'm headed to get a camera now to try and look down in there.

 

[Shawanda]

We found a camera and run down the well, we seen the pipe and all of the wire, looks like the wire out run pipe its all bunched up around the pipe and I assume the pump at about 100 feet down. Any ideas on how to get it out

 

[Valveman]

I use a spear with several barbs on it to spin around and get a bite on the wire. Most times you have to pull and break the wire out of the way to be able to get to the pipe. Then I would use an overshot with a wall hook so you can spin it until the pipe gets in the center. All of this needs to be done with steel pipe to fish with, as you need to be able to spin it and it will take a lot to pull and break it loose.

 

[Shawanda]

I use a spear with several barbs on it to spin around and get a bite on the wire. Most times you have to pull and break the wire out of the way to be able to get to the pipe. Then I would use an overshot with a wall hook so you can spin it until the pipe gets in the center. All of this needs to be done with steel pipe to fish with, as you need to be able to spin it and it will take a lot to pull and break it loose.

We got a treble hook and got a hold of the wire and got all of that out. Do you have a pic of the overshot with the hook so we will know what we are looking for?

 

[Craigpump]

I'm surprised the pump didn't come with the wire.

If you can't find someone with tools for fishing in a 4" well, you're going to do some serious fabricating.

This what the inside of mine looks like, the two wide pieces are guides, the thinner longer ones grab below the coupling. Looking at it from the side, it's shaped like a soda bottle and gets run in on 2" steel pipe. The fish pipe goes up inside the 2" so the tool will grab below a coupling.

A problem I foresee is that 3/4 pipe is extremely flexible, which is going to make it hard to fish for. Plus if it's sch 40, it's going to be easy to break.

Any pump guy who values his reputation and wants to avoid legal proceedings would fish that pump & pipe out.

 

[Valveman]

I agree with Craigpump. I have had to fish sch 40 before and sometimes you just get out 20'-60' at a time, and you just keep going back for more until you get to the pump.

 

[Texas Wellman]

We got a treble hook and got a hold of the wire and got all of that out. Do you have a pic of the overshot with the hook so we will know what we are looking for?

Sounds like the guy who dropped it didn't even have the crimp connections done right. I have brought up several joints of galv. pipe and pump by the wire. If the crimps are done right they will hold several hundred pounds.

 

[Texas Wellman]

I wonder if the part left in the well has a coupling (or in this case the bell end). I cannot imagine the pipe being 3/4". It is probably 1" pipe. I have seen pumps set on glued sch 40 before but I wouldn't do it.

 

[Craigpump]

There was a company here in CT that installed a lot of their pumps on 3/4 sch 40, nothing would really surprise me.

 

[Shawanda]

Ok guys I have another question, we cant get the pump out, we believe it fell on to the bottom of well. Can we use a jet pump that sets on top of the ground and run pipe down? If so what size would we need. We hit water around 205 feet and the well is 548 deep?

 

[Craigpump]

How much pipe did you get out?

 

[Shawanda]

None but the pipe is laying up against the casing