Help! Pump and pipe fell in well!

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Texas Wellman

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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?
205 ft is too deep for a jet pump to pull from.
 

Craigpump

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That's why you need a tool with a wall hook, so you get the drop pipe centered up in the well and get down over it.
 

Gaia

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Hi, I know this thread is years old, but I find myself in a similar situation. I replaced the pump last year using 3/4 threatened sch80 -I did not use one inch because 3/4 is what it was there, and 3/4 is what I have from the pump to the house. My well is 500 feet deep, and the pump was set to 400 feet. Someone mentioned using a rope spear to try to catch the wire. So I am posting a picture to see if that is what it was meant, and I was curious if there was a way to get a picture of the tool with a wall hook, as mentioned by Craigpump p, so you get the drop pipe centered up in the well and get down over it.

Your help is greatly appreciated!


images.jpeg
 

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2stupid2fixit

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Some guys I've worked with have had success using this thing. It goes down weighted and when it bites onto something sticking up, it can yank. Don't know if its something worth chasing in your case but I figured it was worth mentioning.

 

Valveman

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Hi, I know this thread is years old, but I find myself in a similar situation. I replaced the pump last year using 3/4 threatened sch80 -I did not use one inch because 3/4 is what it was there, and 3/4 is what I have from the pump to the house. My well is 500 feet deep, and the pump was set to 400 feet. Someone mentioned using a rope spear to try to catch the wire. So I am posting a picture to see if that is what it was meant, and I was curious if there was a way to get a picture of the tool with a wall hook, as mentioned by Craigpump p, so you get the drop pipe centered up in the well and get down over it.

Your help is greatly appreciated!


View attachment 95698
A spear like that will work to get the wire out if you can spin it round and round. Can't drop it down on a rope. It needs to to be on a string of steel pipe so you can spin it and have the strength to pump when it does bite.

3/4 PVC doesn't have the tensile strength or thread strength to hang a pump on, especially that deep. Best of luck.
 

Gaia

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Thank you for your replies! So here I am a month later. I welded myself a spear and constructed a base above the well with 4x6 landscape lumber, which holds the top 6x6 wood. I am using 2-inch casters, so as the rope comes out of the well, the caster turns 90 degrees so I can use my truck to do the pulling. I was able to fish out my wire and my two 3/8 safety lines. Today, we got half of the pipes out, but soon after reaching that point, it felt like the stress on the safety lines increased significantly, like the pump was stuck. At first, the ropes would come out, but not the PVC pipe, so I stopped, and by hand, I was able to pull the PVC pipe. I did that a couple more times, but that makes no sense to me. Anyway, it got dark, and the temperature dropped fast to 29F, so we stopped for the day.

The first 200 feet of pipe puling was easy, so the pump is currently at 200 feet. As far as I know, nothing should be holding the pump (like a ball of safety rope or wire) since they are coming out. Any thoughts?

Your comments are greatly appreciated!
 

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Reach4

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What is the situation with the pvc drop pipe? Do you have a clamp or pipe vise on that pipe above the casing?

How much lifting force have you applied do you think? 200 pounds? 1000 pounds?
 

Gaia

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What is the situation with the pvc drop pipe? Do you have a clamp or pipe vise on that pipe above the casing?

How much lifting force have you applied do you think? 200 pounds? 1000 pounds?
The PVC pipe is a 3/4 sch80, and I was pulling only on the one safety rope and keeping the second 3/8 safety rope as security in case something bad happens to the first one, so I did not see the need to clamp the pipe. The first 200 feet of pipe came out easy and "light," I am guessing about 200 pounds. It was at that point that things changed, and the rope would extend without bringing any of the PVC pipe out. So we would stop after a few inches, and the rope felt really tight and extended, so I pulled the PVC pipe by hand, and it would come up (with a lot of force). I did that about three times, but it was exhausting, and it was the end of the day. That is why it is strange that this extra weight or resistance is happening halfway! At this point, I think that I should find a way to also use the pipe to bring the pump up by using two pipe clamps opposite to each other and attaching a chain to the side bolts so I can also pull it alongside the one safety rope. I found a place that rents a well pump puller, but I was told that it is 25 inches tall, and I only have 27 inches to the top of my rig. This last option is preferable because if all goes well, we should have the last 200 feet of pipe out in 4 hours, in my humble opinion. I am just not sure if that tool will fit, so I am attaching pictures, hoping that it will help to bring views.

The first picture shows on the right the rope that I am using to pull with the help of the 2-inch caster; in the middle is the wire going through the caster for convenience, but I am not pulling from it, and on the left is the second safety rope attached to the top 6x6 just in case the pulling rope breaks.

Your comments are greatly appreciated!
 

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Valveman

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If the pipe, wire, and rope do not all come out at the same time, the wire and rope can be bunching up and causing the pump to get stuck. Again, I would pull all the slack out of the ropes and wire, then pull the pipe, making sure the ropes and wire come up at the same rate as the pipe.
 

Gaia

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If the pipe, wire, and rope do not all come out at the same time, the wire and rope can be bunching up and causing the pump to get stuck. Again, I would pull all the slack out of the ropes and wire, then pull the pipe, making sure the ropes and wire come up at the same rate as the pipe.
Thank you for your reply! The wire is taped to the PVC pipe about every 10 feet, and the rope that I am using to pull has tension from the beginning of this project, so perhaps my safety rope could be the culprit as I was only pulling it by hand and securing every 40 feet, so maybe some got entangled in the bottom. I can secure the rope I have been using for pulling and start using the other rope for pulling to force any bulk rope to come out. Thank you, the idea did not cross my mind.
 

Valveman

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It is best to pull from the pipe and make sure the wire and rope comes out at the same time. This is exactly why I never recommend a rope of cable in the well. If the pipe isn't strong enough on its own, there will always be trouble.
 
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