Unidentifiable Pitless / Problem removing pitless

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tkraemer

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This is my first time attempting to pull a well pump. I'm not sure exactly how old the pump is, but my best guess would be the early 80s. I took a zoomed in photo and included it as an attachment.

The pipe extension in the center of the photo is about 5 ft below the top of the well. It is roughly 8" above the solid cap or plate of some kind. The slot you can see toward the bottom of the picture is where the blue electrical line passes through the cap/plate. I created the large 6 ft long pitless "key" (shaped like a T) and screwed it into the threads of the pipe extension on top of the pitless. I hoped maybe it would just pull out like many that I have seen online, but no such luck. I used a jack on my pitless key/tool as well, but couldn't move it. I am inclined to think that it may be mechanically stuck in place.

I can'd find any pitless that look similar to mine online. I saw Merrill's MCU & SSMCU Pitless Units look somewhat similar to mine, but mine does not appear to have the pin for releasing the back lever.

Can anyone advise me what kind of pitless adapter I have, or how I can remove it and pull the pump? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

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VAWellDriller

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Its a spool type pitless like a Baker Monitor standard.....most that I've seen on wells less than 8" do not have any sort of lock mechanism, they simply rely on gravity to seat the spool. It so badly corroded, I bet that is your problem pulling. We pulled one few months ago that was very corroded....the weight of the pump assembly was 5800#, and it took over 13000# on the crane to unseat it. Also, this type can be much harder to pull if you aren't pulling straight, which you probably weren't if you were using some sort of jack. Pull straight and pull harder, use a good pull pipe and screw it in very tight.
 

tkraemer

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Thanks for the info, VAWellDriller. Much appreciated.

If I do manage to lift this assembly, do I need worry about irreparably destroying the spool? With it being this corroded, how likely is it that I'll be able to reassemble things with a good seal? Should I attempt to clean the casing before lifting (or attempting to reassemble)? Are there any good products to lubricate the spool or minimize the rust? Should I buy replacement o-rings before I start? Is there typically a small step in the diameter just above the spool so that it can easily be removed after it is unseated, or will it be pulling tough the whole way?

What type of drop pipe is typically used with a spool-type pitless? The pipe running into the house is flexible; is it reasonable to assume the same type would have been used for the drop pipe?

Answers to any of these questions would be great!
 
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VAWellDriller

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The step in diameter is on the bottom of the spool....there are 2 steps actually, the top and bottom of the spool both seat...the bottom is the smallest diameter; that means, the spool will unseat, but will basically be tight all the way up because of the rust. On a new unit, the orings will just barely touch the casing sides as you lower it...then it seats about the last 1 inch. This looks like maybe somebody has been chlorinating the well and not rinsing???? You should try to get new orings, as you will probably need them; we use vaseline to lube thenm. It's hard to say what the drop pipe is; we never use these on residential because they are expensive....What size pump do you have? I would not try to clean the casing first, as most anything you loosen up will fall down on the pitless spool. You mentioned possible damaging the spool....yeah, it's possible, but I've pulled really hard on these before and never had a problem.....
 
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