50 year old well cap how to remove??

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Bill Enghauser

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I have a well dug in 1967 that I finally uncovered with the casing about 3 feet down which I am trying to bring back to life. My question is how do I remove the well cap with out dropping the pump into the bottom of the well or some other disaster? See attached pictures. This well is in Longwood FL and so far as best as I can tell the pipe going down the well to the pump is attached to the cap. There seems to be no pitless adaptor.
 

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LLigetfa

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First I would dig a larger hole to gain working room. Then I would clean up the outside of the casing below the seal to get down to good steel. After that I would cut around the casing just deep enough to not cut anything inside it and hoist the works out. Then I would weld on new casing to get it above ground.
 

Craigpump

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I'd wire brush the bolts on the seal and pour Coke on them to help free them up. If that doesn't work and the bolt head breaks off, find the parting line. Break or grind both bolt heads on one side of the parting line. Carefully pry off the top plate and put vise grips on the bolts to kerp them from dropping. Now you can pry the rest of the seal out and pull the pump.
First I would dig a larger hole to gain working room. Then I would clean up the outside of the casing below the seal to get down to good steel. After that I would cut around the casing just deep enough to not cut anything inside it and hoist the works out. Then I would weld on new casing to get it above ground.

Sounds like a good idea until your cut drops everything to the bottom of the hole
 

Smooky

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Under all that rust is a well seal something like this one here. It seals by compressing the rubber between the metal plates.

well seal.gif
 

Bill Enghauser

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New progress, created more working space around well pipe, cut off top of pipe, starting to pull galvanized pipe today 8/30/2017.
See pictures Once pump pulled depending on old pump, get new pump, weld pipe extension, use 160 PSI Polyethylene Flexible Coil Pipe, PK1A PSIDE-KICK Kit, still working on all steps. Questions tests to perform on well, cleaning well?, purging well before hooking up to pressure tank.
 

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Greenmonster123

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After that I would cut around the casing just deep enough to not cut anything inside it and hoist the works out. Then I would weld on new casing to get it above ground.

Just a thought. Is there any reason you couldn't use a dresser coupling to extend the casing if you couldn't weld it?
 

Craigpump

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Why would you use 1.25, 200 psi poly? Personally, I would never put poly in a well, it isn't designed for that type of use.
 

Bill Enghauser

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The depth from cap to bottom of pump is 80 feet 4" well pipe. More progress made, last pipe ( full of holes), red jacket pump pulled, casing extension welded on, pump and control box ordered, side kick kit ordered.
Why would you use 1.25, 200 psi poly? Personally, I would never put poly in a well, it isn't designed for that type of use.
I did not want to put galvanized back in I'm looking for a lighter alternative
 

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Ballvalve

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Poly pipe is great in a well. a 12 year old could pull or set that pump. Usually why many pump guys don't like it. 200 psi is overkill at 80' but it can't hurt. I have 160psi for 35 years in holes 300' deep.
 

Craigpump

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Poly pipe is great in a well. a 12 year old could pull or set that pump. Usually why many pump guys don't like it. 200 psi is overkill at 80' but it can't hurt. I have 160psi for 35 years in holes 300' deep.


Poly absolutely sucks for drop pipe.

1) It's too flexible and the stuff whips when the pump starts and stops.
2) When you pull it to replace the wire that has gotten beat up from the whipping, it lays in the grass, dirt & animal waste on your yard so your well can become contaminated.
3) It's actually harder to install than sch 80 PVC.
4) It's not that much cheaper than sch 80 PVC.
5) Most people over heat the pipe when inserting the insert adapters which weakens the pipe.
 

Bill Enghauser

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New pump Goulds 25GS15412C 4" Submersible Water Well Pump and motor with control box. 25 Gallons per Minute, 1-1/2 Horsepower, 3 Wire, 230 volts
Old pump RED JACKET, MODEL NO 8DC, SERIAL NUMBER CA495, DATE CODE 50485, 206/230 V, 60 HZ, 3460 RPM, DAVENPORT IOWA,
 

Reach4

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25 GPM is bigger than even a big house usually warrants.
 

LLigetfa

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I use poly pipe in my 60 foot well. When I pull the pump I don't lay the poly down on the grass, I lay it onto sawhorses. I also wash it with bleach as I am setting it back into the well.

I see a lot of pics on this forum with hundreds of feet of PVC or metal pipe laying in the grass so it would seem a lot of installers are not too concerned about contamination or they wash them one by one as they set the pump.

I use standoffs to keep the wire from chafing against the casing and I use a torque arrestor to keep the pump from flailing about. Mind you I have a 6 inch casing so not worried about little bits falling off and jamming the pump in the hole.

I would be more worried about the pump unscrewing itself from the PVC pipe or the PVC cracking and the water recirculating until it got so hot that the PVC melts where it goes into the pump and the pump falls off, pulls apart the crimps and is lost in the bottom of the well.
 

Reach4

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I see a lot of pics on this forum with hundreds of feet of PVC or metal pipe laying in the grass so it would seem a lot of installers are not too concerned about contamination or they wash them one by one as they set the pump.
The former.
 
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