About to drill well - Need Advice

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ThirdGenPump

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I assume the #10 wire was for the 3HP option(max 609ft controller to motor). He has to upgrade to the #8 for the 5HP(max 539ft controller to motor).

For a single phase 5hp Goulds says max 507ft on #6. We don't know how fat the well is from the house though. I'd probably look at #4 between the house and well and #6 in the well.

I always put 5HPs on galvanized. Yes it rusts but it takes a very long time. It's rare that I'm pulling a pump for pipe failure, on the ones that have the installations have been 20years plus. I'd reconsider and use PVC on any well that I was replacing earlier due to pipe. PVC fails too as it gets brittle with age and cracks. Water quality varies so mileage will vary. The galvanized is getting cheaper than the old stuff so I expect I'll be forced over to PVC more often, but that hasn't happened yet, so I'll hold out with my galvy installations till I see more problems with it.


To the OP you've never really covered what you want to use this well for. If you just want to run a household you'd be fine with a 3HP, it can pump to the depth but flow will drop off as the water level pulls down. I usually blow the well out at a few different depths to get an idea of what the water level will maintain. I doubt flow would every be less than 10gpm at depth which you wouldn't notice unless you were doing a lot of outside watering. A 5HP can take advantage of your wells maximum yield, if you're going to be doing a lot of outside watering or agriculture you'd want the 5HP.

Mandatory- I would never install a VFD for someones potable supply, I tell people who want them for that application they should find another installer. I do occasionally use them for irrigation supply. I expect the controllers to fail and need to be replaced. It's not worth having customers pissed off because they can't shower due to unreliable equipment, if it's a luxury expense like watering their lawn they are a little more willing to wait for me to get a replacement controller and swap it out.
 

Valveman

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For a single phase 5hp Goulds says max 507ft on #6. We don't know how fat the well is from the house though. I'd probably look at #4 between the house and well and #6 in the well.

Thanks ThirdGen. I guess I may need to upgrade from my 1992 book. It shows 450' is as far as you can go with #6 on a 5HP single phase. Although I always like to err on the safe side, so I will probably just keep using my old book.
 

ThirdGenPump

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They pushed the motor lead lengths with the CentriPro motors. I generally err on the side of caution and go larger on close calls. One of the company's in my area constantly uses wire sized below rating. I've certainly seen some of those fail early. Sometimes they still last though. It's frustrating to do everything right yourself, then pull up someone else's work where they cut every corner and still got decades. Always makes me wonder if if I should just do shitty work too.
 

Craigpump

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Always makes me wonder if if I should just do shitty work too.

I see nylon adapters installed in pitless adapters, 1/2, 3/4 & 1 hp pumps hung on 100 psi poly with nylon adapters, 3/4 PVC, galvanized 1/4 nipples under pressure switches.... It's truly amazing what some people get away with.

I know I lose work to the local handy man, but at least I can sleep at night.....and not make excuses for my work.
 
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ThirdGenPump

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I see nylon adapters installed in pitless adapters, 1/2, 3/4 & 1 hp pumps hung on 100 psi poly with nylon adapters, 3/4 PVC, galvanized 1/4 nipples under pressure switches.... It's truly amazing what some people get away with.

I know I lose work to the local handy man, but at least I can sleep at night.....and not make excuses for my work.

Yeah I love that crap. Digging a hole in someone's yard because some asshole wanted to save 5 bucks using a nylon adapter. Then the same company that uses the nylon adapters also has a policy of starting at the house with the excavator for leaking well lines. 'Hey assholes you know where the leak is, it's the freakin’ nylon adapter you put in!'

I'd rather do good work and get called back in 20 years. It's just frustrating the shit guys get away with, doubly so when they get paid again for screwing up the first time.

As much as I hated the buraucracy of inspections for electrical at least someone was advocating against the hacks for the home owners. On the pump work it's still the wild west. The home owners don't know enough to protect themselves.
 

Pettrix

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So with the Schedule 120 PVC 20' drop pipe lengths going down 480 feet. What is the best method to connect the threaded pipes?
There are 3 coupling options:

A - Sch 120 PVC couplings
B - 304 Stainless Steel Couplings
C - Galvanized Steel Couplings
 

Valveman

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So with the Schedule 120 PVC 20' drop pipe lengths going down 480 feet. What is the best method to connect the threaded pipes?
There are 3 coupling options:

A - Sch 120 PVC couplings
B - 304 Stainless Steel Couplings
C - Galvanized Steel Couplings

I thought all Sch 120 pipe had belled ends. If not I would go with the Stainless couplings.


LOL ThirdGen, tell us what you really think. :)
 

Craigpump

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I thought all Sch 120 pipe had belled ends. If not I would go with the Stainless couplings.


LOL ThirdGen, tell us what you really think. :)


Nope, we can get 1.25 sch120 PVC without belled ends from Preferred.

I like stainless couplings with bigger pumps. Galvanized couplings are junk.

I bet we all could write a 1000 page book with all the lousy work we've seen over the years.
 

Boycedrilling

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I don't know if they still make the belled end threaded PVC drop pipe. We had a real problem with it splitting the bell here in the Pacific NW. nobody will use it anymore and so none of the distributors stock it, if it is still made. I feel that installers were overtightening the connections, as if they were using galvanized pipe.

I buy the sch 120 with pre installed stainless steel couplers from my Preferred branch. Now if I'm using it for airline reverse circ drilling, I use plain steel couplings, and have run as much as 1,000 ft of 1" inside the drill rod.

I started using sch 80 PVC in the 1980's. I would have to buy plain end grey sch 80 and thread it myself.

Some installers will use sch120 as deep as 600-700 ft. I don't have the nerve to try that. I don't exceed the manufacturers recommendations for horsepower and depth. I'm the one that has to warranty my work. There is no manufacturer's warranty if you exceed their recommendations.
 

Craigpump

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Boyce, we routinely run 1" sch 80 with sch 120 couplings to 680'. Just yesterday we pulled and set a 1.5-5 on #8 to 660'.
 

Craigpump

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Just saw this, seems appropriate.

LOL
 

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Pettrix

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Just saw this, seems appropriate.

LOL


It's a two-way street. If the homeowner does not ask questions then the installer can rip them off and do bad work. If the homeowner doesn't check up or "watch" the work then the installer can rip-off the homeowner by putting in wrong parts or doing it the wrong way.

Like I said, it's a two-way street. In my line of work I am responsible for checking on contractors and some are trustworthy and do honest and great work while others are liars and thieves and cannot be trusted and must be watched with hawk eyes and questioned constantly.

I firmly believe in observing and asking questions. NOT pestering the workers but asking questions and observing their work. For example, on an 8-hour job, maybe dropping by and checking twice on the progress.
 

Pettrix

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Boyce, we routinely run 1" sch 80 with sch 120 couplings to 680'. Just yesterday we pulled and set a 1.5-5 on #8 to 660'.

If the homeowner had questioned and checked on the original installer, they would have found out that they were installing SCH 80 pipe when it should have been 120 pipe. They could have caught that the wire is too thin and should have been a thicker gauge.

A thing I learned early in life. Trust nobody and question everything. ;)
 

PumpMd

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Nope, we can get 1.25 sch120 PVC without belled ends from Preferred.

I like stainless couplings with bigger pumps. Galvanized couplings are junk.

I bet we all could write a 1000 page book with all the lousy work we've seen over the years.


Not when you wrap them up like Valveman & me down the well and the ones above the water level you don't need to wrap them but could go ahead and wrap them so you don't have to worry about the wire rubbing on the couplings. If your having problems with the tape holding, use the wide thick tape that you have to cut.
 

PumpMd

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He wants to hang 380' 1.25 of galvanized pipe on Sch120 PVC drop pipe holding the weight? Who here has tried that?
 

Craigpump

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Forget galvanized, it corrodes from the inside out. Besides, the customers is paying for the materials, why not do a better job?
 

ThirdGenPump

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He wants to hang 380' 1.25 of galvanized pipe on Sch120 PVC drop pipe holding the weight? Who here has tried that?

That's how I read it the first time and 'thought wow this guys an idiot' but on rereading he wants to put the pvc at the pump and the galvanized up higher. It's not mindbogglingly harmful as the reverse.

I've never done that. I don't really see the benefit to a mixed drop pipe pipe. Supporting the weight isn't the issue, PVC has that no problem. It's standing up the the torque and pressure that is the limiting factor for PVC. The way I see it is it can be done in all PVC or all Galvy, pick your poison. On the 5HP I opt for steel.
 
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