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Macki

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I am going to need to bail out my well down to 485' from where the pump sits at 385' why it wasnt set at the bottom is up for debate. The 1 hp pump should be able to handle the additional depth without issue. It was likely a cheap out thing with the original installer, and it worked for 20 years.
The current pump depth is 385', the extra 100' would give me an extra 260 gallons of water to pump, which is roughly what my tank needs to fill when the float drops.
I would like to build a 4 post A frame derrick to be able to trip the pipe and do my own bailing. This is more an educational experiment, as I would like to drill my own well at my cabin (less than 100'). This would allow me to get my feet wet, so to speak. I would need to build or buy a bailer, either of which is not out of the realm of possibility. I am a fabricator and welding contractor by trade, and have the skills and tools to build what is needed, but I lack the experience in drilling a well. If the bailing experiment pans out I will need additional help moving to the drilling end of it.
So, does anyone have experience building a derrick, or bailing a well. I could use advice as to what I need to do, and what tooling I would need, as well as its use. I have read what I can find on the web, but it is a wee bit lacking. As far as the derrick, I could probably wing it and do okay, as I have built several large gantries, and small cranes. I am a little in the dark as far as the winches used though, as well as the bailer itself.

I know this is a little out of the realm of this site, but maybe not out of the people that use it. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
 

Valveman

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Bailing a 100' of muck out of a well is not an easy job, even with the right equipment. Bailing with a hand made winch and derrick would make it even more difficult. You would need a suction bailer, that works like a syringe. You would need to lift it off the bottom several times to suck the bailer full of muck. Then you need a fast bailing line to get it up out of the well before the water in it drains out. Opening the trap door and letting the muck out of the bailer requires that it still have some water in it. If you take too long to get it to surface and the water is drained out, the muck will stick in the bailer and have to be dug out the hard way. Even if the muck is not hard you will only get a foot or two with each pass. So you are looking at a few hundred trips in and out of the hole to get it cleaned out.

Then it will probably just fill up to that point again, which is most likely why it was raised 100' to start with. If the muck fills in around the pump, it will be permanently planted in the well.

You will probably be better off with a large air compressor to blow the well out. But there is still nothing to keep the well from filling up to that point again unless you case the entire well.
 

Valveman

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Then it really should not have filled in 100'. You maybe able to clean it out, but it might just fill up to that point again. The well is apparently not gravel packed and must have perforated casing to 385'?
 

Macki

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According to the drillers report it is caesd down to the bottom. I am not sure where it is perforated. I will try to scare up the report again to see what it says.
 

Reach4

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I am going to need to bail out my well down to 485' from where the pump sits at 385' why it wasnt set at the bottom is up for debate.
What causes you to think there is 100 ft of mud? Has the pump started bringing up sediment much more than it did initially?

Also, have you ever run your well dry (to the pump)?
 
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Macki

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My number were a little bit off. The well is 380' , perforated from 180 to 280 , 1/8" cuts, 3 cuts per foot.
I had the pump replaced earlier this summer. They sounded the well and found that the water level had dropped a fair bit, and that the pump had mud right below it at 280'. I would like to remove the mud and sink the pump. I suspect it has been filling in for some time and the pump brings up enough sediment to keep itself out of the mud.
 

Valveman

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1/8" cuts will not stop the mud from coming in. You cannot set the pump any deeper than 280' unless you have a shroud or flow inducer sleeve on the pump. Setting below 280' would cause the pump to be fed from the top, which will quickly burn up the motor unless there is a cooling shroud attached. Also the deepest the water could be coming in is 280', so not much need to set deeper than that. But if you get the mud cleaned out a shroud on the pump would keep the motor cool and prevent the mud from building up around the motor. That mud is probably coming in from above 280', so it will probably keep coming in. Casing with .035 or .020 perf and small sand like gravel will keep the mud out. But the well must be installed that way in the beginning.
 
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