Hello all, I have decided to embark on replacing my well foot valve. Ever since I have bought the house If I lose power I lose the prime on my pump I usually just hook up to the neighbors house and refill my whole house system to reprime my pump, as I have tried the pour water in the pump but can never get it to prime. I had a well guy out and he said it is either the foot valve or hole in the pipe. the quote he gave me was $500 to $5000 depending on what it was. I'm going to replace the foot valve myself and if that is not it may go the replace the well route. Well is a single line Jet pump of unknown depth the well casing is 4" metal. I started last night to pull the cap off and the whole pipe started spinning. I ended up digging down to expose the T I unscrewed the pipe and this is what I found. Does anyone know how to get this out. I'm assuming screw a 1" black pipe t handle into it and just pull it up? But it may be threaded or something. I would like some direction prior to just winging it. I have attached 2 pictures of what I found when I dug down. The water around came out of the upper pipe when I unscrewed it was dry when I first dug down.
Foot Valve Replacement
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Yeah should be able to screw a 1" pipe into the fitting and just pull up. Also check the o-ring in the pitless as that could also be a place to lose prime.
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So tonight I made a t removal tool and tried to pull it out. Any trick to it? I tried pulling no movement. Tried a car jack nothing. Tried good ol brute force with a hammer and it doesn’t seem to move at all. Any idea how much force should be required. Was thinking a chain hoist might work? Also I found this in the pipe above it any idea what it is?
Shouldn't be that hard to pull up. Maybe using air you could blow the water out from around the fitting and better see what is down there? If you can get a pic of the pitless down the pipe it would help.
I don't know what that other thing is. Maybe a casing adapter for an old pump?
I don't know what that other thing is. Maybe a casing adapter for an old pump?
That would be a good reason why you can't pull it up.
JamesT, perhaps http://www.deq.state.mi.us/well-logs/ could get you some info.
If your casing is 4 inch below that, conversion to a submersible pump would be a nice no-priming upgrade.
If your casing is 4 inch below that, conversion to a submersible pump would be a nice no-priming upgrade.
Cleaned it out it is full with metal not what I was expecting but I don’t think this is a standard pitless? Do I have to try and remove that outer ring that looks lighter color in the picture possibly? It looks like it might possibly unscrew? Also I may of been wrong as the outside is only 3.5” does that mean it’s really a 3” well? Does that change how to pull it?
The pipe below could be 3 inch or could be smaller. You would have to dig down to find out.
If 3 inch, you might be able to convert to use a 3 inch submersible. Not trivial, but a nice thing to have.
I don't recognize your pitless. What does the writing on the top cap on your first photo say? Your unit does not look like these, but maybe it is similar in some ways.
https://www.bakerwatersystems.com/p...deep-well-pitless-units-for-concentric-piping
If 3 inch, you might be able to convert to use a 3 inch submersible. Not trivial, but a nice thing to have.
I don't recognize your pitless. What does the writing on the top cap on your first photo say? Your unit does not look like these, but maybe it is similar in some ways.
https://www.bakerwatersystems.com/p...deep-well-pitless-units-for-concentric-piping
Reach4 thanks for that link looks like my well is 39 to 44’deep. It calls out a 2” casing though that doesn’t seem to be what I have is it? Says pitless adapter. I took a screenshot but was too large to post. Says the static water level is 23’. Done in 1978 if that helps at all.
https://patents.google.com/patent/CA500284A/en?oq=ca500284 assigned to Baker.
I think that word in script is Monitor. So the Baker link I included above would be at least for the successors to your pitless.
How did you try the car jack? I am thinking that a jack should be able to do it, but I am wondering what you were pushing against.
I am also thinking that knowing what you know now, the pipe that extends above ground could have stayed in place. There are people who have actually used those units who might be able to tell you how to apply the force. I am suspecting that rather than pulling against the ground, you should be pulling the inside against the outside.
I think that word in script is Monitor. So the Baker link I included above would be at least for the successors to your pitless.
How did you try the car jack? I am thinking that a jack should be able to do it, but I am wondering what you were pushing against.
I am also thinking that knowing what you know now, the pipe that extends above ground could have stayed in place. There are people who have actually used those units who might be able to tell you how to apply the force. I am suspecting that rather than pulling against the ground, you should be pulling the inside against the outside.
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So I didn’t completely follow the last part. What did you mean by pulling the inside against the outside. The car jack I put a board under my t handle that I made. And jacked up one side of the handle as close to the center as I could get. I could not get the cap off, when I tried the whole pipe started spinning. That is why I started to dig down. The picture of the thing I was not sure what it was looks like the hold down part of this pitless. If you think I still just need to pull up I have an electric chain hoist with 600lb load. I was thinking set up an a frame and use that on my t handle to lift it out.
I think a car jack could apply more than 600 pounds.
When you unscrewed the pitless case, did you use a big pipe wrench on the 3.5 inch od part, or did you torque the seal cap, and the long pitless case unscrewed from the discharge body?
Maybe get a 3 inch NPT pipe and screw that in, and figure out how to let the jack push down on that while lifting your t-bar tool. That is what I meant by pushing down on the outside while pulling up on the inside.
When you unscrewed the pitless case, did you use a big pipe wrench on the 3.5 inch od part, or did you torque the seal cap, and the long pitless case unscrewed from the discharge body?
Maybe get a 3 inch NPT pipe and screw that in, and figure out how to let the jack push down on that while lifting your t-bar tool. That is what I meant by pushing down on the outside while pulling up on the inside.
I would agree the car jack should be able to lift more but the issue I think I was havin was I could not lift straight. Which caused problems. I will try the car jack again pushing down on the outer case. I’ll have to think how that one is going to happen.
I only had one pipe wrench big enough a 36” wrench on the cap itself spun the whole pipe.
Thanks for all your help I’m learning lots even if nothing has happened yet towards fixing it.
I only had one pipe wrench big enough a 36” wrench on the cap itself spun the whole pipe.
Thanks for all your help I’m learning lots even if nothing has happened yet towards fixing it.
Not a standard tongue and grove type pitless. Something will probably need to be unscrewed before you can pull it. And yes that is 3" pipe, which could very well reduce down to 2" casing a little ways down.
Baker Monitor probably PJ.
https://www.bakerwatersystems.com/uploads/files/products/category_pdfs/PJ Pitless Repair Parts.pdf
https://www.bakerwatersystems.com/uploads/files/products/category_pdfs/PJ Pitless Repair Parts.pdf
This is all I could find on that one.
The spool should now be removed from the case - to do this use a piece of 1-1/4" pipe with a thread on one end and a length of 2' or 3' longer than pitless unit. Remove seal cap - insert the threaded end of the pipe inside the case and into the end of the spool. Screw hand tight, then place a block of wood against the lower end of the spool casting and strike the block with a fairly heavy object and pull on the pipe which will remove the spool from the pitless case.
The spool should now be removed from the case - to do this use a piece of 1-1/4" pipe with a thread on one end and a length of 2' or 3' longer than pitless unit. Remove seal cap - insert the threaded end of the pipe inside the case and into the end of the spool. Screw hand tight, then place a block of wood against the lower end of the spool casting and strike the block with a fairly heavy object and pull on the pipe which will remove the spool from the pitless case.
I saw that as well. I didnt really understand where to hit and what that was really going to do. If I do get this out is there going to be a foot valve at the bottom? sounds like it might have a point, do points have check valves? do you replace the point or a check valve further up? Im guessing the leak is probably from the 2 o rings on the pitless. I found the size of O ring, I have called around locally and am having a hard time finding the o rings so i might have to order online Oring is -332 with is 2.35ID -.21 thickness. I can get them on mcmaster as a last resort. I believe my pitless is Baker NA40.
Well points use a check valve at the top. I think you are going to see a foot valve at the bottom of a 1" or 1 1/4" pipe. I would replace the foot valve and pitless o-rings.
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