Manually get water from a well?

[AF2018]

I have a jet pump in a well house located directly above where my well is dug (65' deep well) about 200' from my house.

In an emergency, is there a way to retrofit/install some sort of manual hand pump in line with my current setup so that I could get water from my well if the power went out for an extended period of time?

I've heard if you remove either water line from the jet pump, the water in the well will lose suction and will lose prime. If true, if I were to disassemble the pipes to instal a manual pump (if this even exists) how would I get prime back?

Im imaging some sort of pump I could build from parts at Lowes with check valves of sorts but not sure the mechanics.

Thanks so much!

 

[Reach4]

See https://www.simplepump.com/

FITS IN ALMOST ALL WELLS
• Fits beside the submersible pipe in nearly all 4″ and larger wells.
• Or in a 2″ or 3″ well alone.​

How big is your casing diameter? 2.375 inch OD "2 inch"?

If the casing is wide enough, you could have the SimplePump installed at the same time as your deep well injector. On the other hand, if your casing were wide enough, you probably would get a submersible pump: no priming needed ever.

 

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[AF2018]

See https://www.simplepump.com/

FITS IN ALMOST ALL WELLS
• Fits beside the submersible pipe in nearly all 4″ and larger wells.
• Or in a 2″ or 3″ well alone.​

How big is your casing diameter? 2.375 inch OD "2 inch"?

If the casing is wide enough, you could have the SimplePump installed at the same time as your deep well injector. On the other hand, if your casing were wide enough, you probably would get a submersible pump.

Thanks for the quick response! Is the casing diameter the outside dimension or inside of the pipe?
So if I install this, (correct me if im wrong, I read this somewhere) when I disconnect the pipes running into my pump, wont I lose prime aka water flow back down the pipe and become dry?

 

[LLigetfa]

my well is dug (65' deep well)

Does that suggest a large diameter casing? These days most wells are drilled, not dug and so have small diameter casing.

How far down to the water? A jet pump suggests a shallow well unless you have two lines down into the well.

A jet pump will allow water to pass through it when it is not running so it is possible to tie in a hand pump. Keep in mind that a hand pump is considered a shallow well pump unless it has a rod going down the well.

As for your question of losing prime, the water should stay in the pipe, held there by the foot valve.

 

[AF2018]

Does that suggest a large diameter casing? These days most wells are drilled, not dug and so have small diameter casing.

How far down to the water? A jet pump suggests a shallow well unless you have two lines down into the well.

A jet pump will allow water to pass through it when it is not running so it is possible to tie in a hand pump. Keep in mind that a hand pump is considered a shallow well pump unless it has a rod going down the well.

As for your question of losing prime, the water should stay in the pipe, held there by the foot valve.

My fault. Error in terminology. Not dug. Drilled back in the 90s. 65' down.
I didnt know a jet pump can work when its not running. Ill look into that.

Can you explain 'two lines down'? Dont all jet pumps require two lines? suction and the return?

 

[LLigetfa]

Can you explain 'two lines down'? Dont all jet pumps require two lines? suction and the return?

Not all jet pumps use two lines. A two line configuration is for deep wells. A single pipe down is for shallow wells.

 

[AF2018]

Not all jet pumps use two lines. A two line configuration is for deep wells. A single pipe down is for shallow wells.

Good to know, thanks

 

[Reach4]

hanks for the quick response! Is the casing diameter the outside dimension or inside of the pipe?

You can say either. The nominal size is pretty much the ID, but if you give OD, we can just round down.

So if I install this, (correct me if im wrong, I read this somewhere) when I disconnect the pipes running into my pump, wont I lose prime aka water flow back down the pipe and become dry?

There is a check valve in the foot valve, so I would not think so if the assembly stayed vertical.

 

[LLigetfa]

A hand pump cannot be tied into the existing piping that goes down into the well since they are for shallow wells only and we have since determined you have a two pipe deep well configuration. You would need to have a deep well hand pump that uses a rod and its own pipe that goes down alongside the existing two pipes. For that you need a large enough casing.

Why not just get a genset to run the electric pump?

 

[Reach4]

One possibility where you could use a suction hand pump is if the static level of the water was maybe 24 ft down. They could have still set up the deep pump arrangement because the water level drops too much if you are pumping 7 gpm with a shallow well pump. But pumping with a hand pump, you would not be pumping as fast. So the well might not draw down as much.

Another situation would be that they were not sure the water level would stay high enough because the aquifer could be an unknown, and wanted to leave margin.

But if you have a 3 inch or bigger casing, a submersible pump would be a nice system upgrade. If 4 inch or bigger, you could have the simple pump co-installed. It could even pressurize your house plumbing, as the documentation examples show.

 

[AF2018]

A hand pump cannot be tied into the existing piping that goes down into the well since they are for shallow wells only and we have since determined you have a two pipe deep well configuration. You would need to have a deep well hand pump that uses a rod and its own pipe that goes down alongside the existing two pipes. For that you need a large enough casing.

Why not just get a genset to run the electric pump?

Im learning a lot here. I see. So the hand pump mechanics would run ALONG SIDE the already existing two pipes that go down the shaft. I never thought of it like that

My thought is about not being reliant of electricity. I have a generator, but if things ever turned bad and I ran out of gas or my aging family memebrs couldnt refill the gen with gas.. Im tyring to think of a way to let hem get water manually.

 

[AF2018]

One possibility where you could use a suction hand pump is if the static level of the water was maybe 24 ft down. They could have still set up the deep pump arrangement because the water level drops too much if you are pumping 7 gpm with a shallow well pump. But pumping with a hand pump, you would not be pumping as fast. So the well might not draw down as much.

Another situation would be that they were not sure the water level would stay high enough because the aquifer could be an unknown, and wanted to leave margin.

But if you have a 3 inch or bigger casing, a submersible pump would be a nice system upgrade. If 4 inch or bigger, you could have the simple pump co-installed. It could even pressurize your house plumbing, as the documentation examples show.

Geesh, Im really ignorant of my own stuff! Ill have to measure the casing tonight

 

[AF2018]

"For that you need a large enough casing."



How does someone not damage the already existing foot valve when dropping down a deep well rod and pipe? It seems like I would smash into the foot valve while lowering the new equipment.

 

[LLigetfa]

How does someone not damage the already existing foot valve when dropping down a deep well rod and pipe?

Don't set it as deep as the existing jet assembly.