Pitless adapter won't come out

[GrimResistance]

So I have a Merrill/Weises pitless adapter, the same as shown in these threads 1, 2, 3
I made the tool to unscrew the nut that's down on top of the adapter and was able to loosen the "foot" that holds pressure on it. Unfortunately no matter how hard I pull on the cross arm on the top the thing won't let loose! I'm sure it's not just the weight of the pump, though I have no idea how deep it is so it could be quite heavy, because I can move the cross arm a bit and it's not bearing any weight.

I shoved my inspection camera down there to get a look but I'm not sure what could be holding it, except corrosion.

(sorry for the blurry pics, the camera was really hard to get focused)
In the last picture you can see a little bead of rust attached to the well casing (which is steel) so I think that could be preventing it from coming up but I'm not sure. I don't want to pull too hard and break the vertical pipe holding the adapter to the cross bar, it's just sch40 PVC. I was prying on it pretty hard though and it still wasn't moving. Is it possible there's enough corrosion stuck on the inside that it would prevent it from coming off?

I'm also worried about the gasket getting stuck or falling off, and how well it's gonna seal with all that rust on there when I go to put it back on. Does anyone know where to get a replacement o-ring, or know what size it needs?

 

[Reach4]

It's not the Merrill MCK I think.

Can you get a photo of the foot side? I suspect the foot is not sufficiently retracted.

Your photos are much better than other down-hole pitless photos.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[GrimResistance]

It's retracted, I was able to push on it with the camera but I didn't think to get a picture of that. Also I could see with the camera that the adapter would move slightly when I pulled on it, maybe I can get a video of that.

I do have to outside of the well casing dug down to the pitless adapter, it's only about 3 ft down, I was thinking of taking the clamp off to see if I could then push the adapter in from the outside. Don't want to break anything though so tell me if this is a bad idea.

Edit: I was bored, here's some videos
retracted foot
a bit of movement
no weight on the crossbar
dunno how helpful any of that is

 

[Reach4]

Tis a mystery. Nice pictures.

 

[GrimResistance]

Well, I was able to remove the clamp from the outside and could easily push the pitless adapter away from the hole in the side so I know it's not stuck there...

Unfortunately it's still not moving much. I stood on that socket extension to see if I could get any upwards movement but it only came up maybe 1/2".

My thoughts are either
1. The pump is stuck. I do have quite a lot of iron in my water and it's probably been down there for several decades so it could be rust or sediment around the pump. I've always had great water pressure though so it's at least not clogging up.
2. It's too heavy to lift by hand but, as I can tell from there not being any load on the crossbar, the pump is also not able to move down any further. As I said before I don't know how deep the well is, my camera is only 16ft long so won't reach the bottom, so I can't really guess how much effort it should take to pull it.

At this point I think I may have to give up on pulling the pump or call a pro at some other time. If it truly is stuck I'm afraid I would have to abandon the well and drill another one if the pump ever fails.

All I'm doing is trying to install a cycle stop valve, so I might just install it outside the well casing which I think is not ideal but apparently is an acceptable way to install it based on the top left diagram in this image

I've had a CSV1A installed inside for the past 4 years which has worked great except that I have 2 outside hydrants before the water comes inside and had been just dealing with the inconsistent pressure until I decided to tackle this project and install a CSV125.

 

[VAWellDriller]

I was going to suggest digging but you beat me too it.. Looks like the pump is stuck for sure. You should not pull much if that is a PVC lifting stick. If there is steel drop pipe under the pitless and you could get a steel pulling stick on top of the pitless.....a good pump man may be able to get it out with a hoist truck. I've had luck carefully trying to turn the pump while lifting(always to the right) and also flushing water back down the well. Since your pump runs you may be able to turn it on and let it pump some water to get things moving. If it is pvc drop pipe all the way and you've tried digging, Turing, flushing water....all you can do is pull until something breaks or the pump comes out. At that point you need to be pulling absolutely straight and with the correct pipe elevators to make sure you've done all you possibly can. You should be very careful and be ready to possibly have to drill a new well. At this point it may be best to try and reset the pitless and leave well enough alone.

 

[GrimResistance]

The drop pipe is pvc as well.

At this point it may be best to try and reset the pitless and leave well enough alone.

I'm inclined to agree

 

[Bannerman]

Perhaps the bottom of the pump is buried in accumulated sediment at the bottom of the well, which maybe creating suction, thereby increasing the force needed to lift the pump.

 

[Reach4]

Sometimes they blow air with a big engine-driven compressor down another pipe to try to unstick the pump. The one time I sorta saw it attempted by a professional well company, it did not succeed. They were somehow able to push the pump down, and put another pump in. I don't know how they dealt with the drop pipe. Did it break off with enough pull? The well owner only knew part of the story, but in the end the new pump worked.

I think that was a 5-inch well.

 

[GrimResistance]

I'll definitely keep these techniques in mind if/when I ever have to replace the pump. Probably try everything I can to do it my self before giving up and calling in a professional

I went ahead and installed the valve outside of the well casing. Here's some pics of that if anyone is interested.

 

[Valveman]

I would stack about three more valve boxes on top of that one so it comes above surface for you green lid. Since you installed it outside the well the CSV1A could have just been moved to the new location. But either way will work.

 

[GrimResistance]

I had thought about stacking boxes but since the lid is only about 2 ft below the surface (seems shallow for michigan winters) I figure it's not too much effort to dig it back up if need be.

I didn't think to re-use the old valve since I did originally plan to hang it in the well casing. Oh well, I'm gonna hang on to it anyway in case I move house.

Awesome product by the way! I've recommended it to a couple people but it's a bit hard to explain to them why it's better/how it works.

 

[Valveman]

Stacking the valve boxes for the lid to be above ground and stuffing it full of bat insulation is easier than finding and digging.

 

[Kevink1955]

If he stacked the valve boxes he would need very long arms to service the valve anyway. I have had trouble working in an 18 inch deep pit, hard to get any leverage that far in.

 

[Valveman]

Yeah I agree. But still easier to pull off a couple of valve box extensions than to dig it all up again.

 

[Bannerman]

Access to the CSV would have been much easier year round by placing the CSV in the basement, directly before the pressure tank.

 

[Valveman]

I've had a CSV1A installed inside for the past 4 years which has worked great except that I have 2 outside hydrants before the water comes inside and had been just dealing with the inconsistent pressure until I decided to tackle this project and install a CSV125.