Selecting a replacement pump

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Jaylivi

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I may replace my current pump, which I believe was installed three years ago by the original owner. The current Gould submersible is 1/2 hp and pumps only 5 gpm. I want to add backwashing filters to my filtration system, and rather than choose equipment for iron/sulfate removal that I don't want, I'm going to (maybe) replace the pump.

I don't know how deep the well is. I have never run out of water. I have run the pump for 12 hour sessions on the advice that I purge water from a well that hadn't been used in two years, and I never ran out of water. However, I still don't know what my well's replacement rate is. My neighbor has a much more powerful pump than do I and has never run out of water.

I am looking at an 13 and 18 gpm models. What other factors should I consider?
 

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You will need to know the depth to water and find out if your well can really make 13-18 GPM. Running the pump you have now with a wide open pipe and no pressure can tell you a lot. Measuring how many GPM that pump can produce can tell you if the well will produce at least that much water and from what depth it is pumping. If you tell me the pump is making say a steady 6 GPM running wide open, I can tell you the water level in the well is 210'.
 

Craigpump

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You can start with the local health dept or state dept that deals with wells and request a well completion report. Follow that up with a thorough well recovery test and you'll have the info you need.
 

Jaylivi

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You will need to know the depth to water and find out if your well can really make 13-18 GPM. Running the pump you have now with a wide open pipe and no pressure can tell you a lot. Measuring how many GPM that pump can produce can tell you if the well will produce at least that much water and from what depth it is pumping. If you tell me the pump is making say a steady 6 GPM running wide open, I can tell you the water level in the well is 210'.

I appreciate your reply. I will test it this weekend to see what I can get out of it steady. I hadn't measured it before, but I know it won't be as high as 6 GPM. Again, thank you.
 

Jaylivi

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You can start with the local health dept or state dept that deals with wells and request a well completion report. Follow that up with a thorough well recovery test and you'll have the info you need.

Thank you, I obviously didn't know that there would be a record of this well. I assumed I wouldn't know the details until I opened it up.

My well head has a concrete cover, so I have been avoiding opening it up.
 

Craigpump

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If its under a cover like that it may have been drilled before completion reports were required, but it's still worth a few calls to find out.
 

Jaylivi

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If its under a cover like that it may have been drilled before completion reports were required, but it's still worth a few calls to find out.
Thanks for replying. Is there a good way for me to free the concrete covering to the well without sending chunks of concrete down the well. I would expect that this could damage my pump.
The gap between the concrete and the water line coming from the well head is so small that I have a hard time chlorinating my well.
 

Jaylivi

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Sorry it took me a while. The camera on my p hone is broken... But this is my well head. I'm seeking advice about how I should remove the concrete covering?
image.jpeg
 

Reach4

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I am not sure what concrete you are talking about. I expect the piece the pipes are going down through is steel. Get a strong magnet to test with if you think that is concrete. It is probably the concrete under the rocks that you are talking about rather than the roundish thing.

You should probably get that cylinder demolished on the right side of the picture, and get the casing extended... by welding if it is a steel casing that is at least 4 inches ID.

It would be nice if you could replace your jet pump with a submersible pump. The wire would pass through one of the existing steel pipes. That is not an option with a 2 inch casing.
 

Jaylivi

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So this is an above ground jet pump with two pipes going down the well? Disconnect the unions and the steel plate will come up with the two pipes.

Thank you guys. The pump is a submersible. The well head is at least two feet below ground so is challenging to reach. It would make sense that the plate is steel, but concrete was placed or spilled onto it at some point. I wasn't sure why there were two lines doing down into the well - assumed that it's just fancy casing for wires. You can see that some of the system was replaced and I believe a new pump was installed in 2014, but I don't know.
 
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Reach4

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Ahh... the wires are in the steel pipe higher in your photo.
 

Craigpump

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Call me an alarmist, but that's one of the most unsanitary installations I've ever seen.

I don't know about the others here, but I would start by finding out who left the job like this, then I would follow up with calls, emails and pictures to the local licensing board & health departments and get his license pulled.

After that, I'd dig out that concrete tile, extend the casing, install a pitless adapter then super chlorinate that well to kill the bacteria that it contains.
 

Jaylivi

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I assume the all-metal pipe is only the electrical
Call me an alarmist, but that's one of the most unsanitary installations I've ever seen.

I don't know about the others here, but I would start by finding out who left the job like this, then I would follow up with calls, emails and pictures to the local licensing board & health departments and get his license pulled.

After that, I'd dig out that concrete tile, extend the casing, install a pitless adapter then super chlorinate that well to kill the bacteria that it contains.

This just sounds like being safety conscious to me. The person who serviced the well is no longer in business and my neighbors believe that he must be deceased. There is a heavy concrete pad over the hole, but it is sloppy beneath. I had no biological issues when I tested my water, but now I'm glad that I installed a uv light. I will be cleaning it up asap.
 

Valveman

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Call me an alarmist, but that's one of the most unsanitary installations I've ever seen.

I don't know about the others here, but I would start by finding out who left the job like this, then I would follow up with calls, emails and pictures to the local licensing board & health departments and get his license pulled.

After that, I'd dig out that concrete tile, extend the casing, install a pitless adapter then super chlorinate that well to kill the bacteria that it contains.

I agree 100%. If this were in Texas the installer would not be allowed to leave a well like that. We are required to bring old wells up to code, which means casing terminates above ground and is sealed properly to keep out contamination.
 

Jaylivi

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I will clean it up for now and then make a more permanent fix. My brother works for a lab that does water testing, so I will just test it frequently until I can find someone who I trust to clean it up and perhaps update the pump. Thanks again guys.
 

Jaylivi

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