woodeye

woodeye · May 9, 2009

Off we go I'll keep you posted Jeff

woodeye · May 9, 2009

You said good and bad. Well bad first. Dug over to the new location got set up and the drive cap was too big to fit inside the driver by 1/8". So I sent the kid to my house to grind it down enough to fit while I put a spare one on that I got just in case and began driving with a sledge hammer. I got it in about 5' and took a pipe wrench to rotate the point a bit and guess what, the pipe was no longer attached to the point. So I pulled the pipe out with the coupler but no point. Inside the coupler was the top 1" of threads from the point. I was po'd. Well I had gotten a second point because the place I got the caps and couplers had the same pump $9.00 cheaper. I was going to return the more expensive one. Good thing I procrastinated. So now the kid was back with the ground down cap. So we set up the new point, moved over 6" and started to drive the new point. I don't think it went too bad. We hit water at about 8' and drove down another 8' which was about how deep the original point was. So all in all the day went good I guess. We seem to have about 8'-9' of water in the pipe. So tomorrow I'll flush the new point and start to hook up the horizontal line. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for all your help.
Jeff

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Speedbump · May 10, 2009

Sledge hammers are not the way to drive a well. I guess I don't have to tell you that now, do I?

Use a Pitcher Pump or just a jet pump to test pump the well and clear it up. Then when your satisfied that you have enough water with no sand, you good to go.

bob...

woodeye · May 10, 2009

I was going to use the neighbors hose, put it into the well as far as it will go and flush it that way. I read that flushing with a hose was another way to get the sand and dirt out. I don't have a picture pump. Do I need to be concerned about the sand damaging the jet pump. I also read that using a sledge hammer was one way to pound in a pump. Your right I know better now. I'm having trouble finding 1 1/4" polly that is ok for potable water, unless I want to buy a 100' roll. I may just use galv. After I get the water running clear then I chlorinate the well as you described, yes? I'm taking today off, I'll let you know how it went tomorrow.
Jeff

woodeye · May 11, 2009

Good morning Bob. Did you get a chance to look at my last post re flushing etc. I'll be going over there today. I was just wondering if my thoughts make any sense. I think I lined up the 1 1/4" poly. I'll be near my pc for a while yet. Otherwise I'll talk to you later. Jeff

Speedbump · May 11, 2009

No, the hose really won't do anything. You must pull the fines from the well. The jet pump won't be damaged if there isn't too much sand. I would rather use a Pitcher Pump, but the Jet will work.

bob...

woodeye · May 11, 2009

Well well a new voice. Thanks for your input sammy.
Got it all put together and problems. I primed the pump turned it on started to build pressure got to about 20# and stayed there. I opened the hose bib to flush thinking it needed to bleed air. water ran for a few min, but pressure never got above 25#. Then it spit a few times and water quit running. I checked gauge and 0 pressure. So I shut it down primed it and started pump. Basically the same thing. When the pump is building pressure it makes one sound, when it reaches 20-25# the sound seems to change a little. Now I'm lost. Could it be sucking air, the check valve is holding pressure. so I assume it's not leaking between the check valve and the pump. could I be running out of water in the well. This is about how the other point acted, but it did build pressure over a long time. To be honest I didn't let it run a long time to see if it would build pressure over time. Do I pull the point? Maybe I broke another one off, or could it be plugged already. It didn't pump out a lot of brown water but it was slightly brown. If the point is still attached and the screen isn't plugged should I pound it deeper. I'm down about 13' with about 9' of water in the pipe. HELP!!!!!!
Jeff

woodeye · May 11, 2009

PS
Would either of you guys consider giving me a phone # I could talk to you at. You could send it to my email for privacy reasons. Then I could call you from the house to describe the situation in real time. If you do, let me know what times are good or bad to call. I understand if you would rather not.
Thanks again Jeff

woodeye · May 11, 2009

Back again.
Where does one go about getting a hand pump. Right now the vertical pipe comes up to a tee with a vertical pipe coming up from the tee above grade with a cap and a horizontal pipe from the tee over to the jet pump. Would I plug the horizontal pipe and put the hand pump on the end of the vertical pipe coming up above grade from the tee. Then go through the procedures you laid out in your previous post. How many gal/min gas pump would you suggest I try to find? Like the type used to drain an excavation after a rain etc?
Jeff

woodeye · May 11, 2009

I'll get looking for the stuff in the morning. I'll let y'all what happens next.

Did you ever hear the saying "no good deed ever goes unpunished".
Jeff

woodeye · May 11, 2009

I just thought of something else.
If I run the jet pump, then turn it off, will there be a vacuum in the pipe down to the point. If so, and there is a vacuum, would that indicate that there isn't a leak? Or doesn't the pipe maintain a vacuum. The check valve does seem to be holding the prime.
Jeff

woodeye · May 12, 2009

Thanks Bob
I wish I had just started getting stuff from you in the first place! I just located a pitcher pump at our local version of Home Depot, Lowes. It's called ******* as in racing if you follow that. Both HD and Lowes didn't have it in the stores locally. I'm going to get it now. Sammy made some suggestions last nite, I'm sure you saw them, and we talked about how to set up the hand pump. Will it be ok if I leave the horizontal pipe from the tee to the pump connected. or will the hand pump try to send water to the jet pump. Both ends of the horizontal pipe are in real awkward locations. If I must I'll plug horizontal/pressure(?) side of the tee in the vert pipe. Then can I install a 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" x 3/4" tee with a 1 1/4 x 3" nipple up out of the tee into the bottom of the hand pump and a 3/4" ball valve in the horizontal branch of the tee. Then do I go about the procedure Sammy described?

Speedbump · May 12, 2009

I'm not sure what y'all discussed, but the pump needs to be on top of the well and you need the pump handle to go down smoothly and stay down. If it kicks back at you, your not deep enough or your too deep. The kick back means there is a horrendous vacuum being created due to lack of water; for whatever reason.

The idea is to pull the fine particles out and drag the courser particles up around the screen. It's kind of like a gravel pack.

I think Sammy is referring to surging. I have heard of this method, but it's never helped me in any developing I have done. It may work in some formations better than others though. I have only beat a couple thousand of these damned things in when I was young and stupid, so I may not be totally on top of my game yet.

bob...

woodeye · May 12, 2009

Thanks guys
I'm not young but I'm beginning to think I might be as stupid as my wife thinks I am. I've never use a hand /pitcher pump before. Does it need to be primed prior to pumping and after I break the vacuum with the ball valve?

woodeye · May 12, 2009

I just returned from trying to get the hand pump to work. I must have left to pick up the equipment and went straight to the house. So I didn't get your post until just now. I pumped like the dickens 50 - 60 pumps slow, fast, I did put a little water in the spout and on the piston but I think the handle was in the down position. I'll go back and try your recommendations. Should I pump fast slow or doesn't it matter. The water is only 8-10' below the pump how many pumps of the handle should it take. If I still can't get the hand pump to draw water is it time to think about pulling the point and see if it is still attached to the pipe or a cracked coupling etc. I'm starting to run out of time as my Dad will be going back home on Thurs.
Thanks Jeff

Speedbump · May 12, 2009

If your developing the well, the pump should be directly on top of the 1-1/4" pipe. You will neve be able to draw all the hand pump can produce trying to pull through the jet pump. You have to pull the water around elbows, through the nozzle and venturi not to mention the impeller.

bob...

woodeye · May 12, 2009

Hi bob
I do have the hand pump on top of the vertical pipe coming up from the point. I'm not trying to pull through the pump or the horizontal pipe. I did leave the horizontal pipe hooked up because both ends are in awkward places, and the check valve is holding 25# of pressure since last nite so I felt the check valve would not leak as the hand pump will be creating a vacuum there by keeping the check valve closed. I did install a 1 1/4" ball valve just below the hand pump on the horizontal branch of a tee so that after pumping water for a little while I could open it an allow the water up in the pipe to run back and back flush the screen on the point as Sammy suggested.

Speedbump · May 12, 2009

Ok, that's good. While the handle is up, pour water into the spout with your hand cupped over the spout to get the cylinder full. Give it a few strokes. It should be pulling air once the leathers get wet enough to open up against the cylindar. Once the air stops the water should be pouring out of the spout each stroke (hopefully). At least that's the result we are all looking for. Keep pumping, it should start to sound sandy. It's a sound you will never forget once you have heard it. Then after a while and your shoes are all soaking wet, the sand will subside and the water will actually start to look clearer. Then after a while just before you need rotor cuff surgery, the water will clear totally up. Now, you can hook up the jet.

bob...

woodeye · May 12, 2009

I'm off again
boy I wish there was wi fi near the house. I'll give your procedures a try. Ive got everything crossed. Wish me luck.
Jeff

woodeye · May 12, 2009

Hooray! Well gentlemen I think we're on our way. After priming the hand pump, getting the leather wet I could feel that it was creating a vacuum. After about 10 pumps I started to get water. I hooked on a 5 gal pail, pumped in about 3-4 gals. Then I opened up the ball valve, I could hear the water running back down the pipe, closed the valve, dumped the bucket, and started over again. I never had to re prime the pump, but it did take 5-6 pumps to get water again. I did this for about 1 1/2 hrs., maybe 40 times. The water never did come clear. It got less cloudy. I set up a pump and ran it for about 3 hrs. It came clear after just a few min. of pumping. Then I set up the jet and it was a little rough at the start but soon it built pressure and I bleed off the pressure using a garden hose for a while as I cleaned up. IT ran nice and clear shortly after I started the jet pump. It now takes about 2.5 min to go from 30# t0 50#. The old one was at least 10 min.
I'm going back tomorrow to chlorinate the well and close up the hole.
I can't thank you guys enough for all your help and patience. I hope other novices will read this thread and benefit from my project.
Jeff

woodeye

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