Amateur Plumber
Member
Resurrecting old thead: need similar help on well conversion
I'm hoping to get some advice on what I am doing, which looks pretty much exactly what Gary has done here. I'm attaching a photo showing my existing well cap / seal. Hard to measure exactly, but it looks like the seal is 4" diameter. I want to convert the existing shallow well with jet pump to a submersible pump. The galvanized pipes are all 50+ years old and clearly corroding. My next step (I think) is to remove the seal, but I only find one corroded bolt on the top of the seal. Would I use a saw to simply cut the seal off, add the fernco etc with the new pump? Thanks for the help!
If you are talking your cost, those figures are way high compared to mine. I buy from a Gould's distributor. I would pay about $275+/- for the pump. Since it is a jet being replaced, the tubing shouldn't be more than a 200' roll of 1" 160 PSI PE tubing. A 1.25" x 1" reducer ($3?) for the outlet of the pump. That's 3 1" x 1" barbed brass male adapters ($3 each?) and 6 hose clamps (I buy boxes of them) including the male for the outlet of the pitless. A torque arrestor ($8?), 3 wire splice kit ($3? and I have the extra splice leftover), and maybe 250' of 12/3 w/grnd (I buy 500-1000' reels). That would be maybe another $200 and that's higher than I think it would be.
If the jet is a shallow well model, the above are greatly reduced in length and cost. And I don't know if a new pressure tank is in the quote or not. I looked and he says "relocate the tank", not replace it. That would be simple due to running new tubing from it out to the well anyway.
The pitless costs me $50-$80.
The last of these I did was $1800+/- for a 1/2 hp 2 wire (no control box) 10 gpm Gould's. New Gould's V60 tank ($90), tank tee package ($48; switch and brass nipple, PR valve, cast tee, gauge). And I moved the tank closer to the wall and that requires changing the outlet plumbing and I always add a new ball valve. Unless the excavating is more than a few spade fulls, I don't do excavating but can get 2-3 guys with mini excavators in for less than $500 to dig down 5-6' and from the casing back to the cellar wall 3-6" deep. If the casing was buried, the hole is a bit bigger and deeper (frost line is 30"+) and a 6" Fernco and a 10' piece of sch 40 PVC if I don't have a shorter piece here and then a casing cap ($13?) and 2 wire nuts. Maybe 3 rolls of tape (I buy a dozen pack) and 6-8 wire guards at about $1.25 each (I buy by the case). I grossed about a grand on that job. I am the pump tech, plumber etc. and my wife is the helper. We do that type job in about 6-7 hours. I've attached a pictures of one.
A google search for float switches 230, I don't remember what URL:
http://tinyurl.com/9n96a
Gary
Quality Water Associates
I'm hoping to get some advice on what I am doing, which looks pretty much exactly what Gary has done here. I'm attaching a photo showing my existing well cap / seal. Hard to measure exactly, but it looks like the seal is 4" diameter. I want to convert the existing shallow well with jet pump to a submersible pump. The galvanized pipes are all 50+ years old and clearly corroding. My next step (I think) is to remove the seal, but I only find one corroded bolt on the top of the seal. Would I use a saw to simply cut the seal off, add the fernco etc with the new pump? Thanks for the help!