pump repair vs new system

[Mnr3]

Hi folks
bought a house on the bayou just 3 months ago and just our luck, took on 4 feet of water with Isaac. Sooo, the well components were flooded and not coming back on line. The system included what looks like a 40 gallon galvanized tank, powered by a 1/2hp Flint CPH05S that has a date stamp of 0705, so probably a post Katrina unit. It was submerged at least a day I think and the GFI circuit it was on trips instantly. I pulled the pump and cleaned it up, and as far as I can tell the armature spins fine, but the switch is a bit ugly with rust and I have no idea about the capacitor, but would think that it doesnt like swimming. I took it to a local motor repair guy who quickly dubbed all F & W pumps as garbage and hard to source parts for. He says replace (without even putting it on a bench). So my quick question is whether this pump is worth a second opinion and whether the statement about parts availability and quality for FW's is valid. (in other words, if I can trace it to a bad, though expensive capacitor or switch, would it be worth it? is a flooded pump doomed anyway?)

Second question, assuming I might have to bite the bullet for a new pump, is what kind of system I might think of putting in if I have to replace. The reason I ask is that the tank itself is old (though air-tight), with galvanized in/out that has been patched into pvc for the house, and I'm likely to change much of the supply lines anyway (an ugly mix of galvanized and undersized pvc throughout house). I also might put a tank filter in line while I'm at it because we have very high iron content, and now would be the time for all of that. I've seen a few threads about newer systems (tanks and valving), so thought I would ask if starting from scratch in 2012 what would be the best options for long term dependable/durable service.

Don't know much about the current well, but local systems seem to be 200-400 ft with water table high enough where shallow well/jet pumps are the norm. Usage at the house is very low for now (weekend duty only, no dishwasher, hardly any clothes washing), but would rather build in some scalability if starting from scratch. (and it may be that in the future the dwelling will be raised another 6 feet or so, since these 100 year floods have been coming too often!). I can work out the details of hp/gpm soon enough, I'm just trying to get water back on and not have to do it twice.

thanks in advance to all you guys willing to share your wealth of knowledge to the newbies and interlopers seeking help. great community from what I've read so far.

[valveman]

If you can repair it yourself it would pay to do it. If you have to take it to a motor company, you can probably buy a new pump for the same price as the repair. If you have iron, you should probably stay with a galv type tank and not use a bladder tank.

A submersible would be better as it is made to be submerged. Just need to put the control box and pressure switch up high.

[LLigetfa]

You don't say what size the well casing is. If it is 4 inches or bigger, consider installing a submersible. They are very quiet, never need to be primed, and are more than twice as efficient as a jet pump. Also, they are not affected by flooding.

[Mnr3]

You don't say what size the well casing is. If it is 4 inches or bigger, consider installing a submersible. They are very quiet, never need to be primed, and are more than twice as efficient as a jet pump. Also, they are not affected by flooding.

don't know the size yet, as the cap is actually below grade. haven't had a chance to check it out yet since I'm still busy ripping out drywall and cleaning up flood debris. getting water back on is getting high on the list though so I can hose the bayou muck off of things.

I'm guessing by the 2 replies that I should stick with the galvanized tank for now, since it seems air tight?

what about going ahead and putting in a CSV since I have to redo the plumbing a little anyway?

finally, I know it might not be cool to single out brands, but is there a short list of those to seek out and those to avoid? seems every industry has a split between old companies that have gone to the cheap/throw away or pay more for sth. still made to high standards. is cast iron still the way to go? thanks

[bcpumpguy]

I don't think F&W is crap, as far as i know they are quite good. Most of the brands that you get from your local plumbing wholesaler are usually quite alright, like you said stay with a cast iron pump.