Submersible pump stuck!

Users who are viewing this thread

marsan5

New Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi, well after waiting a month for our electrician to come and help us pull our well we decided to go ahead and pull it. It is 250" deep 5" cribbing and a 4" gould pump. We started off good and we could tell we where around 20 to 30' left, when our hose and rope let go(broke off down below!:eek: ...we feel it is about 18 to 20 feet max from the head of the well (did not drop down). We have a new pump and my question is this..should we push the old pump down or should we cut our losses on the darn well. Any suggestions to how to push it back down or get it out the rest of the way? Any help would be appreciated on this one!:eek:
 

Raucina

New Member
Messages
515
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Don't try and push it down - make or borrow or rent a fishing tool.

Question is perhaps there is an obstruction in the well that stopped it from going up and will now stop it from going down. quite odd that the pump didnt drop back down the hole

At such a depth a good light lowered at night will show you the program in the hole - maybe just a flashlight from the surface.

A folding hook or rod with small folding fingers that will pass the pump then open would be the item to pull it with. be sure not to lose the whole mess down the hole. There are other tools that the pros can bring out and save you with and that might be the best bet.

Did you feel resistance and were pulling against it when the [hose?] broke. Do you mean black poly pipe?
 

marsan5

New Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi, yes we felt resistance. It had started stuttering when pulling and we could tell the hose felt strained..we started to go up a few inches at a time and then let it down, pull it up and let it down, then all of a sudden nothing..just so much resistance it broke the poly pipe, our wire stayed intact, but we dont dare pull on it, and there is no pressure on it to go down. The cribbing location it is in is dry, but does have some rust buildup from the iron in the water...we where thinking of snaring the hose with a finer chain as the top of the break is 4' below cap..and putting canola oil or mineral oil in to soften stuff up and lift it ~possible as it should for about 6 feet come freely up..and then let it back down to lube the sides..what is the "fishing poles" offical name if i go in to rent one? I sure appreciate your time..why would you not push it back down? We where thinking if we had to, to do that and sit the other pump above it 20 feet..
 

Raucina

New Member
Messages
515
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Forget the oil. What do you mean by cribbing? Are you in the steel casing area or is this a hole in rock?

Can you see what the obstruction is?

Pretty much the worst that will happen in trying to pull it up will be that it falls down to the bottom where it could stay. But you might not get the new pump down the hole past the obstruction.

If the pipe is only 4' down you might get a "chinese fingers" wire puller from a serious electrician that can snag the pipe and tighten up upon pulling.

You can run a 1/2 or less hard steel rod down the hole alongside the pump and try and feel for a lip or ledge and then try and break it off. [not the pump]

Used sucker rod is good stuff for this rodding.
 

Speedbump

Active Member
Messages
4,511
Reaction score
12
Points
38
Location
Riverview, Fl.
You have me stumped on the term "cribbing" also.

Your best bet is to call a Pro who has a pump hoist and good fishing tools. If he can't get it out, it probably isn't going to come. The pro would also know if it is possible to run it to the bottom or not. If you have a screened well you will just sit it on top of the screen shutting off the water flow into the casing. If it is a rock well or perforated casing, pushing it down will probably work.

All the things I heard above for fishing are not advisable. You will just end up with more things to fish out. "Oil does not work".

bob...
 

marsan5

New Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi..well we read before doing, and as yet have not done the oil trick..When i say cribbing I mean a 5" white plastic (pvc) pipe..I am worried about the screen now, because we never brought up any wet pipe..although at one time or another they were in h20, because they would rub off rust (from hard water) on the way back up. We were discussing the fact that they were dry, our ground water right now is about 3 feet, but yet no sign of h20, if it was perforated we should see some right? Can you replace screens or get a drill company to perforate pipe relatively cheap? Still going to go try snare the darn thing this afternoon, so thanks for advice ahead of time!
 

Speedbump

Active Member
Messages
4,511
Reaction score
12
Points
38
Location
Riverview, Fl.
Can you replace screens or get a drill company to perforate pipe relatively cheap? Still going to go try snare the darn thing this afternoon, so thanks for advice ahead of time!

The pipe should not need to be reperfed. Screens can be changed or acid treated.

You said it's 5". I can't imagine a 4" pump getting stuck in a 5" PVC well unless you dropped something down that would get stuck between the pump and casing. There is too much room around a 4" pump in a 5" hole to get stuck from mineral build up. Especially on PVC.

bob...
 

marsan5

New Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Darn smart thinking on the wire..there was several times, due to the fact we were guiding the wire out, not pulling on it, that it may have gotten bunched, but the wire was taped every 10 or 15 feet to the hose, so it should not have happend, unless when we lifted and lowered some old tape maybe came off..will have to check that out. The outside diametre of the pvc is 5", inside diametre is only 4.5+. Called the previous farm owner to see if he knew if it was screened, and he felt it wasn't and that it was perforated. He also mentioned that he had a nylon rope tied to pump, and to put it short there was no nylon rope for us to pull on, so wondering if that is not what is bunched up! When we looked down last night with a light all we could see was our hose and wires, too far down yet to see, I am thinking of lowering a security camera i have, that is on a 50' cable, it is only a couple of inches in size and see if i can see anything with a trouble light sat on top of well..
 

Speedbump

Active Member
Messages
4,511
Reaction score
12
Points
38
Location
Riverview, Fl.
Another possibility: I had a customer call today. He had trouble pulling a pump, but did get it out. He said it stuck a lot. I asked him if he took the bolts out of his well seal. Yup, was the answer. He actually fished out the pump and the two bottom pieces of the well seal. That's a no no to take them out. You only loosen them to let the rubber relax.

You didn't say whether you had a well seal or a pitless adaptor.

bob...
 

marsan5

New Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
The well does not have a seal or adapter, it is just the pipe coming up in the middle of a 6' steel crib that goes down 14', the top of the pvc well is 8' from surface, the steel allows no h20 into top of well, the 6' cribbing is capped with a lid. This is as far as we know anyway..It sucks when the guy that put it in can't remember nothing! I have a feeling we will figure this all out real soon!
 

Speedbump

Active Member
Messages
4,511
Reaction score
12
Points
38
Location
Riverview, Fl.
It sounds like your describing a pitless adaptor. Was there a device with an o-ring on it at the top of your droppipe?

Heres a way to see if the wire is the problem. Measure the wire and the amount of pipe you pulled out. They should be the same length. If the wire is shorter, that's how much wire is around the pump.

Now you have a 4.5" well not a 5". That makes more sense.

bob...
 

Gary Slusser

That's all folks!
Messages
6,921
Reaction score
22
Points
38
Location
Wherever I park the motorhome.
Website
www.qualitywaterassociates.com
If I were a bettin' kinda guy, my money would be on the useless rope the previous owner says he installled. This is about all it's good for other than increasing the original cost and providing a fleeting warm'n fuzzy false sense of security. Many times the well casing cap cuts it off and it falls down on top of the cable guards or pump and makes pulling the pump a real adventure.
 

Bigfatrat

New Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Idaho
pipe jammed pump- what happened???

I for one would like to know end result of this jammed pump story.

If the jammeee of this thread rereads this stuff - how about the "rest of the story" ??? bigfatrat
 

Gapwedge

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Pump stuck in well

I too would like to hear if there is a resolution to the stuck pump questions. I have a similar problem except mine broke about the first 12 feet of everything off except the electric line.(2 strand copper) 190 foot well depth. I can see the top of the 1" pvc pipe about 15ft below the well head.
RRB SR
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks