Extending Well casing

This is something that shouldn't be attempted by a home owner and should be done properly by a licensed well contractor. The 2 ways that i explained are the only acceptable methods.

Sammy
 
The well guy finished today. He ended up welding a new 4in steel pipe to the old. Looks like a really nice job. He said he didn't get to use the PVC method. I'm not sure why. But it sounds like the way he did it is the best way anyway.
I have one concern. Everything is steel again, including the cap. This is in the middle of my yard which will get hit by sprinklers atleast twice a week. No doubt it will rust.
Do you suggest spraying the steel sticking out of the ground including the cap with a coating of enamel? (Similar to what new shovels come with when they are new.)
I also thought of slipping a large PVC pipe w/cap over it so it doesn't get sprayed constantly with water.
Any ideas or am I being too picky?
 
I will disguise it later, I was trying to come up with something to encase it with to keep the water off first. Obviously something that can be easily pulled off for service.
 
BobNH, rereading what you said, maybe it is just me but it isn't all that clear to me until I read what you've said since my reply. Sorry.

Sammy and Porky, neither of you say where you are from. I think its New England and the mid west. I'm not sure that you guys know what is or is not allowed in other states but in PA where I used Fernco fittings to extend well casings, it was also done by drillers too. Does that allow me to be "professional" Sammy? Also, maybe in your areas a homeowner isn't allowed to do this type thing, but they were in PA when I left Oct 1 2006.
 
Gary,
maybe you should ask people what state they are from before giving suggestions on how to raise well casing. I dont care what state allows that fernco coupling, it's a lame method to raise casing. I live in the state of Massachusetts where we have the most stringent rules on well installation and repairs. I know how raising well casing should be done regardless as to who has done it in the past or what state allows this rubber coupling.
 
Lose the Fernco. I saw a casing being extended at a home in New Jersey, and the installer was using a heavy bolted slip coupler. Very straightforward, very strong, and capable of being pressure-tested and/or vacuum-tested should it ever be required.
 
sammyhydro11 said:
Gary,
maybe you should ask people what state they are from before giving suggestions on how to raise well casing.
Click to expand...
Dittos Sammy but... IIRC I didn't suggest using a Fernco. I said that I've used them after others here said they wouldn't and others here said not to use them.

Also, you poor guy, I'd move before I'd live in 'the land of taxes and gurgle gurgle Teddy' but... I believe that the regs in Massataxus are essentially meant to keep the Pilgrim fathered generations toeing the line while spending themselves blind or doing without!

BTW, an added advantage of a Fernco extended casing is that if the casing is hit with whatever (lawn mower, garden tractor, drunk driven pick up etc. etc.) the homeowner (in most of the rest of the US) can git'er done fer nexta nuthin' his self with a Fernco fitting. :)
 
Gary,
there are loop holes with taxes and ways around paying more than you have to but to me there is no way around me doing my job right. You can dance around the fact that the fernco is a poor way to raise casing all you want but taxes and Ted Kennedy getting hammered all the time has nothing to do with it.
 
This might be poor advice after the fact....

My well guys that were here recently had the same issue with a pitless adapter being stuck.

They poured 3 cans of Coca-Cola on top of it and let it sit for a day.

Next day it came right out.
 
Sammy, the fact is that in different areas of the US wells, plumbing, water treatment, house construction etc. etc. are done differently.

I don't agree that there is only one way to extend an existing well casing and that it has to be done as it is done in one state or another so... do you know of actual failures or problems that using a Fernco has caused?
 
Sometimes you just gotta do the best that you can with what you have. A Fernco fitting could work, if it is "cemented" in so that the well is sealed properly and the casing can’t flex. Personally I was glad to hear that it was welded back together, which I consider much better.
 
Gary,
if you think that is a good way to couple well casing together, thats fine. Being a well driller i look at every joint and connection as being a way for contaminant to enter the water supply. A rubber coupling,in my opinion isn't a good connection for well casing. The coupling slips over a surface that is pitted and uneven because of the age of the casing. Even if the person was to take a grinder to it to smooth it out i would still question the seals integrity. If you were to couple that casing with something more rigged,when someone hits the thing, you will clearly see there is an issue because its not going to swing back in place. The fernco would extend the casing,it is a super cheap way to do it,but IMO it's not the correct way and i dont suggest it.

Sammy
 
Guys... as we all know, every pitless adapter has a rubber(ized) seal... why aren't you welding them to the casing instead of relying on the rubber seal that could leak? Maybe 'cuz ya can't weld brass to steel or PVC, right? Or more likely, you don't because they don't leak!! And they are more susceptible to surface water intrusion than a Fernco; usually used to extend casing up out of a pit on a well that has successfully used a sanitary well seal for decades (without leaks).

And note that I said the extension piece of casing must sit on top of the original casing material (to support its weight). So tell me why you think it will leak.
 
Gary,
you are comparing apples to oranges. A pitless adapter has a far better seal than that fernco thing. The nut on a pitless can be tightened with a pipe wrench until your hands turn blue. A fernco thing has what,two hose clamps that get tightened with a nut driver? Plus when pitless adpaters are first installed they have a clean surface area because the casing is brand new with no pits or corrosion. When it gets replaced the surface area is still like new. It wouldn't take much for that fernco thing to pop loose.
 
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