Collapsed well???

[mellowyelloe]

So our well stopped pumping Wednesday night, 9/20. Went and flipped the breaker off then back on. Lights dimmed then came back 5-10 seconds later.

I just figured the pump was locked up, even though the well and pump are only 6.5 years old.

Bought a new pump and started the project Saturday morning. Made a T bar and screwed it into the pitless adapter. I couldn't lift it so I pulled the the tractor over, hooked up to the bucket and lifted it up. Moved it maybe a foot before the tractor was struggling at idle. I stopped there did some research, and decided that the well probably collapsed. The pump will not go down or up.

I stopped right there and started working on connecting to old well, which luckily still works, up to the house.

Today I got back to trying to pull the pump up out of the new well. I decided to go with the "pull until it comes, or something breaks" approach. I figured pumping water into it would help in at least one way, lightening the load, possibly loosen up any silt and crud that's down there and possibly fill the well up and over flow the crud out of it. It filled up and over flowed. But the water wasn't brown like I expected, it was antifreeze green, picture below. What would make the water that color? It did overflow enough the the color started going away. And the well cap has always stayed on it except for the last 24 hours.

Well it started coming, or it's very buried. It broke loose and the water went down. But, it's still stuck. Me and a friend teamed up on pulling it and eventually got up another 15-20 feet before it got tighter or our muscles gave up, for a total of 30 feet. It still doesn't drop and it feels like we're pulling it up through mud. Now the problem is hooking something to the pvc to grab and pull up with the tractor.

Anyone have suggestions for pulling it, why the water was that color or what happened to the well and how to fix it?

*EDIT* well is 290ft, casing is 84ft, liner is 280ft, water is at 80ft. Also I got the hose fed down about 135 feet before it wouldn't drop any further. And I have no clue how far down the pump was placed.

 

[Valveman]

Sorry for your problem. I am guessing the pump is set in a PVC liner at 135'. If the pump got hot and melted the liner it will collapse in and mold to the outside of the pump. Many times the liner will come out with the pump. Looks like black poly pipe not PVC. A loop on a nylon lifting strap maybe the best way to get a hold on the drop pipe.

 

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[mellowyelloe]

Sorry for your problem. I am guessing the pump is set in a PVC liner at 135'. If the pump got hot and melted the liner it will collapse in and mold to the outside of the pump. Many times the liner will come out with the pump. Looks like black poly pipe not PVC. A loop on a nylon lifting strap maybe the best way to get a hold on the drop pipe.

It's pvc drop pipe. In the picture is the T bar I used to pull the pitless adapter I don't think the liner is coming up. I guess it's possible that it's moved but I'm pretty sure not the 30' that we pulled the pipe up.

Wouldn't the well have to run dry for the pump to get that hot?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Valveman]

It's pvc drop pipe. In the picture is the T bar I used to pull the pitless adapter I don't think the liner is coming up. I guess it's possible that it's moved but I'm pretty sure not the 30' that we pulled the pipe up.

Wouldn't the well have to run dry for the pump to get that hot?

Thanks for the help.

The well does not have to run dry for the pump and everything around it to get hot. It can happen if for any reason the pump is running but no water is being pumped out of the well. Closed valve, stuck pressure switch, frozen well head, and many other things can cause the pump/motor to get hot enough to melt PVC casing and drop pipe.