Well Drilled - Results

[Pettrix]

Going to measure the water well depth before they drop the pump in. Got a 300' long tape reel with a weight on the end. Will lower the tape into the hole until I can hear the weight hit the water. Will also attach a rope as a back up in case the tape breaks (doubtful) but always better to have a backup.

I want to see if the well depth is at 220 like the driller stated or if the level is lower or higher.

 

[Valveman]

I would like to learn more about the CSV installation and if it makes sense for my situation. I don't want to hijack this thread, where can I find some good information to get me started? Thanks.

Pettrix probably wouldn't mind if you ask questions here. But just in case you could start another thread to ask your questions.

 

[Pettrix]

I measured the well depth and I hit water at around 210 feet so the well driller report of 220 feet on static level was accurate. So with the well pump at 480 feet that should give me around 530 gallons of water storage in the well and about 95psi of water pressure at pump level.

 

[Pettrix]

I am going with 3HP - 13GPM Goulds Pump (4-20 range GPM capable). The setup:

1.25" SCH120 PVC 480 feet, stainless steel couplings at each 20' junction
2 torque arrestors (one at pump and one at midway in drop pipe)
2-3 brass checkvalves
brass 7" pitless adapter
Frost free connection at well area
Brass hose bib
10 Gauge - 3 wire - double insulated wire for pump (480 feet)

 

[check]

Well, I can't believe that your static level is 210 feet. My well is 400 feet deep, and my static level is 20 feet!

 

[Valveman]

Do you know how much the well can produce from 470'? Since the static is at 220' and you are setting the pump at 480', it makes me think it is a low producing well. From 220' to 470' there is about 375 gallons stored in the well. So if you do any watering outside, a 13 GPM pump can pump the well dry in 28 minutes. You may want to use a cistern and booster pump so you can irrigate for longer periods of time.

If there is no irrigation, that should be plenty for the house.

Good luck with the VFD and the three phase motor. You know you will have to change out the wire and the motor when you decide to go back to a dependable single phase motor and controls?

 

[Pettrix]

Do you know how much the well can produce from 470'? Since the static is at 220' and you are setting the pump at 480', it makes me think it is a low producing well. From 220' to 470' there is about 375 gallons stored in the well. So if you do any watering outside, a 13 GPM pump can pump the well dry in 28 minutes. You may want to use a cistern and booster pump so you can irrigate for longer periods of time.

Conservative estimate tests done when drilling showed 20GPM at 470'

From 220 to 470, there would be 490 gallons of water stored in the well
Well Volume Calculator - Hydro-Terra Group

 

[Valveman]

Conservative estimate tests done when drilling showed 20GPM at 470'

From 220 to 470, there would be 490 gallons of water stored in the well
Well Volume Calculator - Hydro-Terra Group

That is a cool calculator. I always just use 1.5 gallons per foot as a rule of thumb, which is 375 gallons. But that calculator shows 381 gallons with 6" casing and only 169 gallons with 4" casing. If you have a 6.5" hole with 4.5" casing, the gallons would be in the middle somewhere.

If he was blowing 20 GPM from 470', I will bet that your pumping level at 20 GPM will be much higher than 470', and a smaller pump would work. But without a well test you will have to find out for yourself what the pumping level really is. Then maybe when you switch the pump out you can go with a smaller pump, then maybe the wire will be large enough for a single phase motor.

I would run a little air line down the well with the wire, so I could air it up and see what the static and pumping levels really are.

 

[Pettrix]

That is a cool calculator. I always just use 1.5 gallons per foot as a rule of thumb, which is 375 gallons. But that calculator shows 381 gallons with 6" casing and only 169 gallons with 4" casing. If you have a 6.5" hole with 4.5" casing, the gallons would be in the middle somewhere.

If he was blowing 20 GPM from 470', I will bet that your pumping level at 20 GPM will be much higher than 470', and a smaller pump would work. But without a well test you will have to find out for yourself what the pumping level really is. Then maybe when you switch the pump out you can go with a smaller pump, then maybe the wire will be large enough for a single phase motor.

I would run a little air line down the well with the wire, so I could air it up and see what the static and pumping levels really are.

Which number are you looking at in the online calculator? I am going by the "standard sampling purge volume in gallons"

What does adding air into the well do to the static water level and pumping levels?

 

[Valveman]

Which number are you looking at in the online calculator? I am going by the "standard sampling purge volume in gallons"

What does adding air into the well do to the static water level and pumping levels?

I don't know what that "purge volume" stuff is all about. If the actual volume of the well is 380 gallons, I guess that means you have to pump it out about 3 times to purge? I don't know. But if the well only holds 380 gallons you can only pump 380 gallons at a time, plus whatever the inflow to the well is (recovery rate).

Blowing the well with air can give you a good estimate on how much the well will produce, but you can't really tell the pumping level of the water. Only a pump test can do that. You can blow a well from 470' and get 20 GPM. But when you use a pump, you many get 20 GPM without pulling the well down very far. So when pumping 20 GPM, if the water level only pulls done to say 300', then 300' is all the pump will see, which means you could use a much smaller pump than when pumping from 470'.

The air line I was talking about it just to check the water level while you are pumping 20 GPM. A small tube, open ended at the 470' mark, and attached up top to a tee with a pressure gauge and a Schrader valve to hook to a compressor, can give you an accurate pumping level. A small compressor blows the air out of the tube. Then for ever PSI shown on the gauge, you have 2.31' of water above the 470' mark. So an air pressure gauge reading of 50 PSI would mean a water level of 355'. See this picture.

 

[Egon]

The air line is for testing water depth via air pressure in the line. It is not for adding air.

Bubbler.

 

[Pettrix]

So if the pump is putting out its max of 20GPM and the well static level never drops below let's say 350'. What is the GPM production of the well then? It would have to be higher than 20GPM. Maybe 25-30GPM?

 

[Pettrix]

Is there any harm or damage to a well pump that sits idle for months at a time?

 

[Qapla]

Is there any harm or damage to a well pump that sits idle for months at a time?

Months at a time should not damage the pump. I recently revived a well that has sat idle for somewhere between 10 and 15 years. The pump started right up with the existing controller and a flow test gave me 25 GPM from a 4" well with a submersible pump. We do not know for sure but think the pump is 2 or 2.5 hp

This particular well is for irrigation only.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I got TWO pump options:

A - 3HP Goulds Pump - 13GPM - 3 PHASE - Aquavar 3HP 3 Phase Drive - #10 wire (480 feet), 1.25" SCH 40 GALVANIZED drop pipe (380 feet), 1.25" SCH 140 PVC (100 feet), 8.5 Hydro Pro Tank, misc parts, install, 5-year P&L warranty = $6,700

B - 5HP Goulds Pump - 18GPM - 3 PHASE - Aquavar 5HP 3 Phase Drive - #10 wire (380 feet), #8 wire (100 feet), 1.25" SCH 40 GALVANIZED drop pipe (380 feet), 1.25" SCH 140 PVC (100 feet), 8.5 Hydro Pro Tank, misc parts, install, 5-year P&L warranty = $8,100

Any advice???

I wish I could get 3 phase power at my place, but there is no industrial power user anywhere near me, and the only power available is single phase. A 100 foot pump won't do the job in a 500 foot well. You are looking at lifting over 200', probably 250' when you start pumping, so you need a 250' pump. The number of stages determines how high a pump will lift.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My concern is if the Schedule 120 PVC pipe can carry the weight of a 5HP pump (17 lbs) and the distance of 480 feet?

Maybe installing a 5 foot section of stainless steel pipe at the pump end to help absorb the torque of the motor and then running Schedule 120 PVC the rest of the way up.

The pump doesn't hang from the pipe, it hangs from a poly rope that carries the weight. They will also install a torque arrestor on the pump to keep it from twisting the pipe off.

 

[Pettrix]

I wish I could get 3 phase power at my place, but there is no industrial power user anywhere near me, and the only power available is single phase. A 100 foot pump won't do the job in a 500 foot well. You are looking at lifting over 200', probably 250' when you start pumping, so you need a 250' pump. The number of stages determines how high a pump will lift.

The power coming in is single phase 230V but the controller converts it to 3 phase to the pump motor.

The pump has 21 stages

 

[Pettrix]

The pump doesn't hang from the pipe, it hangs from a poly rope that carries the weight. They will also install a torque arrestor on the pump to keep it from twisting the pipe off.

They will actually install 2 torque arrestors. One at the pump and one midway on the drop pipe.

 

[CurlyDave]

I am going with 3HP - 13GPM Goulds Pump (4-20 range GPM capable). The setup:

1.25" SCH120 PVC 480 feet, stainless steel couplings at each 20' junction
2 torque arrestors (one at pump and one at midway in drop pipe)
2-3 brass checkvalves
brass 7" pitless adapter
Frost free connection at well area
Brass hose bib
10 Gauge - 3 wire - double insulated wire for pump (480 feet)

I would strongly recommend upgrading from brass to stainless check valves. The extra cost is going to be very small, maybe an extra $10 each. The brass ones installed with my original well were pretty corroded after 10 years.

Pulling the pump to replace them is north of a thou$and.

We don't use pitiless adaptors here so I don't know about that, but if a stainless one is available, I would opt for that also.

The installer may well tell you that it isn't necessary and that brass is good enough, but he doesn't have to pay for pulling the string and installing new ones, you pay him.

 

[Egon]

The pump doesn't hang from the pipe, it hangs from a poly rope that carries the weight. They will also install a torque arrestor on the pump to keep it from twisting the pipe off.

The downhole pump is attached to the tubing. The rope is a back up device so things don't fall into the sump. The rope can also be used to pull pump and tubing.