Third water pump .. maybe the best yet.


  #1  
Old 05-14-11, 10:57 AM
W
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Third water pump .. maybe the best yet.

I have a 'second' well we use for external water about 80' from the house. It's a simple 2" shallow (180'), PVC pipe with no internal plumbing. The water level is about 22' from the surface. I have been fiddling with this well for maybe the last 6yrs.. I started with a Gould I took out of my shop and put a new Gould at the shop.

I had all sorts of trouble: Air. I re-did the head of the well three times. I was never really happy with the output, then over the winter, the heater I used to defrost it - failed. Split housing.

I got a Chinese pump from Harbor Freight. Pretty stainless housing, really great wiring with a nice switch, bladder tank built in, and cheap. I could not get it to stay lit. It would loose prime. Once I finally thought I got it to work OK, it did not - and ran for maybe two days straight 'till I heard it driving out our lane. I took it out.



Just to, try something different, I got this Flotec from Home Depot. Drive the 12mi home .. to discover I needed an extra nose piece to use with a shallow well - Jezuz?! Two days later, discover the nose piece box must have been returned as there were no instructions and it leaked once installed. Two days later, I get another nose piece. It has too many parts?! ..no instructions again. I rig it and it works -sort of- I get <40psi but the pump keeps running. S__t!

I call Flotec tech line; All these extra parts are used for different sized pumps. (no FM to read!) A day later, it works. It's 1 full HP, no more farting around. This sucker throws some volume. I cycled it about 8 times ..and it kept working...! I have my fingers crossed.

Jim
 
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Old 05-14-11, 01:47 PM
J
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looks like the problem could be in your hookup.

i've hooked up tons of 2" wells to shallow well pumps. best method when PVC can be used is to install a foot falve on the bottom of a 30' drop pipe, then everything primed and glued up into the threaded suction of the pump. the check valve up top can give problems with any tiny well side leaks, and the union is just something else to possibly leak. just my .02

btw, the goulds pump was the best pump u have used.

**u said u had to redo the well head a few times.. u do have a drop pipe inside the well right?
 
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Old 05-15-11, 09:33 AM
W
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jw, That's what is interesting: No drop pipe - the pump simply sucks up the 2" PVC. It must be the way they do it locally; I have three wells ..all done in different years, the same way. It seems illogical, when running a line down with a foot valve makes perfect sense, but my other two wells work 'jes fine.
The problems I have had with this third well -almost- had me doing the drop pipe, but this works perfectly for the moment.

Other than the complete B.S. about Flotec letting Joe Average leave the store needing a bunch of add-ons (they could easily post a simple, G-D schematic/chart: "Is this your type of well?") I really like the muscle of this pump. My two Goulds are OK too.

God knows where I'd be w/o 'unions'.. I have taken this apart about 7-8 times. My shop pump is also attached with a union - no problems/leaks. ..'different strokes, eh?

Cheers ..and Happy Water to ya!

Jim
 
 

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