Hand Pump for existing well

[JohnnyC]

What could i do to get water from my existing well?

The house we bought 1 1/2 ago was put on city water many years ago...but...the well caseing is still there and i was thinking of putting a hand pump inside the house? or am i stuck attaching it ontop of the well caseing?

sorry if this sounds like a dumb question...i have just always been hooked up to city water.

 

[Weedhopper]

Not dum question. I only became a well guru when we bought this house and the well quit.

See if you can find piping that may be in the house. There are two types of wells. One has the pump at the bottom of the well and the other has a jet pump in the house. You may find the old pump in the house or electrical wiring that powered it.

Explore and get back. We knew the well pump was on it's last legs when we bought this house and " I " (puff puff) replaced the whole thing.

Not really a bad idea to have your own private second source of water for a lot of reasons.

 

[Mace]

It may not be legal at all to utilize that water depending on local regulations.

Look into it tho.

If it was in the house the "pump" would have to be a suction design, and those can only lift ~ 30' vertical head. So if the water in the well is more than 30' deep in the ground you are pretty much screwed for that style pump. Hand pumps do work in deeper wells btu they take a lot of work.

 

[Weedhopper]

He's gotta look around and see what he has. Our well is 101' deep and has a Goulds jet pump in the house. He should see evidence of the old system somewhere.

 

[Mace]

a bit of reading..

Part 5, Subpart 5-1 - Appendix 5-B: Standards for Water Wells

 

[Weedhopper]

LOL !! OK so when is the exam ???

 

[JohnnyC]

the lines do go inside the house to a diaphram storage tank? I am guessing that the pump is in the well..there is a light switch hooked up to a relay (it looks like) ...when i flip the switch...i dont hear any noise...nor do i hear water coming in.

how long would it take for the water to get to the house?

my neibore says the the well are bout 100' in the neighborhood and water is at 50' ...but...he's kinda old and always giving misinformation...but thats all i got

 

[Weedhopper]

OK. You gots two pipes coming into the house, probably right to the tank. I am assuming two pipes. You probably have the pump in the well, which is very common. You would not hear the pump run if it is in the well.

You may have to prime the well. Not zactly sure how to do that one. Also be sure you are getting power to the switch. Look for a terminated wire or circuit breaker off.

Also check the water valves. I am sure something is turned off. They put the well to bed when they switched to city water so you may have to do a little detective work to figure it out.

 

[Weedhopper]

Course the PO could have switched to city water when the well quit, which means you are spending a gorgeous Saturday in the Northeast chasing nothing. LOL !!

 

[Toyo FJ40]

If you have a line going straight to the well tank and there's a pressure switch in the line at the bottom of the tank then you probably have a submersible pump. Check the switch for voltage (it might be off at the breaker) Pull the well cap and look down with a flashlight you should see a pitless adapter that the pump is hanging on. The wires should be in the well head also so see if they are connected to anything. Like Mace said when you go to municipal water they want you to turn off the well and around here you have to fill the well with concrete. We have gotten away with the well hooked up to outside water only in some townships.

Water would start within a few seconds of turning on.

Kevin

 

[Mace]

You can hear a sub pump in the well. It will kick on and off.

Pics would be good btw

 

[bigndn]

We have a submersed pump in the well casing that fills an underground 800 gal storage tank. We have a pressure tank in our detached garage that pulls the water from the tank and feeds the house and spigots.

Look for a large tank with a pump on top of it. Any outbuildings it could be housed in?

 

[RavenTai]

You cannot lift water any more than the theoretical maximum of 34' at sea level with any surface pump including a hand pump. practical maximum lift is more like 25'. surface pumps require the action of ambient air pressure (14.7 PSI) witch can only lift water so far.

on my land we had a "shallow well", 20' that could no longer keep up with a washing machine in the dry season, we had a "deep well" drilled with a in ground pump, I installed a hand pump on the old shallow well for times when the electric is down (sometimes for weeks)

 

[Toyo FJ40]

You cannot lift water any more than the theoretical maximum of 34' at sea level with any surface pump including a hand pump. practical maximum lift is more like 25'. surface pumps require the action of ambient air pressure (14.7 PSI) witch can only lift water so far.

on my land we had a "shallow well", 20' that could no longer keep up with a washing machine in the dry season, we had a "deep well" drilled with a in ground pump, I installed a hand pump on the old shallow well for times when the electric is down (sometimes for weeks)

A 2 line jet pump can go much deeper because it pumps water down the well through the venture at the foot valve and back to the pump so the lift happens at the foot valve.


Kevin

 

[Mace]

You cannot lift water any more than the theoretical maximum of 34' at sea level with any surface pump including a hand pump. practical maximum lift is more like 25'. surface pumps require the action of ambient air pressure (14.7 PSI) witch can only lift water so far.

on my land we had a "shallow well", 20' that could no longer keep up with a washing machine in the dry season, we had a "deep well" drilled with a in ground pump, I installed a hand pump on the old shallow well for times when the electric is down (sometimes for weeks)

No, you cannot lift past 34' with a suction pump. Lots of surface pumps can be plunger pumps which can lift water from a surprising distance underground. Much over about 200 ft it takes too much effort to get the water to the surface by hand. A windmill can pull water from deeper tho.

Jet pumps are a variation on airlifting techniques just without the air.
For the power used they are fairly inefficient because a considerable amount of the water drawn up the well is returned to the pipe to be used to cycle the water back.

 

[RavenTai]

I have seen the jet pumps for surface electric pumps but can those be used with a hand pump? seams there would not be enough power and flow also a timing issue as hand pumps are not constant flow,

 

[Mace]

The only way you could use a jet pump and a hand pump is to have the two separate in the well bore.

I suppose you could place the "intake" to the jet pump below the plunger. Then the jet pump would just flow through the plunger. I suspect it would work, but what a PITA.

 

[Radd Cruisers]

Just quickly reading through, if you were to use the well water I would have it tested prior to pumping and also maybe shock it first then cycle it once a week or so.

My mom is on a 200 ft deep well with submersible pump, big draw on start up then levels off. Takes a fairly big pump to move water from that depth.

The well sat for several years before we built the house, we were told to shockit then empty it a few times, very nice water.

Now a hand pump would be nice when the power goes out.

 

[Mace]

There are concerns with "shocking" a well with Chlorine. It is a common practive but studies have shown it has the potential to concentrate any arsenic in the system.

By simply turning the well on and pumping it to waste, you will do a much better job of flushing the well. And it would be safer.


BTW, you still have not ever mentioned if it is actually leagal or not to start using that well.

 

[JohnnyC]

sorry its been awhile...i found it is legal in my town as long as it is seperate from the city supply.

I do have power to the pump...but...it is not pumping.

In a seperate time i looked down the well case and the water level is not all that far down...i'd say within 25'...i need to turn on the pump and try to hear if the pump is trying to pump.