my water well pump has died. am i able to replace it myself?

Question

the well is 345 feet down and has a six inch casing. the well is serviced by a 3-wire 1hp sumbmersible pump. i am certain that i can remove the pump but i worry that there might be things i'm overlooking in regards to installing the new pump. i am a talented diy-er and not put off by large projects. all i need is the know how or the web address of a good website. if you can help i would be very much obliged

Answer 1

There is a pipe entrance on the side of the main casing pipe that you have to remove. it sits in place with some kind of V type fitting that holds itself in place, you have to get some kind of pipe with threads on one end and a T on the other (so you can twist it) and twist that pipe onto this V fitting (which has threads in the top for this very purpose). THen yo uhave to pull this up along with the pump.

345 feet is a LOT of plastic tubing to pull up. you'll need at least three people to do this.

my well pump is only 80 feet down and is a `1/2 horse. and I had to help the contractor guy to pull it up. I had to drag off the 1 inch plastic piping (it's flexible).
No way was I gonna do it. but you can buy a new pump for about $ 1200. my 1/2 horse was a stainless steel unit (recommended) and it was about $800.

good luck !!

Answer 2

. I have lived in my house for 23 years and had well water for 20 of them. We have replaced our pump ourselves. Just pulled out the piping the pump was attached rewired the new the same way and was back in business. How sure are you that it is the pump and not the pressure tank air water mix ratio or the capacitor points. If you dont have the correct ratio your pump will not turn on or only for a short time. If the points of your capacitor are worn down it will not turn on the pump. Sometimes you can sand the points evenly and tighten them up and get more life from them. You may want to add some clorine tabs to the well because you are contaminating it by exposing the pipes to dirt. I know they used to do this years ago but i dont know if it is still acceptable. You may also want to remove the screens on your faucets for a while after you replace the pump so they wont get clogged with small mineral particles. Dont forget the washer.

Answer 3

If you could haul the pump out yourselves, be sure to check the insulation, if any of your winding is shorted there is a possibility that the seal separating the motor to the pump casing is ruptured.
If that is the case, you will have to consider whether to replace with new pump or repair/ replace the seal whichever is economical. Weigh the options.
Hope this will solve your problem.

Answer 4

You arent gonna pull a submersible pump 350 ft down by yourself thats for sure.. Its gonna feel like a ton weight wise LOL
(we always used to hook em to the back of a truck and pull VERY slowly with about 3-4 people to keep the line straight as it came out.

Once you get it out though its pretty straight forward.. disconnect it from the pipe.. cut the electrical lines, and put the new one back on and slowly drop it back down the well..

NOTE though (VERY IMPORTANT) you MUST make sure the new electrical conections are 100% water proof.. they make special underwater connectors for this...

Personally at this stage of my life I'd hire someone to do it for me.. though i've done it many times before in the past.

Answer 5

Ask for pointers from your pump supplier. As long as nothing comes disconnected when you're pulling the pump,just hook the new one up the same way.You're getting the same type of pump ,right?
Don't mix up the red & the black.The pump will run backwards.

Answer 6

YOU CAN ATTEMPT TO DO THIS YOURSELF BUT YOU HAVE A COUPLE PROBLEMS.MOST PUMP INSTALLERS USE GALVINIZED PIPE MAKING THIS A VEY HEAVY LOAD TO PULL. GALVINIZED PIPE COMES IN 21 FOOT LENGHTS. THATS ALOT OF PIPE ABOVE YOUR HEAD. TRY SCREWING IT APART OR TOGETHER LIKE THAT.IF YOUR ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES THERE IS PVC PIPE IN YOUR WELL IT WEIGHS LESS BUT MOVES AROUND MORE THAN STEEL. NEXT IF YOU WERE TO LOSE THE PUMP DOWN THE WELL, YOU WOULD GET CHARGED AT LEAST DOUBLE OF LETTING A CREDIBLE PUMP INSTALLATION COMPANY TO DO THE JOB.