Help with a submersible well head that broke

GW

I did a lot of heating work for this good customer recently, and they asked me if i could help with this busted well head, can anyone identify it? You can see i went over with a new one (the blue one), but it wasn't the same,



If i can't find the exact cover, and i need to replace the entire head, is that a pain?



I'm a plumber too, MA ,aster 10839 in case that needs to be disclosed.

MikeG

Well cap

GW

Is that a two piece with a bolted cover?  I've seen different kinds.  The simplest is just a cap that is held on with some set screws.  It has the conduit hub for the pump wwire.  Others are two piece, the base piece has a clamping system which grips the well casing and then the cap is bolted on to the flange.  I have also seen some where the well installer welded the bottom flange piece on, or it was threaded on to the top oif the well casing.  Worst case you may have to undo the wire splice, which should be under the cap to remove the parts.  The simple caps don't require that.  There are all kinds and sizes of well casings installed.  Some caps fit a range.  Around here they drill 4", 4 1/2", 6"  etc.  Different wall thickness, steel, PVC.  If you can get the old stuff off and find one that fits the OD not much of a problem.   Mike

GW

thanks

Thanks Mike, I don't know anything about wells. So, all wells would have a wire splice just inside the casing? All the water connections are a few feet down?



And, if the diameter is the same, it should not be a huge deal to change the entire cap?



Gary

MikeG

Well cap

Gary,

Right.  The water connections are 3-4' below ground probably using a pitless adaptor.  It looks like the old one is a two piece.  Generally there should be a splice under the cap.  The supply wire is usually underground with the pipe to the house, runs up the side of the well casing,m and should be protected with conduit where it exits above the ground.  The well caps usually have a 1" conduit hub.  If it is two piece you will probaly have to undo the splice since the wire runs through the bottom piece of the cap flange.  Hopefully they spliced it under the cap for just this type of repair work or pulling the pump if needed.  Like I said there are some simple caps which just fit over the well casing and have a hub for the conduit and use just set screws.  The OD of the casing is critical to get the right size.   Mike

GW

ok

Thanks Mike, i guess I need to make sure the old one isn't welded and the new one is the same diameter. 

Mark Eatherton

Raiser up captain...

Check with your state water quality control department, but I know here on Colorado they'd like to see at LEAST a few feet of elevation above the ground to avoid contamination from the surface possibly flowing into the casing...



I've used stainless steel no hub couplings to accomplish that feat.



And as Mike said, once you excavate all round the cap, you should find (2 or 3 I think) square head pointed set screws below the cap that hold it in place. Not a water proof connection, hence the need for elevation...



And (obviously) make sure its powered down before you start messing with the wires. And while you have it open, dump a gallon of clorox down hole for bacteria control.



ME

GW

Thanks ME

Yes the power down i would have thought of but not the gal of bleach.

Any need to run the faucet(s) after dumping the bleach?



gary

icesailor

Not on that one:

Not on that one, that's a two piece aluminum well cap by Midwest Dicken. It's a two piece unit. The steel bolts hold it together. There's a rubber square O-Ring in the shape of the outside that when you squeeze it together, makes the seal. If you drown the nuts and bolts with Kroil for a day, you can usually get them off. 7/16" box end wrenches work best. Universal meetric wrench too.

Get the top off, and you will see the wires coming up through a 1" pipe. If it is PVC , you can unscrew it. If it is steel pipe/conduit, forget it. Pull the bottom up high enough to unscrew the bottom cap off. Get another two piece well cap. Don't get a glue kind IMO. Don't get the kind with the pointed bolts on the side.

You can raise the head up with a piece of 4" PVC pipe and a coupling. Make it very high. If you have people of lesser skills mowing the lawn, it won't matter how high you make it. They'll run into it. Put a large rock beside it. If someone drops anything in the well, it is toast. If you do the repair, my #1 bit of advice is DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR SHIRT POCKET or a pencil on your ear. If you drop a pencil fown the well, it will become jammed between the pump and casing. You will not get the pump out.

GW

Thanks

Thanks for the help. 

GW

I can't find it there either

http://www.maassmidwest.com/Cat540web%20folder/08_WellCaps.pdf



The old one doesn't seem to match the heads on their web site, Is it just easier to replace the entire head? i was trying to save a some time by just replacing the busted top.