[leelon]

I was removing my submersible pump and had removed about 45ft of pipe the well is 150ft when it fell back into the well, how do I continue to remove the pump with out this happening again also the pump seems to be stuck?:(

If I were going to try to fabricate a tool for this, I think it would look something like this.

Thank you. We are going to try this, keep your fingers crossed.

How much was the pro going to charge?

How far down is it to the top of the well pipe? Can you see it?

Around 2000. We can not see the pipe we think about 40 to 50 ft down.

[hkstroud]

What's the size and kind of well casing. What's the size and kind of well pipe. Hopefully you have a good safety rope. Is the any slack in safety rope?

[leelon]

What's the size and kind of well casing. What's the size and kind of well pipe. Hopefully you have a good safety rope. Is the any slack in safety rope?

Well casing is aprox. 9in steel the well pipe is 1 in galvanized steel the safety rope broke

[hkstroud]

Well I guess it's time to call a pro. Surly, this has happen to them and they may have a solution. Probably going to take special equipment and tools.. Sorry.

[leelon]

Well I guess it's time to call a pro. Surly, this has happen to them and they may have a solution. Probably going to take special equipment and tools..Sorry.

Thanks for your time. The reason I was doing this on my own was because I don't have the money that the pro's quoted I was hoping that someone would have an idea that I could try because I still don't have the money

[hkstroud]

Hopefully someone may have some ideas. But think what about happens when 100' of galvanized pipe filled with water, falls 50'. Pump has to be buried in the bottom of the well. Got to have something that will line up and clamp around the well pipe. Hopefully the top end of the pipe is still in the casing. Good luck.

[jlisenbe]

How much was the pro going to charge?

How far down is it to the top of the well pipe? Can you see it?

[speedball1]

For openers you could get a better rope, fashion a small grappling hook, (see image) and go fishing. Good luck, Tom

[hkstroud]

If I were going to try to fabricate a tool for this, I think it would look something like this.

[speedball1]

I like Harolds solution much better then mine. Let us know how it works for you. Good luck, Tom

[hkstroud]

If I were going to try to fabricate a tool for this, I think it would look something like this.

thank you. we are going to try this, keep your fingers crossed.

If it works I want a pizza

[jlisenbe]

2000 to simply pull the pump is completely crazy. They can do it in an hour or two. It costs around $200.00 here. If you put a funnel shape down the well as you describe, why not simply have a threaded pipe section attached to the funnel and screw it into the top of the well pipe? Still, I do like your idea IF the clamp will hold well enough.

For the future, if your pipe is in 20' sections, the pros will pull twenty feet until a joint is two or three feet up, clamp at the bottom, unscrew the section, and then repeat the process until it's all out.


HK, if you save the guy two grand, then you should get a couple of Kansas City ribeye steaks!

[parttime]

If it works I want a pizza

Pizza? I would think patent.

[jlisenbe]

Amen!

[mygirlsdad77]

What you have experienced is a WORST CASE senerio when pulling a pump. Normally you would have to get a backhoe, dig down and cut off the well casing, so you can get a good grip on the pipe, then pull the pump, weld casing back on.. this is why you have been quoted 2000 dollars. There is not a grapple that has been invented to grab that kind of weight, and trying to thread a pipe on that far below ground would be a lost cause. You are in a very bad position here. You can try home made tricks all day and all week, ( and I truly hope you can find one that works),but I fear you will be wasting your time.

With the pipe that far underground, even a backhoe is pretty much out of the question.

I can only think of one other possible solution,(and it isn't cheap either, but a lot cheaper than 2000). You said your well casing was 9 inches?? If this is true, you have enough room to install a new pump(leave the old pump and pipe where it is, and submerge a new pump down to the depthe the old pump was at. Using black poly(plastic) pipe this time. In a nine inch casing the submersalbe pump will fit past the old one inch galve line, it may take some pushing , but it will fit. Old pump and pipe will not affect well performance, so you won't have to worry about pulling them any longer. Good luck and let me know if this makes sense. Lee.

[parttime]

If I were going to try to fabricate a tool for this, I think it would look something like this.

Harold, I love this idea. I was wondering, if instead of a spring loaded clamping, could you draw the pull-up hook point as a dog that gets tighter the harder the pull? Unlike you, I do well to draw a cool glass of water. Lol

[jlisenbe]

I wouldn't use black poly. I'd go with PVC. But that is an interesting idea to simply stick another pump in.

My understanding was that the 2000 dollar figure was for pulling the pump before it was dropped into the well, not afterwards.

[hkstroud]

I think I would want the spring if possible. Once engaged the weight would keep it locked in but knowing when to engage would be difficult. What I kind of envision would be a piece of 2” pipe about 3 to 5' long with the funnel on one end and a reducing coupling on the other. Screw this on the well pipe and send it down the casing. When you reach the pipe in the well you will want to be able to rotate the funnel to guide the pipe toward the center and into the 2”. This rotating may foul the engaging cable. Hopefully you will have taped the cable to the side of the pipe. The tooth or dog should have teeth cut into it similar to the teeth of a pipe wrench. Does the pipe in the well have a coupling on the end of it? If so that should help in engaging the dog. Making the funnel will be the hard part. Might be able to find a really heavy duty funnel to weld onto the end of the pipe.

Using 1” iron pipe, you aren't going to be able to tell by feel if and when you have contacted the pump pipe. As a test run, I think I would try to rig up a funnel on the end of a piece 2” PVC reduced down to 3/4 or 1 and send that down to determine the depth. You should be able to tell when you hit the pump pipe by feel. Cover the open end of the funnel with masking tape. Put something like a sponge in the end of the 2”. When you pull it out you tell if you engaged the pipe by the torn masking tape. If you have pushed the sponge up the 2” you have guided the pump pipe into the 2”. Be sure that the funnel is well attached to the PVC, you don't want to lose something else down the well.

What kind of set up did you have to pull the pump? Surly you weren't trying to pull 150 of 1” galvanized pipe by hand.

[parttime]

What kind of set up did you have to pull the pump? Surly you weren’t trying to pull 150 of 1” galvanized pipe by hand.[/QUOTE]


Harold, That drawing is it, thanks. Also this in not my thread, but a few years ago we lost a pump in the same manner as this, after trying to hook it with homemade grappling hooks with no success, the owner decide to quit the well and connected to community water service. May try to build your device and try to recover the old pump. What I envision doing is, using the 3 to 5 foot long device, on a good drop rope (that way I'll know when I hit the pump pipe). I plan on hooking 5/16 steel cable on the dog where you have your spring hooked, and thread the cable through a pulley attached to a tri-pod that we use to pull car engines, and let the four-wheeler do the work. I'll be sure and let you know the outcome, one way or the other. Thanks again for the drawing, now to the shop and see what comes out.

[hkstroud]

Parttime
Good luck wish you well (pun intended). I think I would want it on the end of a pipe so I could turn the funnel to guide the pipe toward the center. Maybe you want to put it on the end of PVC pipe, then use cable to pull out.

Here is what I think I would build for the "test run". If it worked I think I would then cut off the PVC just above the reinforcing straps, add a threaded adapter and screw onto black pipe. Then have dog in iron pipe. Rest of pipe could be PVC if you are going to use cable to pull. Only problem with iron pipe all the way is weight.