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Underground Water Line Question

I

in-too-deep

Well-known Member
The static water level in my well is 3 feet from the surface. Almost a flowing well. My water lines are 8 feet deep. Which means 5 feet of head when you're trying to connect fittings before you're up to your you-know-whats in COLD well water. I know, I SHOULD have put a buffalo box shut-off at the well casing adapter right after they drilled it.

So, are there any tricks to stopping the geyser when I'm down in the hole dropping hose clamps in the mud?

Are hose pinch pliers strong enough for 1" black poly?

Dry ice to freeze the line?

Just work faster?

Pump water out ahead of time somehow? Well produces 80 gpm at a trot.

Thank you for any ideas. Planning on installed a new cattle fountain and hydrant soon.
 
My uncle the plumber taught me to plug copper supply lines with the white bread from your lunchbox to sweat fittings on wet, existing lines. It dissolves after the job is done.

You may need a whole loaf!!
 
There is a center-pivot on my quarter. Maybe I can ask him to turn it on while I'm cutting and splicing.
 
If it normally draws less than 80 GPM, open up the outlets, the pump will move up the curve and put out a lot more, as LONG AS you do not exceed maximum HP.
 
We put an overflow on the case at 1 ft below the pitiless so it would drain but I guess that wasn?t hard as we are on a hill. Usually can just lift the pump high enough to hook the pit less on the casing and run the pump open discharge. Our well is 30 gpm or something when it?s pumped down but our 2 hp pump can suck it down 10-20 ft if it?s just straight dumping it over the side of the case.
 
Maybe I should just pull the pump line up out of the pitless adapter and hang it on the top of casing and let er buck out on the lawn. That should draw it down enough.
 
I have heard that that can damage a pump, running without any head pressure. You could pull the pitless, disconnect the pump and put a plug in the bottom of it, then put it back in to shut off the well. I had access to a new 6 inch sewer bag when I did ours at the cabin. It was overflowing about 20 gpm and I needed to put in the pitless. I lowered the sewer bag down int the well about 10 ft, aired it up, pumped out the water above it. Then I hole-sawed the opening for the pitless and installed it, and ran the line into the cabin. Once I release the air from the bag the casing filled up and overflowed again. I have a T with a 2 inch check valve about knee high for it to flow when it wants to, into a drain to the road ditch. The check is to prevent mice from getting into the well when it's not flowing. Right now it's so dry the water level is 2 feet below ground level. Our well here in Bemidji is a different story, it has 12 ft of positive head! It has something called a packer to prevent it from overflowing, it's a positive seal above the pitless. I hope I never have to work on it!
 
the pump will suck down, does not need lifted, see how much it pulls down, but I bet if well can flow 80 GPM, then not much.
 
Put on a pair of waders and work fast! Have all your part ready! I would think hose pliers would permanently damage the line, especially when it's cold. Longer comment below.
 
I set the pump at 100 feet, so it'd still have head pressure. Sure wish we had had that sewer bag when we cut the hole for the pitless! Would been a lot drier and less stressful.

Is there female threads in the "interior" part of the pitless that the pump hangs off of? I can't remember.
 
There is in the ones I have installed, but they're not all the same. Mine looks like the one TSC sells for $46.99 I don't think putting the pump deeper gains you any head, that is relative to the static water level. I only put our pump down about 20 ft in a 57 foot well. I have never seen the water level lower than 2-3 ft below ground.
 
But our well maintains it's level, has nothing to do with compressibility. When I pump out 12 gpm, the well fills at 12 gpm. Probably a 100 gpm pump would pull the level down, but I don't have one.
 
My vote is put on some old clothes and jump in. I have fixed a lot of live lines and that?s just the way it goes sometimes. Fixed one last week that had a copper line to the main and had to switch out the tapping valve for a new style. I?ve got another one to fix this morning but haven?t dug it out yet to see what?s going on. My preference is a decent rain suit and a good trash pump. You can stay mostly dry that way but just in case I alway keep a dry change of clothes in my truck
 
you can make a squeezer. weld 2 34in pipe on the jaws of a pair of vise grips. the round pipe will not damage poly. make sure it is tight though or you will get wet when you cut the pipe. when done just release vise grips
 

here is e pic
a278888.jpg
 
Extra step but I would install a shut off valve on the 3/4" at the well head. That should be easier now before you need to do the deep repair.
Grant
 
I know it's not gonna keep you dry this time Chris,but if you're down there next to the well where that pipe is 8 feet under,put a shutoff in it. Just an ordinary faucet type. Cut a notch in two sides of a piece of 4 or 6 inch PVC,then when you backfill,stand that pipe over the valve. Take a piece of three quarter inch pipe or some other rod and weld two pins to it that will fit down in the holes in the faucet handle. Put a PVC cap over the top and bury it an inch deep or so. Any time you have to do any repairs in the future,you can just take that cap off and turn off the faucet.

I have three of those buried here. One to the house,one to the barn and one to the pipe that goes under the road. For that matter,I guess there's four. I have one under the waterer across the road so I can just take the cover off that and shut it off right there if I need to work on the valve.
 
I'm guessing the water table is not higher than the buried water line.

If you squeeze the pipe enough to stop the flow, I would expect the squeezed area to fail within a short time. Will some type of compression fitting clamp to your poly pipe? If yes, you might be able to cut the line and quickly slip an open valve over the well end, clamp down the compression fittings, and then close the valve to shut off the flow of well water. I would talk to your plumbing supplier to have everything you need ready and practice until you can get the valve installed in less than a minute, less than 30 seconds would be better. Maybe get a quote for what it would cost to hire the job done.

A large trash pump pulling water from a sump below the area you will be working might keep most of the deepest water away from your work area.

Please be careful, use a safety rope, and have some extra people around who can pull you out of the hole fast if necessary. Even with a good sturdy ladder, trying to climb out of a flooding hole with hip waders half full of water can get dangerous fast.
 
(quoted from post at 22:17:01 09/04/18)
So, are there any tricks to stopping the geyser when I'm down in the hole dropping hose clamps in the mud?
Thank you for any ideas. Planning on installed a new cattle fountain and hydrant soon.
Click to expand...

Cut the power to the pump while you're working?
 
Yep, I wish I had done just that when we hooked up to the new casing for the first time. You know what they say about hindsight.
 
I don't know why why we put the pump down to 100'. Just to be sure I never run out of water, I guess. The well is 312' deep with 8' of screen at the bottom.
 
That's an idea. Uncover fifteen to twenty feet of the water line ahead of the cut, once the cut is made lift the cut end high enough that it is above the water level or completely out of the pit. After a shutoff valve is installed, the line can be lowered into the pit and the other connections can be completed.
 
Im with Chask, you're going to turn the power off to the pump before you cut the pipe?. I understand the well having an 80 gpm recovery but with the pump off and only 5' off water column on 100' of 1" pipe you shouldn't get to much water. Have a 1" ball valve fully open ready to go.

Maybe I'm missing something?
 
No, you got it right. Pump will be shut off. Maybe it won't be as bad as I'm remembering. This new splice will happen about 200' away and slightly uphill from the well, so that distance should knock the edge off a bit.
 
This is advice on the waterer you are going to use. With 5'head pressure and only a 3/4" pipe you will have very slow flow. Ask your supplier if they have an optional valve with a larger orifice for low pressure. The company I worked for had 3 different orifices available
 
I only read once before other reply. I put 2 and 2 together and got 3. My first thought was you didn't need or have a pump and were relying on the 5' HEAD pressure.
I agree with RRLund on shutoff except I would use 1/4 turn brass ball valve. Not sure what Randy uses.
 
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