Posts: 36,356
Threads: 3
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: RTP, NC
a plumber came out and confirmed there's a leak 'twixt the well and the house. The house is 40 years old, the area is very rocky so more than likely a rock punctured the line. The plumber is going to bring a backhoe, he doesn't think a trencher will do it with all the rocks. Since the plumber's estimate is about half what my friend budgeted (and what I thought it would cost) he's going to also get the well pump replaced. We don't know how old it is. There was a well permit pulled for his address in the late 80s but there's no description of what was done and the company listed is no longer in business. I told him to have the plumber sleeve the new water line in something else to help prevent further damage.
Posts: 23,963
Threads: 2
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Missouri
40 years ago, the line was either galvanized pipe or black roll plastic. Should be able to tell by digging right next to the well head.
The pump should have a year of date tag on it. Year of manufacture, so it should be somewhat close as to when it was installed.
Your dept. of natural resources should have a record of when the well was dug, as all drillers have to file a record with the state. There's probably no record of it being pulled for repair though, as I don't think that is required, or it didn't used to be.
Steve
Mo.
I miss the days of using my dinghy with a girlfriend too. Zack Butler-4/18/24
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020
Posts: 63,480
Threads: 3
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Merryland
If it's rocky, usually they lay down a bed of sand or small pea gravel, lay down the poly pipe and then put more on top of the line after it's in. Then backfill. The pipe is pretty stiff off the roll.
Posts: 5,732
Threads: 2
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Fort Worth
Our well was put in when the house was built in 1960 and they used poly pipe for the 100' of drop pipes. When I pulled it a couple years ago to start using the well ago gain the poly was in surprisingly good shape except for the ends where it was clamped.
For a run from the well to the house pex is the best choice inside a pvc liner so replacement is easier however the pex will probably outlive the house.
Posts: 438
Threads: 0
Joined: Sep 2007
If you can find a guy with a pipe puller that might be the way to go.
http://www.spartantool.com/water-line-sl...age_id=597
You thread the pulling cable thru the existing pipe and then pull a new pex line thru the old. There is a splitter that cuts the old line open to allow the new pipe thru without digging up the yard.
Posts: 36,356
Threads: 3
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: RTP, NC
Final update, they did the well pump/water line replacement yesterday. It turns out the well pump was the original, so 40 years old.
Posts: 23,963
Threads: 2
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Missouri
And the leak was.........and the pipe was what kinda pipe..............
and how many rocks were upside down
Steve
Mo.
I miss the days of using my dinghy with a girlfriend too. Zack Butler-4/18/24
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020
Posts: 786
Threads: 0
Joined: Nov 2004
Wow...40 years on a well pump!
Our first lasted seven or eight years, and the high end replacement is expected to go for 20 years tops.
Mike
Posts: 10,591
Threads: 0
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Front seat on the Struggle Bus
(04-07-2017, 10:04 AM)mikefm101 Wrote: Wow...40 years on a well pump!
Our first lasted seven or eight years, and the high end replacement is expected to go for 20 years tops.
Mike
Not unusual for a pump that's in a basement, the old Flint & Walling pumps will run forever....
Ed
Posts: 36,356
Threads: 3
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: RTP, NC
(04-07-2017, 08:56 AM)Stwood_ Wrote: And the leak was.........and the pipe was what kinda pipe..............
and how many rocks were upside down
they didn't find the leak. they just buried a new pipe, sleeved in corrugated drain pipe with gravel backfilled around that. the original pipe is black plastic and came through the basement wall at least 5' below grade. we think that since they didn't find a wet spot and that the water was showing up in the sump in the outside patio that the leak was that deep, which meant close to the house . there were lots of rocks. the plumber had a guy with a skid steer and a backhoe attachment. he said he'd never have been able to do it with his trencher.
