Help needed to find a deep well jet pump that will fit

[domsob1974]

Hi,

A little background. My deep well jet pump quit pumping (suspected bad impeller). It is old as dirt. It is a Flint and Walling. I cannot read the model number. The spacing of the bolts on the ejector is 2.5". I can't find a pump that has this spacing. The right angle adapter that is on the well will NOT come off. I took the three bolts holding the flange on and dropped the lower flange and the rubber O ring and I have tried to screw, unscrew, pry, heat with torch, hammer it up and it is just on there. The pump that I bought has a different spacing where the ejector bolts to so it won't work (and of course it is past the return date) so I am stuck with it. Oh well, maybe I can resell it on Marketplace or something. I would really just love to find a deep well jet pump that has that spacing so that I can swap. I have tried for over four hours to try to get that adapter off and it won't come off. It spins, but will not come off, so I figure if I can find a pump that has the 2.5" spacing, then I can just bolt it up and be done with it. I have heated it and beat it and twisted it and tugged on it and it simply won't do anything but spin I have spent about 6-8 hours on the internet looking at pumps, asking questions on Amazon (because most pumps don't give the ejector bolt spacing in the description and I can find 2.75" but not 2.5".) I am at the mercy of this forum and its wise members who may just know of a model or a way to find a pump that has a 2.5" bolt pattern for the ejector so that I can have water at my house again (it has been almost 2 weeks since this ordeal began). I don't know much about plumbing, but I have basic mechanical knowledge..etc, I don't have financial means to call a plumber or well person and have them do it, and if it wasn't for this d*mned adapter being stuck on here / no one having a 2.5" bolt spacing description for their well pump, I would be in business. Can anyone help me? Thank you so much in advance. If you are not sure what the right angle adapter is then here is a pic of a similar one I found online (except this has the ears open and mine are closed

 

[Valveman]

Sorry you cannot get the old casing adapter off. If there is enough room, you can just cut the casing off below the old casing adapter with a sawsall and install the new casing a few inches lower on the cut casing. If you are good with a torch, you can probably burn the casing adapter off the casing without damaging the casing. It is probably cast iron and won't cut easily with a torch, but can be burned/blown off with a torch.

Have you called Flint and Walling? They may have some old stock or a change over that would work.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Hi,

A little background. My deep well jet pump quit pumping (suspected bad impeller). It is old as dirt. It is a Flint and Walling. I cannot read the model number. The spacing of the bolts on the ejector is 2.5". I can't find a pump that has this spacing. The right angle adapter that is on the well will NOT come off. I took the three bolts holding the flange on and dropped the lower flange and the rubber O ring and I have tried to screw, unscrew, pry, heat with torch, hammer it up and it is just on there. The pump that I bought has a different spacing where the ejector bolts to so it won't work (and of course it is past the return date) so I am stuck with it. Oh well, maybe I can resell it on Marketplace or something. I would really just love to find a deep well jet pump that has that spacing so that I can swap. I have tried for over four hours to try to get that adapter off and it won't come off. It spins, but will not come off, so I figure if I can find a pump that has the 2.5" spacing, then I can just bolt it up and be done with it. I have heated it and beat it and twisted it and tugged on it and it simply won't do anything but spin I have spent about 6-8 hours on the internet looking at pumps, asking questions on Amazon (because most pumps don't give the ejector bolt spacing in the description and I can find 2.75" but not 2.5".) I am at the mercy of this forum and its wise members who may just know of a model or a way to find a pump that has a 2.5" bolt pattern for the ejector so that I can have water at my house again (it has been almost 2 weeks since this ordeal began). I don't know much about plumbing, but I have basic mechanical knowledge..etc, I don't have financial means to call a plumber or well person and have them do it, and if it wasn't for this d*mned adapter being stuck on here / no one having a 2.5" bolt spacing description for their well pump, I would be in business. Can anyone help me? Thank you so much in advance. If you are not sure what the right angle adapter is then here is a pic of a similar one I found online (except this has the ears open and mine are closed

Two weeks without water must be tough to deal with.

 

[domsob1974]

While I was on the toilet (at another house, of course) last night I had an epiphany. Can someone confirm if this will work? The pump has two threaded holes coming out of it (where the ejector would bolt up to). The adapter has 2 threaded holes in it (In place of where the ejector would be). Could I just:

1) Put the bottom flange and rubber gasket back on the adapter to secure it so it doesn't spin anymore.
2) Run pipe from top hole on pump to top hole on adapter
3) Run pipe from bottom hole on pump to bottom hole on adapter
4) Hook up the pipe that goes to my holding tank
5) hook up electrical connections
6) Prime Pump
7) Turn on pump and enjoy that sweet sweet H20.

What do you ladies and gentlemen think? Feasible?

 

[Valveman]

I didn't think those holes on the flange would be threaded. But if they are and you can get the pipes to seal, it will work. Really all a casing adapter is for is to get the pipes from the pump connected to pipes in the well. If you have to use two casing adapters to do that it will still work.

 

[domsob1974]

I didn't think those holes on the flange would be threaded. But if they are and you can get the pipes to seal, it will work. Really all a casing adapter is for is to get the pipes from the pump connected to pipes in the well. If you have to use two casing adapters to do that it will still work.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, if you look at the pic in my original message, you can see that both of the holes have threads on them, and on the pump itself they have threads in them, so I was just guessing that I could pipe them together? LOL . Should I use teflon tape on the threads to try and achieve a water tight seal or is there something else on the market that may work better?

 

[Valveman]

If Teflon by itself doesn't seal, I use a little Rector seal on top of the Teflon.

 

[domsob1974]

Hi,

I would like to give an update. I have plumbed the new pump in (I ended up using 1" and 1 1/4" pipe in place of the flange/adapter), but now I have an issue. The new pump, just like the old pump, is running non-stop without putting water to the faucet. There are no leaks as best as I can tell. I am wondering if it is a water tank bladder issue that is to blame? The water tank in question is about 12 years old. I read on the internet that you can check at the Schrader valve with a tire gauge to see if the bladder is faulty or not (Do I need to introduce compressed air into the bladder?) The fact that this new pump is running non-stop (I primed it with 5 gallons of water until water came out the top of the discharge T pipe that I put n) just like the old pump was doing, leads me to believe that maybe the pump was not the fault. Can anyone steer me in the right direction? twelve weeks of jugged water is wearing me down. I don't have the funds to pay a plumber to fix this, so I am at the mercy of your experience and expertise. Help me take a shower and be able to flush the toilet. Together, we can make this happen. Here are my plumbing pics. They may not be pretty, but as the pump was running, I felt no suction, nor did I see any water blowing out of any of the seams. In the first pic, the octangular piece is the "Prime port" that I put in. I put a funnel in there, and I ended up putting in about 5 gallons of water until it came out the top. Then, I suctioned off enough water to be able to prime/glue the octangular cap down for an air tight seal. Yes, my primer is sloppy. I am no plumber, I am just a guy who wants to be able to take a bath and flush the toilet without having to dump jugs of water in the toilet tank. Please help me.

 

[wpns]

The ‘precharge’ pressure in the tank (atop the bladder) should be a few PSI below the pump switch cut-in setting WITH NO WATER PRESSURE.

 

[Valveman]

You need a ball valve on the discharge of the pump. Closing that ball valve partially will put some back pressure on the down pipe and drive more water up using the jet or venturi. Without some back pressure the jet at the bottom of the well cannot work.

 

[domsob1974]

The ‘precharge’ pressure in the tank (atop the bladder) should be a few PSI below the pump switch cut-in setting WITH NO WATER PRESSURE.

Pre-charge pressure in the tank is 22 psi. Pump PSI is factory set at 30 psi.

 

[domsob1974]

You need a ball valve on the discharge of the pump. Closing that ball valve partially will put some back pressure on the down pipe and drive more water up using the jet or venturi. Without some back pressure the jet at the bottom of the well cannot work.

Good to know. The last pump didn't seem to have one, so I just copied what I saw.

 

[domsob1974]

Okay, more of an update. So, the first night that I tried to prime and run the new pump it took 4.5 gallons to fill to the top of the prime port on the pump. I turned off the ball valve to the house and tried to prime it. Only once did I hear a faint sound of swishing water in the pipes. Other than that, it was just the sound of the pump. The manufacturer shorted me a gauge, so I am waiting for one to come in the mail so I can get some pressure numbers instead of just trying to go by sound. I let it sit for the night and then went to try and prime it today again and it needed about 3/4 gallon to get to the top of the primer port on the pump. When I run the motor. Once, again, I hear the faint swishing of water once and the rest of the time is just the pump running. The water level does not drop in the pump and the holding tank is not receiving any water. I have a ball valve coming today to put on the discharge side as Valveman advised to create some back pressure to try to be able to drive water up. I am starting to wonder if I have mineral deposits on the screen and if that is preventing any draw. If this is the case, I was not able to pull the adapter off (and the pipe up with it), but I have since thought of a possible way using a chainfall and a piece of pipe as a gantry. Also, I have seen some who use muriatic acid to eat away the mineral deposits on the screen (after letting sit for a couple of hours and then neutralizing with baking soda so it doesn't eat through the pipe, or I can flush the well to dilute the acid). Is this viable? It seems as if the internet is divided about this method. Half of the people say this will work and, while somewhat unconventional, can be used to try to bring back a well, while others say it is a terrible idea (albeit some of those are the ones who want your business in installing a brand new well, too.. but I can see the validity of both arguments). Of course, acid is corrosive and proper PPE and safety equipment such as a face mask, googles, gloves and a respirator should be used. Some use granulated (1 cup) and some seem to use a solution of 30% (but the volume is all over the place on the internet from 1 cup to half a gallon). Any other things I can look for or try to do other than what I am going to do which is to continue to try to prime it over the next couple of days? Thanks in advance.

 

[domsob1974]

Ok, I know it has been a little while, but more of an update. So, after trying and trying to prime the pump and accepting defeat I came up with another idea. To pull up the old well pipe and just drop a 2" submersible pipe in. So, I had to make a makeshift gantry with a chain fall and some 4x4s. It took a lot of beating and I used some corn oil for lubrication but were able to get the pipe out in one piece. Verified there was water in the well and the next step is to source the submersible pump and then do the install over the holiday weekend. The well pipe was 35 feet btw. Any tips, tricks, or general ideas are always appreciated. I think I am getting closer to getting water back in the house now. Here are some pics of the endeavor.

 

[Valveman]

Glad you got it out. Good job! But I don't think you will find a submersible that will fit in 2" casing and do the job you need. You will need to install a new packer/foot valve assembly and use a deep well jet pump like you had.

 

[domsob1974]

Glad you got it out. Good job! But I don't think you will find a submersible that will fit in 2" casing and do the job you need. You will need to install a new packer/foot valve assembly and use a deep well jet pump like you had.

From what I was looking at, and ordered, there was a submersible that fit the 2" well (needed at least 2.12" casing and mine is 2.23") I figured that I would give it a shot since there were many reviews on it by people who had deeper wells than I who were using it and have had success. Here are some of the specs:

Voltage: 110-120V/60Hz
Power: 0.37kw 0.5hp
Max. head: 50m/164ft
Max. flow rate: 1m³/h, 4.4GPM
Speed: 3420r/min
Outlet: 1/2 inch, OD Pipe: 2 inch
Black circle cable: 20m(66ft)
Plug type: US Plug

I guess I will give this a try because I don't have the 6k for a new well to be drilled, and I don't relish cobbling a new downpipe and foot valve together. I was hoping to gain a little bit of noise reduction this way. So you think that a half horsepower 2" sub won't work for a 35' well? That's the largest 110v I saw. They had some 3/4 Horse 220v but I didn't want to mess with having to pull 220v over there. I am going to try it out this weekend and report my findings.

Is it okay that I just use schedule 40 PVC? Some websites are saying poly but I don't think poly would be rigid enough to "push" down the casing. Thanks in advance!