Stolen Submersible Pumps

[jerrywilliam]

Does anyone have any suggestion for securing a submersible pump against theft?

 

[speedbump]

Aside from it being hard enough to steal just being down the well, I guess anything you can do to make it harder would be beneficial. If you have a pitless adaptor, you can put a different fitting down the well than what is normal. If a well seal, you could round off the corners of the well seals bolts so a wrench won't loosen them.

I imagine there are other things you could do like electrifying the casing, but that might not be advisable.

 

[jerrywilliam]

Thanks, pumps here are installed differently (Southeastern Africa), we have no frost risk, so no pitless adapter installed 2 meters below the surface; I can see how that would complicate theft. They are installed within a simple concrete box with a heavy manhole cover placed on top; the discharge pipe is about 20cm or so from the top of the concrete box. The first pump they simply removed the manhole cover and pulled the pump up (35 meters deep), the second we installed as above, then completely encased the box in more concrete. They came with hammers broke up the concrete and stole that one as well; at $850 each we need to rethink this entirely before we install the third pump.

 

[speedbump]

Wow, these thieves are persistent. Apparently these wells are out in the boonies where nobody can see them stealing the pumps.

How about a Cobra in the pit? You could leave a couple Mice and some Rats for him to eat in the meantime. When they pull the Manhole Cover, whamo. You will also know who the thief was, because he will be lying next to the pit.

 

[Chris]

Electric fence hooked up to the manhole cover?

 

[Chris]

Also tack weld it on.

 

[jerrywilliam]

It is a vacation area, but I have neighbors all around, and I’m sure they know exactly who stole both. But in this part of the world it is considered culturally acceptable to violate a foreigner, that said, I have two choices, either take care of myself or go home.
I would never involve the police, if I did, I would probably be arrested for being an accessory to the crime, how? The logic goes like this, if I would have just stayed in the country where I belong then no crime would have been committed.

No kidding.

 

[jerrywilliam]

As I understand a pit adapter, that is an elbow type of device that allows the water to exit below the frost line, but also allows removal of the pump without the need to dig outside of the borehole; I don’t want anything that makes it easy, but it has given me an idea.
Although it would be a severe inconvenience in the event the pump needed repair or replacement, I was thinking of installing a four way intersection type fitting, the bottom fitting going to the pump, left side fitting water exit, right and top side fitting are plugged with a solid steel plug.
The solid steel plugs (probably best if the whole lot is made of stainless) are drilled and tapped, the plug for the side is then bolted through the borehole tube, installed in the top is a large eyebolt to accommodate the pull cable.
All buried beneath 2 meters of Earth, together with the suggestions above,, ah,, short of the cobra idea,, sorry. Then I think that just might solve the problem.

 

[speedbump]

I haven't had to use a Pitless Adaptor since moving to Florida years ago. But some of them can be rather tricky if you don't understand how they work and maybe with a little ingenuity, you could install one and make it even harder than normal for someone with no idea what one is to steal the pump.

Google Pitless Adaptors and see what you think.