How to Clean a Shallow Well Foot Valve

[@jeffhorne5465]

I planned on doing some type of rainwater collection for my greenhouse but this well idea seems really easy to do. Thanks .

[@atypicalladd8068]

Solid and simple video. Thank you!

[@mtnman6942]

Thanks for your detail I appreciate being able to learn how to do this Again Thanks

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Mountain Man thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

[@garycolonna470]

Hey Brother Thanks for your videos they have helped me out immensely. God Bless You.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Gary Colonna that’s good to know. Thank you.

[@deniseadams4121]

How to keep from freezing?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

I’ve been recommending this as a solution for my friends up North - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4GkgXWHi9ugZ9U Or you can pull the pump/pipe, drain then reinstall. Prime as needed for water. Repeat.

[@deniseadams4121]

How many gallons water used to prime a 26 ft shallow well? 26/12=2.16, {π=3.14} x pipe radius= 2² iches x 26 feet = (π×2^2×26)= 326.75, To convert a measurement in cubic inches to a measurement in gallons, divide the volume by the following conversion ratio: 231 cubic inches/gallon. The volume in gallons is equal to the volume in cubic inches divided by 231. so? 327/2 gln = 164? 5 glns?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

The formula for volume is Volume = Pi x Pipe Diameter squared / divided by 4 x Length of Pipe So, the pipe diameter for a pitcher pump is 1.25”, and pipe length is 26’ (312 inches). Volume = 3.14x1.25squared / divided by 4 x 312 Volume = 3.14x1.5625 / divided by 4 x 312 Volume = 3.14x.390625 x 312 Volume = 1.227 x 312 Volume = 382.6875(cubic inches) Gallons = Cubic inches / 231 Gallons = 382.6875 / 231 Gallons = 1.656 Or A 1.25” pipe holds 0.0637 gal per foot. A 26 foot pipe would hold 1.6562 gallons of water.

[@richardsanjose3692]

What about putting some fine mesh screen around that valve to stop it from getting clogged?

[@rgriffith2006]

Just a tip. You will ALWAYS have to prime the pump with water if it ever runs dry, even if you've refilled the pipe. The lifting seal in the pump has to be wet.

[@harrygrimley4352]

Great information. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@comingtofull-ageinchrist6736]

Simple enough. Thanks for the knowledge

[@terrylangford5098]

Thanks for all the good information.

[@Turbosha777]

Great info, thanks brother!

[@johnturner1562]

1 in a billion!! Way to tell it good sir.

[@skieterd4371]

How to make a sallow well drill

[@johncrosby7173]

Wow! I know I'm not coordinated enough to disassemble that directly over the open well! I would have dropped the screw and filter right down that thing!

[@TigerCreekFarm]

John Crosby optical illusion. I was using the casing pipe for balance and the valve was hanging off the other side. If it was dropped it would have landed on the ground. Point taken, nonetheless.

[@dragonrln]

Great video! Does anyone know how to winterize it? Considering that the foot valve won't let the water drain back into the well. Or is it unnecessary to winterize because the surrounding 4 inch pipe provides enough insulation?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

It needs to be winterized if there is going to be a hard freeze. Check out my video on modifying the foot valve so you don't need to pull the pump and pipe to protect it.

[@gregkral4467]

Saw the airlift baler, made total sense, how long before that sucker pumped clean? I imagine that woulda taken many bailings.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Greg Kral it was very sandy and that was a bear getting out. What really helped was the well in the airlift bailer video had a capped bottom casing pipe so I wasn’t continuing to “dig” with the Air Force. Once I got that ton of sand out with the bailer it continued to clean pretty fast. Cleanest well I have.

[@cherriemckinstry131]

@@TigerCreekFarm so you capped the bottom of the 4 in pipe that stays in place on that particular well because of sandy soil?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Cherrie Mckinstry yes. Water enters your well through the slits cut into the 4” pipe. Capping the bottom can help it stay cleaner after you have cleared the well. Either way will work.

[@stevema902]

How do you keep your well pipe empty of sand

[@TigerCreekFarm]

If you are in sandy soil it will find a way to make it into your pipe. Overuse can make it worse.

[@vincentgray870]

Seems like it might be wise to place the internal pipe into the well casing and pump the well clean without the foot valve on, then bring the pipe up and install the foot valve so it's in clean water and you don't bring the initial grime into it.

[@dizzolve]

can you put a sock on the end of the foot valve or would that end up just rotting off or getting in the way itself. or maybe a metal mesh cup type screen

[@TigerCreekFarm]

I wouldn't use cotton or anything that might come off. Anything that you use has the chance of clogging up - but so does the foot valve. Like everything else use a big dose of common sense and what if.

[@sanjiblackleg7559]

Dude.. can i use 0.5hp power for my 40ft well? Im planning to install motor on it. Do u have idea?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

I'm not a "well man" but I'm pretty sure that if you are talking about a 1/2 hp shallow well pump - at 40 feet that would be too deep - they're rated at about 25 feet. But if you're talking about a 1/2 hp submersible pump it would do fine. I have a 1/2 hp submersible on a 40 foot well and it does great.

[@timdavis6088]

Think of it in relation to a car motor and a transmission. You can have as much HP as you want. But if the transmission can't handle the "load", so to speak, you're not going anywhere. You need to determine how much pump you need before you know how much HP you'll need. Pumps are rated on how much suction and discharge pressure and volume they can produce. If your pump is rated at 25 feet then it doesn't have enough suction pressure to pull water lower than 25 feet. Now think about how much a gallon a water weighs if you hold it at arms length. That gives you some idea of how much suction pressure a pump requires to through a pipe. Any standing column of water can be measured by "feet of head". Multiply your feet of head, i.e. 40 x 2.31 = 92.4 psi. Looking at a 1/2 pump on Grainger shows a shut-off psi of 60 and a Max inlet psi of 75. So you're WAY over design. It's more efficient to push water up then it is to suck water up so that's why wells lower than 25 feet use submersible pumps. I'm not a "well man" either so do double check. I've had just enough sleep to be conscious and just enough knowledge to be dangerous.

[@RRan-dk7ct]

Thanks for your time...what if you'd just let the well sit for over night and let all the sediment fall to the bottom and then start priming /pumping?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

R. Ran you could but you will still need to pump the sediment out - since the act of pumping will draw all of the loose and disturbed soil into the water every time. Think about using a drinking straw with “stuff” settled on the bottom of your glass. It will stay there until your drink level gets close to it - then it starts to flow and mix.

[@-kepha8828]

During winter time, is it possible that the water in the PVC pipe which is above ground freezes and damages the pipe? What would you do to avoid that since water is primed into the line? Do you take the foot valve off so water isnt stored in the PVC line? Thanks

[@TigerCreekFarm]

I’ve been recommending this as a solution - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4GkgXWHi9ugZ9U Or you can pull the pump/pipe, drain then reinstall. Prime as needed for water. Repeat. Or you can follow my modification to the foot valve for remote draining - Foot drain mod - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hni5YXWJhamDmLM

[@marshallcahill4958]

I like what I'm hearing. The main well is around 400 feet deep. I'm gonna attempt to find shallow water. If the deep well is good for human consumption, is it possible that a shallow well water will be safe.... maybe just less volume? Good to have a working well in an SHTF scenario. Thanks

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Never assume a shallow well is safe for drinking unless tested otherwise. It's filtered groundwater (unconfined aquifer). The deep wells (confined aquifer) are where the safe drinking water is. Shallow wells are great for watering and emergency water. I've used them many times for convenience and for emergency situations.

[@yochanantov5490]

Fantastic videos! God bless you sir... Ps.30

[@george8706]

Great Videos, Do you have a recommendation list for hand water pumps? some of the ones I have seen in stores have printed on the side not for human consumption--

[@TigerCreekFarm]

George most of the water that comes from shallow wells isn’t for human consumption either. Make it’s tested before you even try. As far as the pumps go, the cheaper ones use lead in the casting and that is what you want to stay away from. I believe that Simmons makes “certified lead free” pumps. Even though they are made in China, they are the best starting point for lead free pumps. Once you start looking at the American made pumps you get great quality - but they come with a pretty hefty price tag. If it’s something you’re going to use every day you may think about going that route.

[@george8706]

@@TigerCreekFarm Thanks , and keep making videos, we want a hand pump well for our grandchildren mostly to water vegetables etc.. but you know kids testing sounds like the way to go

[@shannonsmith5421]

What a Wonderful Video and I love the Nice Old school tips you gave I have few questions please #1 is the Larger pipe that you installed first capped at the bottom with holes/notches in the sides ? #2 can I use some type of filter on the larger pipe like a green house mesh like material ? Thank you Sir.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Yes you can cap the casing pipe (large pipe). This particular well is not but I do them both ways. Capping the bottom seems to help with cleaning. If you wrap the casing pipe with anything and it clogs with sediment you will have no water. It can be done but I would suggest being aware of the soil type before wrapping. Sand would not be a problem but clay would give you problems.

[@shannonsmith5421]

@@TigerCreekFarm Okay Thank you Sir Very much.

[@pccebu]

yes here its more difficult public wells here are more complicated.

[@Sean2002FU]

What about a sock around the well case to keep sediment out of well itself, or at least reduce it??

[@TigerCreekFarm]

If it clogged up you would have no water entering your well and no way to remove or clean it without pulling the entire casing pipe.

[@seriousorry]

Would a sock at the bottom have helped, or maybe create other problems? Freezing? Great video!

[@TigerCreekFarm]

seriousorry no a sock would cause problems. The water has to be flushed and cleaned. The solution for freezing is to drain the line and reprime when you need water. Thanks for taking time to comment.

[@cherriemckinstry131]

@@TigerCreekFarm when you mean drain the line, do you mean pull out the inside pipe? And leave in the 4in pipe?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Cherrie Mckinstry yes. The 4” pipe is your “well” and the smaller pipe attached to the pump is your water line.

[@tonyeden8381]

Great job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Tony Eden thanks.

[@DamagerFX13]

Tip. Don't dissemble the foot valve over the well, because parts may fall in by accident.

[@SapioiT]

Tip: Don't disassemble anything above a deep hole of any kind.

[@richardsanjose3692]

Good call

[@comingtofull-ageinchrist6736]

ROFLHMS

[@anniegaddis5240]

Sharing this one too! Just subscribed.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Annie Gaddis thanks again.

[@billyredding2039]

Did you cap the bottom of the 4" pipe

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Not on this particular well but I have on many others. I thing it is easier to keep the capped bottom wells cleaner.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

*think*

[@greanstreak04]

That notch at the end of the pump outlet is to hang your bucket by the handle...

[@ferebeefamily]

Thank you again.

[@WayneTheSeine]

I have just binge watched your well videos and was wondering if the "Winterizing" trick could also serve as a method to flush the foot valve. All of the water will back flow through the foot valve...cleaning it. You could then pour more clean water, filling the pipe, and repeat several times. No need to pull the pipe if that makes sense.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Wayne The Seine probably not. The debris that is in the valve needs to be brought to the surface and cleaned out since it won’t flow back through that valve. That is the point of having it there. I do like the way you think, though.😉

[@johnpacenta8884]

Will the inside pipe freeze in cold weather?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

John Pacenta yep. It needs to be winterized like any exposed pipe. The answer is to pull, drain and reinstall - or use my method of remotely draining everything.

[@sanjiblackleg7559]

What size of pipe u used?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

sanji blackleg they come on many different sizes. I use 1 1/4”

[@AusLanderJack]

Quick question: Why not put half a bucket of pebbles in the bottom of the well (pipe) to act as a natural filter for the water rising up the pipe from underneath? Like what is done by many people on regular wells. (or is it too shallow and the bulk of the water is entering from above through the slits/cuts in the pipe? (thinking out aloud here)

[@TigerCreekFarm]

The pebbles are already around the outside of the large (casing) pipe doing the same thing - plus - as you were thinking, it limits your water availability.

[@charlessalazar6397]

You should have caped the bottom of your well screen and also if. U get a brand new pump soak your pitcher pump in water to let the leathers swell up

[@tedmorella9773]

Just found your channel few questions, what size and length square tubing did you use for the sections? And then what size square tubing did you weld on for the connections to slip on the sections? Also when you pull the line out of the well to clean the foot valve how can you get the line back into the same position, as the casing has about 4 feet of pee gravel doesn’t it block the well head from going about a foot off the bottom? If you leave the well alone will the sand and murky water eventually settle and then you will have clean water rather than all that work pumping the well till it clears up? Sorry for all the questions but I want put in a well and you have the experience and knowledge to advise a first timer. Thank you and will subscribe.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

The pea gravel is poured around the outside of the casing pipe and the hole you dig. The gravel gives the water more room to make it into your pipe. The water line attached to the pump sits in the middle of the casing pipe alone. If you try to just let the well sit without cleaning it will only pump clean water for a short time before it gets to the sediment that is being churned up by the pumping. Cleaning a well can be the most time consuming part - it depends on what type of soil you wind up in. The questions about the well and the tubing for the auger are all answered in other videos I have. The links will be attached here. Thanks for stopping by. Seymour Auger - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqusmICGdqideas Building the Auger - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5-xaWB3qNRomJY WellParts - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2O4daallsSVjas

[@copperjacket00]

good stuff man thanks

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Thank you.

[@StoffelDeWee]

Old fashioned but usefully.

[@Niner073]

you don;t want junk in your pump

[@scottyoung831]

Want to see you pump it until I see clear water

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Scott Young that could be a very long video - they can take days of continuous pumping depending on the soil you have to start running clean.

[@robertjahrling1877]

Living life on The wildside huh. Holding on to that pipe without an elbow or a hose clamp that thing could drop right down. LIVING ON THE EDGE

[@TigerCreekFarm]

robert jahrling I’m a downright dangerous man.

[@philliphamilton2935]

In a previous video he said he CAN reach it if he needs to. It's just a pain and doesnt want to if he doesn't have to

[@JohnSmith-xz5fb]

I can see you're not showing up how much pumping you are doing, and if the well ever gave you clean water, you are leaving a lot out because you probably most likely fucked up on the job, and that well is no good, right?

[@JohnSmith-xz5fb]

I want to see you pump up two 5 gallon buckets of clean water on a LIVE FEED, no shutting off the camera.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

John Smith . . . And the point of this is?

[@JohnSmith-xz5fb]

@@TigerCreekFarm well you are saying you know how to build a short well, and it is only natural that a person would want to see the final project work, that clean water was coming from your project, or was it a total failure? A lot of crazy people on the internet.