Submersible Pump Installation. Replacing a Bad Pump for $300

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In this video I get called out to replace a submersible well pump that has failed. Trying to save the customer money we decided to install a good used well pump. This video will show you the easiest troubleshooting technique to determine if your well pump is bad & a few tips on removal and replacing it.
There's dozens of Helpful Plumbing Videos on my Well Pump Q&A Playlist, So go check it out!
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[@grillingaddictionwithnick4982]

I just replaced my pump 80ft deep [ just my wife ,kids and me ] - pulled it at 6:45 pm - made it to Lowes at 8:57 pm [ they close at 9pm in my area 😳] got new pump - made it home by 10:15 pm - got it installed and had GOOD water by 11:45pm ! My wife said something along the lines of " do you even know what your doing 🤷‍♂️" I said oh yeah - I have been watching this Well dude on KZbin- we got this ! Love you videos!

[@Illbemeubeu84]

Awesome

[@usethenoodle]

Good for you man! Way to get after it!

[@johnparker408]

@@usethenoodle Not all pumps come out from the well that easy, You have to use a winch crane to pull the pump out. I had a professional well service do it for $3,000 dollars 30 years ago, including chlorinating the well before putting the new pump in.

[@rickmarr4744]

You made more in goodwill in this video. That's gold in your back pocket.

[@h2omechanic]

I'm a believer in good Karma

[@randyhays4620]

Your community there is so lucky to have you. Not just your knowledge and experience, but your character and professionalism. And you and the service you provide is worth $300 hr. You are a good man.

[@truckguy6.7]

You can't even talk on the phone with a well expert in my area for $300. Very, very fair.

[@h2omechanic]

I talk to people all over the country for free. I just like to help those in need. Most folks will send me a little something for my time. But I'm here to help anyone!

[@bababooey7576]

​@@h2omechanicYou're a godsend to the well community.

[@billryan8721]

100% A a business owner myself....I'm into building relationships with folks that trust me to do the best I can. Am I perfect....hell no. In the end, you will never be short of work and your reputation cannot be questioned. @@h2omechanic

[@drob5664]

In my 40 years doing well work, I have never seen a failure like that. That goes to show, you can always learn something.

[@jeff95050]

You are an "o.k." business man.. but you are such a good man which puts you far and ahead the best where it counts. You are a rich man :-)

[@Kirk_Mcgurk]

You're a good businessman! What goes around comes around, word of mouth goes a long way to future success in any business...

[@mrknobbyfathead2885]

Gentlemen you are very impressive not only your skill level is your ability to articulate and talked to the customer very very well done my friend

[@billmonroe8826]

That's customer service!!! You did good sir!

[@eddiephillips6740]

My wife and I had our own business our motto was always charge your customer as you want them to come back to you. unfortunately many people see a customer as a way of making a quick killing .. It's so nice to see a guy who cares about his customers great video.

[@michaelc.3812]

You provide a near life and death service, and from your words about the neighbor, some people can’t pony up the cost of an essential repair. I get it, as I’m a master electrician and have come across many people who are squeezed financially. My hourly rate is pretty stiff ($125), but the state and the insurance man squeeze me pretty hard as well. But I have often given people significant breaks on the cost, and rarely because they ask for it. And I’ve done a lot of jobs where I tell the folks to “help out the next guy”. You’re a good man, and I’m sure that the customers see your honesty and integrity. Love your videos son, and I’ll keep watching! God bless.

[@jeremyheer7253]

I am amazed at how much you are able to get done without any Milwaukee tools😂😂 I don't even see any packouts

[@karlschwab6437]

Ant Every one with a well, needs your channel! Every video I watch that will teach them something, I forward to all that have wells.

[@sergioblanco4504]

Your a good man, you’ll get triple that amount soon.

[@JJ-gd7gf]

Dude, you're more than fair on your price,,,,regardless of the future business. Great video content.

[@natashaball316]

I remember this house from a previous video. Thank you for the content and your willingness to go the extra mile for the customer!

[@MelissaHixenbaugh-xr5ld]

Finally stalked your videos enough to figure out where you're located. We're in NC. Well man came to check our mess of a well with stuck pump. He said hed have to try to put a 3" submersible down alongside the wedged one and see if it'll work. 165 foot well , only pulled up about 4 ft before it stopped. He also said they must use Ridgid PVC, not the black flexible pipe, in NC now. That sounded like a lie to me. Any comments on that?

[@nommindymple6241]

I wish you were down in my neck of the woods (Texas). Good video. Nice work.

[@olinssercuevas1370]

Well done bro, every video I learn something different.

[@paull.drownjr.5477]

As always, a job well done for a great price. You always give your customers a great deal and I know that they appreciate all that do for them. I really enjoy your videos and your generous heart!!!

[@user-em1sj5ph6h]

You’re a very patient man.

[@julianchambers8372]

Yes mate I agree very fair.

[@guy4698]

nice work 😊

[@irunwire8528]

You do a great service to the community for sure. I watched one of your videos about a year or so ago while working on a buddies well about how to remove a pitiless well connection, had never seen one like that. It helped us get thru his repair and get him back up and running being in the stix of the Appalachian mountains of VA. Since then I have been a subscriber and try to watch as many as I can. I have a 35ft shallow well that I use solely for spigots and irrigation and watching your videos has helped me maintain that system. Thanks for all the content.

[@Storm-rp9xe]

That’s some good work

[@robertfrey2874]

I enjoyed taking with you last week. Pump and accessories showed up and are headed to Montana this weekend. Will let you know how the install goes.

[@h2omechanic]

I remember!

[@retroguardian4802]

Very surprised you don't offer iron filtration systems. Removing iron and sulfur where I live is a big money maker for me. I do everything from contact tanks, sediment tanks, uv lights or what ever the water needs based on the quality. Reverse osmosis machines under the sink is almost always a sell to.

[@bill8235]

another great video!!

[@Modestas246]

I work plumber in europe , i like to see yuor job in the usa.

[@dansevern3291]

Interesting to see how things are done differently in different parts of the country, thanks for the video.

[@bchrisl1491]

I installed a Green Sand filter system which took almost of the iron out of my well system, also a slotted pvc sand spear around the pump will help keep the pump from clogging. A rubber torque arrester at the pump will keep the pump from stirring up sediment as well.

[@vanlifetcscoastaladventure8443]

Hi Good work ❤

[@garyshaffer68]

I like your little puller set up. Drill wells for 25 years . And did pumps. If you dump bleach down the well let it set for a day pump it out on the ground till u don't have beach coming will help with the iron for a bit. Even if u case off a well down to 90 feet I don't see how u can stop the bad water. you can seal off the top but not the bottom. Mabe if drll a 8 inch hole case it with 6 you might get enuf benta seal down. good luck I don't miss drilling water wells.

[@hechmi]

I have a well that came with the lot where I build a house in 1998. The house was connected to city water. A couple years later, I wired the well, and it was running fine with plenty of clear water flow. I run a pipe for gardening / irrigation, and maintain a small pool. I was told that the well was part of the farm that has become a subdivision. The well run fine all these years except replacing the tank and the pressure switch . Last week, Monday morning, I noticed that the irrigation system didn't run and it has cycled fine the previous day. I walked to the well enclosure that is also containing tank, taps and breaker. The ground was wet around an exposed PVC elbow that was partially damaged during the last freeze. I couldn't pinpoint the leak since there is no flow now. Did the submergible pump run continuously overnight till it quit? I'm not sure. I first turned off electricity, brought my multimeter and tried to restart the pump, the current through the common line was around 20A and no Current (0A) was going into the start coil (red line). The run line (black) was showing the same 20A common current. I disconnected to measure both run & start pump resistances and both were within specs for a 1/2hp as well as resistances to ground. I checked the QD blue relay in the control box. The switching part of the relay that is supposed to read open, was showing around 22.33 MΩ between the two legs marked CAP and B. This might explain why the pump did not spin. I was not able to get a similar relay so yesterday, I rewired the control box for a 5-2-1 relay and a new start capacitor. I plugged it and tested for the current and it quickly settled to a smooth 4A after an initial quick start current spike on the common yellow line feeding the pump. I can hear the pump hum if I place my ear on the tank. But no water or pressure buildup to my disappointment. I don't know how deep the well is. I was watching your videos, and thank you for all the informative details on how to remove and re-install, but before I pull out the pump do you have any suggestion on what's going on? I was trying to figure out if the pump is spinning but not any longer able to generate head pressure or did the water table has dropped below the pump? It has been unusually dry, this summer (Raleigh, NC) with little or no rain lately and if the continuous several hour leak last week, Sunday night, might have drained out the well, but it has been a week since and the table should have risen back!. What might be the culprit? Thanks.

[@Carlsensverden]

We use nitric acid to remove some of the iron in wells for watering fields (not in wells for drinking water)

[@joesalazar770]

I replaced ours using a tractor bucket rope and an old cast iron pipe jack the pump is at 160 the we'll originally was drilled to 347 why it was set shallow I do not know it was hanging on schedule 80 1.25 plastic pipe with brass joints every twenty feet. I took the new pump to 180 ft all has been fine for about ten years time to replace the pressure switch. Fun better than a pump. I plan to add a nylon line Incase I need to pull it ever again this way a can winch it out with a Garnett crane setup using the winch on my tractor of jeep 👍🤠

[@SuperPreggy]

I have a question I live in the poconos Pennsylvania on top the mountain I replaced my well pump yesterday pm but the water keep coming brown went through like 3 sets of filters already any suggestions thanks your videos teach me a lot

[@dexterbutler9735]

How long after the shock treatment, before you can drink it?

[@josephsaucedo8691]

I'd say way more than a fair guy and a great person. You don't find to many people that will do this now a days. I'm always a little bit scared I guess you would say but I'd have to write up a contract that way it doesn't come back and bite me in any way shape or form. Just in case. It fills good when you help some one out when there a repetitive customer. Yes your right if you open the motor the bottom of the motor is sealed off with a rubber bladder its there to cool the bearing on bottom. 💦👍🛠️ 💯✌️ This comment is from pump man as well

[@patb822]

You were being fair.

[@CJ-xv7rw]

did you check tank pressure before turning on

[@johnlimke9313]

My well might be reduced to just an irrigation system only, it will sit idle from Oct till middle May, can it sit that long or should I create a valve to run the well once a week during that idle time??

[@durock0011]

Quick question will low use of a water well sometimes result in yield lowering overtime

[@flowerstone]

I’ve got a 1-1/2 hp pump at 240’. Well is 165’ deep and gives me 50+ gpm. I have 1-1/4” pvc in the well. I’ve not seen anybody use the black plastic pipe. I’m in Oregon. It’s been 20 years now. No problems thus far. I do have clear iron in the water which I filter for. The water is crystal clear and tastes great. It turns everything orange without the filter. How long should I go before pulling it up to check?

[@HyperPiperunscripted]

Does the old house have iron pipe that can cause rust water too.

[@brianbowling1469]

What is the contraption you’re using to pull the pump up?

[@tbas1972]

Did you film drilling a new well for him ?

[@guy4698]

would have been good to see the water afterwards

[@CavemanNC]

How far do yall travel from well pump replacements? Im in Orange county NC.

[@whysowsirius7652]

my 6'' well was just put in and its 57 foot deep. it has a telescopic screen of 5'' placed from 49 foot to 53 foot. it has a static level of 22 foot and 15 gpm. at what depth do i need to place my submersible pump with poly pipe? thank you.

[@user-oz6xr4wo7d]

It is possible to add an external tank to store water before going to a house in order to relieve pressure on the pump

[@RobCanada]

We have a 200 gallon trickle recovery tank as out well only makes 50 gallon an hour. I guess whether the pump is pumping 100s or 1000s of gallons everyday it's still doing the same work. We have a box of tricks which monitors the pump current draw and shuts the pump off for 45minutes when the well runs dry. We had a shared well with our city folk neighbours, they would arrive at the cottage and run the well dry just peeling and washing potatoes in 30 minutes . The long term solution was to buy the neighbour cottage knock it down and build a new house and well with 35GPM. Every problem has a solution 🤣

[@cheako91155]

When you suspect high current you should check resistance(ohms) first, in fact what you've made with that setup is a really complicated and high voltage ohm meter. A meter measuring ohms measure less current at a lower voltage, but provides the same information(see ohms law). Lower resistance is higher current... Though with inductive loads(motors) things get messy, but a motor will never measure high resistance AND draw high current. In that case, the high resistance overrules any chance at drawing a lot of current.

[@rob8823]

Ohms to ground maybe good to check. But unless you recorded the original system ohms your not going to know if 3 ohms is good and 2 is bad. The amp meter looks quick and accurate to me.

[@cheako91155]

@@rob8823 The amp meter is measuring the same thing, you can do the little bit of math to convert from the numbers you get in one system to the other. The original system should be kohms, not below 10ohms.

[@polvincompoundsadmin5402]

When measuring ohms it is virtually useless, as it will measure motor stopped ohms, always read 9 times lower than a running motor would read. A motor starts at 9 times running current, until it is running at design speed then the back emf generated in the motor reduces current to running current. Only worthwhile measuring ohms to ground ( this pump would have been bad) or ohms of each phase of a three phase motor, they should all be the same.

[@cheako91155]

@@polvincompoundsadmin5402 You can't measure the resistance of a running motor, only the current and/or voltage drop.

[@cheako91155]

@@polvincompoundsadmin5402 If the current starting is 9 times running... that means the resistance(assuming a stable voltage supply) is 1/9th starting... 1/9th is 9 times smaller than 1. What I said was that you could tell something is wrong if the resistance is too small and if the resistance should already be at it's smallest then it's a good time to check that end, the expected max power draw.

[@alove8208]

My well went out replaced the fuses,but the wires aren't getting power help!

[@phenry5083]

ol Cleetus shirt.

[@h2omechanic]

Gotta support our favorite KZbinrs! @Cleetusmcfarland

[@Real-callsignVIPER]

👍

[@hartsfire5706]

question how long do you let the PVC glue set before you hit it with water?

[@h2omechanic]

2 minutes

[@pepperroni4016]

Question : if my current house with well from 1985 still working fine. Needs to replace the pump, its 230v. I dont know if its .50 HP or 0.75 HP. Do you suggest purchasing a 0.75 HP regardless for replacement? Whats the best 2 brands you would suggest ?

[@hechmi]

Older pumps are robust, and they would last forever if they run under optimal conditions. Heat is the culprit for most mechanical and electrical failures but these pumps are naturally cooled for being submerged in a cool thermal reservoir under the water table. Unless the bearings would fail or they run under extreme conditions that would overheat and damage the electrical windings, I don't see any reason for them to fail. I have 2 wells in two separate places and they're at least 50+ years old and they're still running with the original 230v .5HP pumps, except one that has stopped lately and I think it is because of the drought but I'm waiting for an answer from those with similar experiences before pulling it out and checking it.

[@pedroenriquez7560]

Can I put a check valve at the top to of the system (like using straw to lift water.)

[@h2omechanic]

No.

[@Cotronixco]

In the swim! Looks like calcium hypo, not sodium. That means the PH and hardness will remain a bit higher.

[@christhames3110]

I would love to tell you a story about a frog getting stuck in my check valve coming out of my aerator causing me to immediately lose pressure. I replaced my jet pump and pressure tank thinking that was the problem went out the next day opened the pipe connected to my check valve and saw legs went ahead and cut the check valve out and pulled a massive frog out of it. Low and behold i had water pressure again and new pump and pressure tank lol. Most expensive frog ive ever seen lol

[@esunetdude]

Would you elaborate on why the well started to produce such high iron content? I live in Pennsylvania; My parent's well is deep, about 580 feet deep and the pump is down 450 feet. That well is 50 years old. Several neighbors have deeper wells and their wells are much older. Nobody complains about iron content. Mine is 445 feet deep and the pump is 400 feet down. I'm fortunate that I have enough water to handle two houses. The worst anyone here complains about is copper, and that's easy enough to filter out for drinking water. Doesn't seem to be a problem for laundry or bathing. I don't understand how the well's age relates to iron issues.

[@PelicanIslandLabs]

BoreSaver will help neutralize that iron. Probably needs servicing every year.

[@cammysimon8578]

Nice job, You didn't tell us what you have used when joining the electrical wire since water is a good conductor of electricity.

[@AJ-hl9ig]

Question for ya, I replaced my pump and pressure tank. Chlorinated the well to sanitize. It's been a week and a half, and my wife and kids say the water tastes and smells horrible. Any ideas or guidance?

[@h2omechanic]

Leave a hose running outside for a couple hours each day. Flush the well. You'll have to do the same for the hot water side after you get out the chlorine from the cold side. The key is not using too much chlorine!

[@scotty2307]

Yuck I have dealt with a red water well myself. Luckily only on a visit to a friend in Arkansas. Everything was red. Clothes and dish washer, all sink basins, and tub/shower. No fun. If you film the drilling of the new well on this property, please put something in the title tying it back to this project. Not related, but I lived on a property in Red Bluff California, in the middle of the almond orchards. The house was from the 40s or 50s and was serviced by a 25' deep agricultural well. I was renting the place from a friend and he has had the water tested every year, and it has always been well within requirements on all counts. It was clear, and tasted great. Definitely not the norm for such a shallow well.

[@rodg6542]

For reference, I don’t have a well. My in-laws do and they were told the need a mew well drilled and the quoted price was what we seemed outrages. What is the cost to have a well drilled? Turned out they didn’t need a new well and the driller was trying to take advantage of them.

[@lv7603]

It’s all about depth expect at least 10k (below that congrats) everyone is charging more now days. Don’t forget labor is the expensive portion besides machinery.

[@l4xx03luyf6l0to]

I think you said that his well is 60 years old which is beyond its useful life so you will have to drill a new one. Is that expected for every well? How long are they supposed to last?

[@h2omechanic]

Galvanized metal casing has a service life span. This Well has reached that limit. A new Well is an investment & an improvement to the property

[@rickt44]

My well is cribbed 30' deep..I have red water..what I ended up doing is installing a filter...clear water

[@getonlygotonly]

my elderly widow neighbor was scalped $1700 for a new replacement 3/4 hp 4" submersible 2 wire pump put into a spring box with no new wire or pipes. your costs seem more than fair compared to that

[@yellowmoontonkawanative8920]

Is that the same chlorine for pools

[@jamieb6295]

Yes, he uses pool shock I believe.

[@pepperroni4016]

My favorite channel on KZbin

[@CJ-xv7rw]

can you stick in a plumbing camera

[@ryanneenan8472]

Is the iron so bad that you can't put a filtration system in? Seems more cost effective then drilling a new well.

[@h2omechanic]

It would work probably, but it may get overloaded. Plus it's a filter that requires maintenance forever

[@harescrambled]

I have a customer whose well runs blood red with iron. He's got a backwashing iron filter on his. Does the job nicely for them. The utility sink it backwashes into is pretty nasty though...

[@anthonyzarcone8696]

Question why wouldn't he put in an iron remover media instead of drilling a new well .

[@pepperroni4016]

@ 22:19 you can see the customer has Galvenized Metal on his Well tank Tee , this is Not allowed for drinking water , should.be brass coupling

[@austinmann822]

the wire guard on the pump is still on!!!

[@SledgeHammer43]

Couldn't you drill a well deeper first to get more flow then frank the well to get a better gpm return. Say take a well from 285 ft to 400 ft or to 500 ft before you frank it.

[@h2omechanic]

Yes you can, but the well can't be too old. Pre 1980, drill bits were smaller. But that's an expensive job for the customer

[@brianbiggs3484]

👍👍🇨🇦✌️🇨🇦✌️👍👍

[@mikeiver]

Just stunned by the horrible electrical on display. His well work is fantastic but holy crap is the electrical in most of these videos an unsafe abomination! Grounding, what's that? Connectors for the wire entry, what and why? Done my fair share of pumps and pools and if I ever did any of what we see in these videos I would never pass an inspection nor sleep at night. Again his well work and knowledge is great, sure wish I could say the same for the electrical work by others.

[@jimthesoundman8641]

24:57 Have you ever had to put a mechanic's lien on a property because they failed to pay you?

[@notaquitter]

What you do is what is called customer custody, and if more companies wood do it. They would be more successful,,Ted does it Ac repair, in the movie Lincoln lawyer, repeat customers you give a break 2. Too bad certain antivirus companies try to stick it to you when you're better off going to the store and buying a new copy of their program 30 compared to 110.00 . Get real$80 for auto-enrolment sorry I don't think so.

[@douglaskesler370]

UF wire? Come on man!!

[@henryshaw2697]

Just whatch your junction work l&i can. B nasty sign b&e

[@transmitterguy478]

I hated working for the public. They always acted poor and bellyached about how much it cost, but they drove in a nice car have nice clothes, and have expensive tattoos all over themselves. I had to quit and work for the government.

[@ThumperKJFK]

👍✌

[@danieldelgado8153]

I have a 112 foot well that needs the pump replaced here in Albuquerque. It’s pvc pipe that connects the pump, 2 estimates so far to replace it are 4500$ and 3500$. Only used to irrigate my lawns. Total rip off. I think I’ll try to do it myself. Any opinions?? My best. Dan Albuquerque