For correct and continuous operation, pumping equipment must sometimes be taken out of the well and inspected, cleaned, and repaired. During these operations, the pump may become stuck or break and go to the bottom of the source. There are several ways with which they raise the aggregates or pull them to the surface intact.
Why a pump in a well can get stuck or break
How well the pump will be serviced depends on the quality of installation. If the master left the cable in a sagging state, and he got between the equipment body and the wall of the well, there is a chance that it will interfere with getting the device. If the casing is too narrow, any foreign object caught between the wall and the unit can wedge it inside. It is usually recommended to buy a pump whose diameter is 2 cm less than the diameter of the pipe. During dismantling, all tools are removed away from the well.
To prevent sagging, the electric cable and cable are fastened with clamps during installation and simultaneously lowered down. In the same way they lift: make sure that the cable or cable does not fall between the walls of the housing and the pipe. Do not use cheap materials that are stretched and severely deformed. The cable is best used in stainless steel.
To eliminate jamming, several methods are used:
- Something heavy is lowered down, for example, a scrap tied to a cable or a metal dumbbell. In this case, it is impossible to keep the rope under tension, to which the pump is attached, otherwise it may break. A heavy object must be firmly fixed so that it also does not drown. Under the influence of weight, the pump can level out in the well.
- Lower the device with which you can hook a piece of equipment. The people call the device "cat." You can simply use a makeshift hook and lower it into the well. The end of the hook should not be long, otherwise there will not be enough space inside to pick up the equipment.
- If the pump is changed to another, use a pipe with a jagged end or a sharp rod, with which you can "prick" the device and pull it out. This method is used when the pump sinks.
Some owners take out the units together with a part of the casing, then put it in place. In any case, it is better than a dangling cable. If you take a chance and leave the equipment at the bottom, the productivity of the well will drop. In this case, you need to select the next pump with an upper water intake.
The method with a spring: you need to know the diameter of the housing exactly and choose the appropriate spring size. Its top is attached to the bar and lowered down, screwed onto the body and then lifted all together. The method is suitable when you need to get the deep pump out of the well, if it comes off and is in a vertical position below.
The second option is a pipe of smaller diameter than the well, but larger than the pump. On the reverse side, a shut-off valve is needed so that everything that gets into the pipe does not fall out when lifting. Attach to the unit and lift along with the pipe.
Siltation
In some cases, the submersible pump housing is silted. By this word is meant:
- immersion in sand;
- lime plug;
- organic matter at the bottom, which after a long idle time of the well also dries, which complicates the lifting measures.
Well sanding usually occurs at the edges of the body. The device seems to be buried from all sides. Pulling the cable is useless - it can break off.The output is as follows:
- Swinging up and down. May take a long time. In this case, water enters between the grains of sand and the pump is freed.
- Rinse with water from above. To do this, lower the hose and let the water flow under pressure. Along with this, continue to slowly swing the case.
- The method of washing out sand is airlift. The technology consists in lowering the pipe into the well and breaking sand deposits using the air supplied under pressure. In very narrow wells, it is not always possible to introduce an additional pipe, since its lower edge is a hook to act on the sand from below.
Silting with calcareous deposits is eliminated by descaling agents. They are simply poured into the well and waiting for the lime to dissolve. Citric acid or vinegar will do. After this, the well needs to be pumped out completely and before use, wait until new water is collected.
If the source has not been used for a long time, deposits may clump. In this case, it usually takes up to 2 days to soak them and pull the pump out of the well if it gets stuck in the pipe. Home pressure may not be enough, then it is better to invite firemen with a sleeve.
Knowing that there is water with lime on the site, it is necessary to carry out cleaning at least 1 time in 3 years. Wells drilled on limestone should be equipped with plastic pipes - sediment sticks less to them.
Casing damage
Pipe walls can be damaged due to ground movements or due to poor-quality welding. Concrete parts sometimes move. If the diameter of the pipe is small - a little more than the pump - it will be difficult to pull it out. The easiest way, so as not to drill another well and to manage small expenses - to pull out the entire casing and replace it with a new one.
First you need to try to twist the body around its axis in order to bypass the obstacle that arose on the way. If it is small, the method will work. If the distortion of the pipe is serious, it must be removed.
More problems arise if the source is very deep and it is impossible to insert an additional pipe or any tool into it. Therefore, artesian wells require high-quality installation and use of durable materials.
If the vibration pump is used for a long time, damage to the pipe may occur due to regular vibrations. To avoid this, rubber rings are put on the body. If the equipment easily moves down, but seizes up when trying to pull it out, it means that some segment of the pipe is damaged.
What can not be done
Even if the situation is not hopeless, improper actions can worsen it, and then lifting the pump out of the well with your own hands will definitely not work - you will have to call a special service that is involved in pulling out the flooded pumps and removing foreign objects from the well.
Do not use brute force until the reason for jamming the equipment inside the source has been established. If unsuitable materials were used during installation, the cable may not withstand and burst.
It is not recommended to pull out the heavy pump using only the electric cable. It is much weaker and can break at any time. To secure, you need to use hooks and work simultaneously.
Poorly connected parts from pipes and hoses must not be lowered inside. In the process, they can remain in the well and further complicate the task.
Do not attach heavy equipment to low-quality cables. Under the influence of water, they corrode and lose strength.
It is not advisable to install a vibration type of equipment. In the process, it contributes to the accumulation of sludge and damages the walls of the pipe. A centrifugal pump is most suitable for continuous operation.
Prevention
To avoid debris entering the source, it is necessary to use the head for the factory-made well, which is tightly adjacent to the edge.Particles of soil can penetrate between poorly connected parts of the pipe, especially concrete, which are simply mounted on top of each other, so you need to seriously approach the issue of material choice.
When buying a pump, it is advisable to select it so that there is more space at the edges - between the walls of the pipe and the body. In this case, even with the deformation of the mine, the device can be obtained by folk methods.
Cleaning a well is much cheaper than drilling a new one, so if there is a large amount of sand in the soil, you need to call a team for a professional inspection of the source. You can do it yourself. In order to carry out preventive measures less often, when installing a well, a filter is installed that prevents sand and soil from entering the pump area. In this case, the diameter of the cells of the mechanical filter matters.
If the well is not in operation, at least once every 3 months it is necessary to pump out about 100 liters of fluid from it so that the organic matter and soil do not clog the pump.
