TazinCR

I am still wondering how this can be a one pipe system at that depth.

__________________
I may go home hungry, but not tired and hungry.

Maintenance 6

He didn't say it was a one pipe system. He only said he lost one pipe down the casing.

rjniles

The plot thickens: I have determined that the top of the water in the well is down 47 feet, The top of the lost pipe is about 10 feet below that. I got the biggest toggle bolt that would fit into the 1 " pipe, Attached to a 2 foot section of 1 " pipe weighted with lead anchors. Managed to snag lost pipe several times, could not budge pipe, but bent the heavy duty toggle.

Found info scratched into the concrete well curb indicating well is 610 feet deep. If there is 500 feet of pipe filled with water there is no way in the world I will be able to snag it with something that could lift it, even with a winch.

Time to call a pro well driller.

Yoyizit

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjniles The plot thickens: I have determined that the top of the water in the well is down 47 feet, The top of the lost pipe is about 10 feet below that. I got the biggest toggle bolt that would fit into the 1 " pipe, Attached to a 2 foot section of 1 " pipe weighted with lead anchors. Managed to snag lost pipe several times, could not budge pipe, but bent the heavy duty toggle.

Nah, c'mon, you can do this. . .

For PVC, ID=1.0", OD = 1.25", 500', I make the pipe out to weigh ~140#, but the water will make this weight appear less.

If you can make an airtight seal with the top of the lost pipe, and force air into the top of the lost pipe, it will rise.
If the air is delivered into the lost pipe at high CFM, the pipe might rise quickly enough, even with air leaks, for you to have a chance to snag it.
I don't know how much PSI the seal between the lost pipe and the air supply pipe will have to withstand.

I don't guess you can post a cross-sectional drawing of what this well probably looks like?
Dunno' much about wells.


You might try cut and pasting this line into the Google search box

pipe retrieval equip

Here's one hit
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6758267.html

You might be able to find a place that will rent you pipe extraction equipment.


[Georgia, 3, B]

rjniles

An update on my lost pipe down well.

I have found out what I have is a packer jet system, it use a jet pump on top of the casing, and a packer jet down in the well (on the end of the lost pipe). The packer uses leather washers to create a seal between the down pipe and the PVC well casing. Below the packer is a another down pipe that can extend up to 25 feet. It works similar to a 2 pipe system jet pump system except it uses the casing as a second down pipe.

I have determined that the packer is down 150 feet (lead weight and string). The top of the down pipe is 70 feet down under 20 feet of water. Below the packer is an unknown length of pipe (max 25 feet). To the bottom of the well ?? (if the note on the well curb is right it is 610 feet)

I have determined a 3/4" galanized nipple will thread into the 1 inch PVC down pipe faifly tightly. I am rigging up 70 feet of pipe with the 3/4 gal. nipple on the bottom. I will also attach a pull rope at the bottom end (packer jets are notoriously hard to pull). At the top I am making a connection for my air compressor. I intend to run this rig into the well, try to thread the nipple into the lost pipe. Use the compressor to blow out the water and use the rope to pull everthing up.

Maybe a long shot, but wish me luck.

Yoyizit

So far , so good.

You know. . .speaking of luck. . .if this actually works you will probably have used up a considerable portion of your total lifetime allotment of luck!

Yoyizit

Some of the stuff I learned in school is coming back to me.

For 150' of pipe fully submerged, you need (150/32)*15 = 70 PSI to push all of the water out of the pipe if the pipe doesn't rise while you do this.

downunder

Just a shot here, but I have seen tools for unlocking car doors that are made for post-type lock like in the 70's-80's. Looked like a washer on a wire. Could you maybe make some kind of ring (that will just fit over the pipe), hook it over the end of the pipe like a dog coller, and pull. The ring will cock and bite as you pull on it.

__________________
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. If you wouldn't put your name on it, it ain't done right!

DUDE!

I would figure looking down a 2.5" hole, basically with no light to work with, you won't be able to know if you're looking at the lost pipe or the remaining pipe, maybe you turn your attention to just trying to hook up a new section of pipe to the feed pipe in the casing, not sure if leaving a section of pipe in the casing is going to bother anything, even if you pull out the lost section, you still have to connect it to remaining pipe. Maybe skipping a step will alieve some stress. A new section of pipe w/coupler, glue in place you might be able to push it onto the good remaining section. Or, is there room to put a complete new section of flex pipe down the casing, straight from pump to well bottom.
One last thought, you could have big picnic and we all take turns with the shovel.

Yoyizit

If you are able to pull this pipe out, Mr. Niles, you have the right to change your name to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzBrxj-Gjo

rjniles

Yoyizit wants to nickname me "Shaft"

An update:

Measured well this AM with lead and string.
Packer is down at 260', meaning the top of the pipe is down 190' (down pipe is 70 ' long). It is now too far for me to reach with anything I have. By this time it must be out of the well casing and into the drilled bore hole. My hope now is that it will continue to drop deeper into the 610 ' well. If it drops below the water bearing rock strata, I should be able to install a new packer jet and down pipe. I am testing this by filling the well with my garden hose. The well fills to overflow in a few minutes. Once (or if ) the packer gets below the water bearing strata I should not be able to fill the well. Probably my last hope to save the well. Anyone have a deep well packer jet for sale?

rjniles

Update:

Used a few fittings to seal the top of the casing to connect my air compressor. Filled well to the top with water. Started adding air the pressure, built up to about 20 PSI and a terrific woosh and the pressure dropped to nothing and would not increase. Measured water level at about 45 feet and goes not get higher when I add water. Dropped long string and weight, packer is below 500 feet (all the string I had). Purchased a new packer jet from Craig's List and will install when it arrives. Hopefully I have salvaged my well.

biggles

take a wall anchor with that butterfly spring clips at the end of the bolt types you use to anchor into sheet rock say heavy mirrors or shelfs around the hose....now the trick take a PVC 1/2" cap drill a hole into it slide the bolt thru from the glue side and lock it with a washer and nut....put the butter fly on the end of the bolt and glue the cap onto your 1/2 PVC lenghts.use a butterfly that will fit into the target pipe as it slides down it will spring open as it gets to the open end of the lost pipe...might be able to just get it inside the pipe and it wil lock up into the inside of the lost pipe and its weight will help as you pull up on the 1/2" fisher pipe