How to plumb a water well?

Question

Putting a well in at the cabin approx. 70' deep. Wondering what the most trouble free way to plumb it would be. Winter does bring 5-7' of snow.

Answer 1

Essentially you have two options:  

1.  A submersible pump with a "pitless adapter" and your pressure tank in the cabin.

2.  A heated pump house built over the well, in which case you can keep the pressure tank out of the cabin.

By far, the most trouble free option is #1.    Since you will have to bring in a back hoe to trench anyway, go for it.   The pitless adapter is a device that installs through the wall of your well casing about 12 feet below the surface.  The part on the outside of the casing connects directly to 1 1/2" pvc pipe that is then trenched into the house at least 8' below the surface.  At the point that you bring it up into the house, wrap the pipe with electric heat tape as per manufacture's instructions, wrap That with insulation and encase the whole thing in a length of 4" ABS pipe.  The thermostat of the heat tape (a hard lump about 2' from the plug end) must be taped to the water pipe outside of where the pipe enters the heated area of the house.

The part of the pitless adapter that is inside the well-casing is a V-shaped fitting, the female part of the device.  the male part is connected to the pipe coming up from your pump.  Continuing on from the top of the male piece is another length of 1 1/2" pvc carrying the power wires for the pump (which get trenched into the house with the water line).

For additional safety, run a length of 1/2" poly rope all the way from the pump to the top of the well casing.  This arrangement allows you to pull the pump should it quit or should you need to service the well.  If you need to, you simply pull it out.  To reinstall, just slide it down until the male part slides into the V fitting.

A fitted cover completes the well.  If your well is more than 5" in diameter, devise a way of securely locking the cover in place.  (Kids sometimes do the damndest things.)

Inside your "pump room" in the house, you'll have a pressure tank into which you run the pipe coming from the pump.

The control box that came with the pump hangs nearby.  Wiring directions will also be in the box.  The pressure control switch can mount anywhere on the downstream side of the pressure tank -- usually on a reducing T fitting where water comes out to serve the house.  The pressure switch usually turns on the pump when pressure in the tank drops to about 30 psi and shuts off the pump at about 60 psi. but you can adjust this to serve your needs, within reason.

A couple of tips:

Before you backfill after installing the pitless adapter on the well casing, put a paint mark on the upper ridge of the well casing directly above the location of the pitless adapter.  You'll be so glad you did some night when you're trying to find the V to reinstall your pump.

Before you install the pump, be sure it has a built-in foot valve -- or better yet, install one anyway.

Answer 2

With a submersible pump. The lines run to the well six feet deep with the connection at the well using a pitless adapter. Expensive, but trouble free.