Fix an Old Well with a New Deep Well Hand Pump

50-YEAR OLD WELL RENOVATION WITH A NEW PUMP SYSTEM

Needless to say as a resident of NYC with access to city water, I have no absolute need of a water well. But considering the well was there, its seemed wasteful not to make use of it. Not to mention that it could prove useful in a disaster scenario.

In 2010 I purchased a small ranch home in Staten Island with a drilled well on the property. The well was used to supply irrigation water to seven homes on the block, during a period of drought during the 1960s and 1970s. At the time the well was drilled, the well was accessible by truck. Since then, home construction closed off the wellhead from the street, making maintenance and pump replacement problematic.

This is all that remained of a once high-yielding well.

According to the previous owner, the pump had not worked in years and at this point, there was no functioning electricity at the wellhead. To make matters even more complicated, there are no well drillers or well service companies located on Staten Island. Those from neighboring New Jersey were unwilling to travel to Staten Island, particularly after learning that the wellhead was not accessible via truck.

For five years, on and off, I searched tirelessly for an experienced well driller who would help me to pull the pump, which I knew would be no easy task considering that the pipe and pump would be too heavy for a portable well-pulling machine. I called literally dozens of drillers, most of whom didn’t bother to return my call, until (just this year) I stumbled upon Mike Gunther, owner of Gunther Well and Pump in Freehold, New Jersey. Mike has been drilling wells and installing pumps for the past 54 years and was willing to give it try. As suspected, the pump and pipe assembly was too heavy for his portable well puller but helped along with a couple of hydraulic jacks and two guys assisting the machine topside with large pipe wrenches, we managed to clear the well.

The only well company willing to help me remove the old well casing was Gunther Well and Pump in Freehold, New Jersey. Thanks, Mike!

NO ELECTRICITY TO THE WELL

I was extremely reluctant to install another submersible pump, not only because there is currently no electricity at the wellhead, but because of the inherent difficulties getting it serviced in the future. I was looking for a product that I could self install and service, as long as I am able, without the assistance of a professional.

I completed my installation in just about two hours, and I’ve never installed a well pump before.

My well measured out at 226 feet deep with a 52-foot static water level. After relentlessly researching every deep well hand pump currently on the market, I decided on the Simple Pump for the following reasons:

EASE OF INSTALLATION

With NO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE, I installed ten lengths of pipe and my Simple Pump in just under two hours. That included having to remove and reinstall two sections after realizing I had forgotten to install the sucker rod guide, which was totally my fault.

NO ELECTRICITY NECESSARY

I anticipated installing a pressure tank, and hand pumping for my outside water needs. I have modest outside water requirements. An electric submersible pump would be overkill and invite unnecessary expense and maintenance requirements.

EASY UPGRADE PATH

If my requirements should change, such as if I decided to install a sprinkler system or a swimming pool, I can easily add a motorized and/or solar option to pump larger quantities of water WITHOUT having to remove or replace the pump I just installed.

OWNER MAINTENANCE FRIENDLY

All electric submersible pumps or, hand pump cylinders will at some point have to be pulled for seal replacement or other maintenance. Simple Pump estimates somewhere between three and ten years based on water quality and usage. My water seems to be of exceptional quality, so naturally I am hoping for a ten year maintenance interval. However the salient point is that whenever necessary, any able bodied man or woman can pull a Simple Pump, perform the required maintenance, and reinstall the pump with little, if any, assistance.

UPDATE

After hand pumping the well for a while, and finding that I needed more water than I had anticipated for my outside needs, I decided to purchase the linear bearing link drive which I paired with my own 24V solar cell, batteries, storage tank, transfer motor and well sounder from Eno Scientific.

NOT TO TOOT OUR OWN HORN OR ANYTHING (MAYBE JUST A LITTLE)…PETER ALSO ADDS THIS:

The reasons above were enough for me to select a Simple Pump, but my interaction with Simple Pump staff sealed the deal. It is rare these days, even considering the multiple modes of communication available, to find someone as responsive. They were extremely friendly, helpful, courteous, knowledgeable, and above all patient with my numerous questions.

The bottom line is that Simple Pump is an outstanding product with excellent customer support. Shipping is fast and reasonably priced, and installation is a breeze.

I completed my installation in just about two hours, and I’ve never installed a well pump before.

In fact, I live in NYC so I never even used a well pump before installing my Simple Pump. Simple Pump provided an extraordinary level of support both on the phone and via email which has been especially important considering I didn’t know anything about wells before I started.

Their superior customer service and brilliantly designed pump makes Simple Pump the logical choice for anyone looking to exercise their riparian rights…even in NYC!

If you’re looking for a deep well hand pump, I honestly can’t imagine why you would look further. Thank You, Simple Pump for a great product stellar customer service!