Which Well

This section answers the question which types of wells are compatible with our pumps.

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Our pumps are easily installed in modern wells (1990) with a 6 inch casing and a submersible pump connected to a pitless adapter. If your well looks like this, it has a submersible pump with a pitless adapter.  If the well is not used for irrigation, pond filling, mobile home or fire suppression chances are extremely good that this is going to be easy, skip to clearance below.

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Be advised that some mobile homes will have a pressure tank in the well casing, a visual inspection is needed, go to wierd wells tab

6 inch Well with pitless adapter

If your well is in a pit, a pumphouse or has pipes coming out of the top of the well cap go to the “Weird Well” tab. 

Clearance

The well drilling community started using pitless adapters in the 60s and 70s.  Some of the early designs do not allow enough clearance to install any kind of additional pump.  It seems as though everyone started to use a “normal” pitless adapter (below) after 1990.  Removing the cap (easy) and visually inspecting what type of pitless adapter you have is the first step.  .

If you see the following go to the “Weird Wells” tab.  These pitless adapters are Abby Normal

The next step is to determine the clearance if you have a “normal” pitless adapter. Hopefully you see something like this inside your well.  If the Inner diameter of your casing is 6-1/4 (normal) and the pitless adapter takes up no more than half of the that diameter you have the clearance to install every one of our pumps.  The clearance we are looking for is the distance between the pitless and the opposite wall of the casing.  Can one of our pumps slip through this gap and get to the water? There are three gaps

Gap                  PVC Pipe*        Compatible Pumps

1.90"+                  1-1/2”                    AK, AR, SJ

1.66-1.89”            1-1/4”                    AR, SJ

1.32-1.65”             1”                         SJ

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* Trade size 

The Test

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Our three pumps are manufactured out of high quality PVC pipe.  This pipe has no markings on it but is dimensionally identical to PVC pipe found in hardware stores across America.  If there is any question about clearance simply purchase a 10ft stick of PVC pipe in either 1-1/2, 1-1/4 or 1” and see if you can slip it past the pitless adapter as per the above Table. 

Please note pipe sizes are tricky, they are “trade size”. Do not use a tape measure to determine pipe size use the markings on the pipe!

In most 6 inch wells with a normal pitless adapter, that are not used for irrigation, pond filling or fire suppression, clearance is not a problem, but if there is an issue another pump model may be selected that requires a smaller gap