I have engineers on site today replacing a communal well pump (five homes share two pumps). Out here in Arizona we have to drill deep, this pump sits over 900ft down and has 900ft of pipe and 900ft of very thick cable attached.

They pulled up 45 pieces of 21ft pipe = 945ft.

​

Cable is 2 AWG.

The pump was dead, seized, was drawing 69 Amps so kept cutting out.

 

My well is 100 feet deep and the pump is in my cellar. I'm in NY near protected watershed property. The water table is very high.

 

My well is 100 feet deep and the pump is in my cellar. I'm in NY near protected watershed property. The water table is very high.

Lord how I envy that!

 

My father used to sell industrial pumps. He had a book detailing wire and pipe sizing for a given pump size, depth, flow rate, etc. It's where I learned my first real life examples of Ohm's law. There really is a significant amount of energy lost in wire over long lengths.

How many horsepower is the pump? Do you have any pictures?

 

this pump sits over 900ft down

That pump must take a lot of power.
Just to get the water to the surface requires a pump pressure of about 400psi.

 

That pump must take a lot of power.
Just to get the water to the surface requires a pump pressure of about 400psi.

It is incredible, we take it for granted but it is staggering, these pumps generally last about five or six years more or less. It does emerge from the pipe rather feebly, it drains into an underground 4,000 gallon storage tank and when you hear it you can tell its not a jet of water, not like a hose, more than a trickle but not huge pressure at all.

 

My well casing goes down through 800' of sand to reach the Florida Aquifer which is a sponge-like stratum of ancient coral. It punches uncased another 200' into the aquifer strata and water pressure brings the water up to within 10' of the surface. The actual pump is 20' down into the well. 150 years ago that aquifer could supply water unpumped up the second floor of houses. As a child there were several uncapped open free-flowing wells that people who could not afford wells would use to bring water home to use. for yard irrigation people jet down a section of PVC with a well-point sand filter to about 20-40' to use instead of city water. You can tell who has them by the orange stains on their house siding from the high iron content of the surface water. I was digging a post-hole and the water came in so fast I thought I had hit a water line the surface water table is so shallow in some places. Septic tanks have to be filled with water when installed so they won't float up out of the ground. We often have to dewater to dig large deep foundations. Surface water is loaded with iron and sulfur. As we say around here if you don't like the way the water tastes go back to where you came from. My wife is from Birmingham AL and drinks bottled water. I can hardly imagine pumping a 700' head of well water...

 

My well casing goes down through 800' of sand to reach the Florida Aquifer which is a sponge-like stratum of ancient coral. It punches uncased another 200' into the aquifer strata and water pressure brings the water up to within 10' of the surface. The actual pump is 20' down into the well. 150 years ago that aquifer could supply water unpumped up the second floor of houses. As a child there were several uncapped open free-flowing wells that people who could not afford wells would use to bring water home to use. for yard irrigation people jet down a section of PVC with a well-point sand filter to about 20-40' to use instead of city water. You can tell who has them by the orange stains on their house siding from the high iron content of the surface water. I was digging a post-hole and the water came in so fast I thought I had hit a water line the surface water table is so shallow in some places. Septic tanks have to be filled with water when installed so they won't float up out of the ground. We often have to dewater to dig large deep foundations. Surface water is loaded with iron and sulfur. As we say around here if you don't like the way the water tastes go back to where you came from. My wife is from Birmingham AL and drinks bottled water. I can hardly imagine pumping a 700' head of well water...

That interesting, why can't water be found nearer the surface? I think of Florida as having abundant water, 800 ft deep into the sand is pretty amazing depth. Like is there not water like 200 ft into the sand? I guess not, sounds drier then here.

I just looked at the old pump sitting outside, its 3 HP and designed to draw a min of 17 Amps, its single phase 240 V.

I'll grab a pic later, curious about its tech details that I'll find online once I get model number, brand etc.

 

I was surprised to find that my well is 280' here in northern Illinois. I would not have guessed more than 100'.

There was an earthquake in Alaska some (15?) years ago that caused local wells to go cloudy. I don't think we could have felt it here. I had no idea that was possible and called a well guy. He came and took a look, and was nice enough to tell me the truth without a charge. It cleared up in a day or so.

 

We draw our Cleveland, Ohio water from a crib located 5 miles offshore in Lake Erie. Currently the lake is at all time high levels. My wife's cousin lives in Avondale, AZ in the Phoenix suburbs. Someone needs to explain to me why she pays less for water in the SW Desert than I pay on a lake in Ohio?

Growing up on LI NY the water table was 15' down. Dig a deep hole and it filled with water. Most of the big development was post WWII when returning vets started families. The idea behind the communities being affordable housing for returning GIs. Many of the homes were typical Cape Cod style and all included a septic tank made with blocks having holes. This went fine until septic waste seeped into the ground water. Then came the sanitary sewer lines.

Ron

 

why can't water be found nearer the surface? I think of Florida as having abundant water, 800 ft deep into the sand is pretty amazing depth. Like is there not water like 200 ft into the sand?

Just ~4 miles south of me is the Altamaha River delta, 2nd only to the Mississippi delta. On the other side of the river, the Florida Aquifer is only ~200' deep into the sand. The sand, below the surface, has very soft chunks of red iron-laden sandstone in it that you could carve with a screwdriver. Surface water depth is from ~1-10' deep depending on where you are in the county. You can drink the below-ground surface water if you don't mind drinking the neighbor's wastewater. Most just use it for lawn irrigation. Now we are starting to see some saltwater intrusion into the aquifer. Deep wells are required to be more than 100' any septic tanks.