# Windmill water pumping well question



## bee_linux (Jan 30, 2011)

Hello all, 

I am restoring and old Windmill well to pump water for livestock. We are moving OTG and I am stumped. I have an old well and it doesn't look like any of the other windmill wells I have worked on. I've attached a photo to help me explain. I pumped the rod and it does pump water but I want to rebuild it since I am unsure of the condition.(Out of serve a very long time) What I have is a 2 inch casing with a 5/8 sucker rod. There is no drop pipe. I thought there may be one attached to the flange but there isn't one. I've dug very deep next to the 2 inch pipe thinking there would be a capped well deeper and that the 2 inch pipe is the drop pipe. No othr casing. It is well over 100' feet to water here. The neighbor thinks they drove a sand point with the barrel in line wit the 2 inch pipe. I've drove a sand point before but not near that deep. Any thoughts? (BTW, the vice grips are not there to hold the rod from falling down. I clamped them there so I wouldn't lose them in the well pit.)


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

May be they never cased the well depending on soil type and it caved in or the casing rotted out. I doubt they dove a sand point that deep. 

My best guess is you need a new well.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

If moving the rod pumps water, then the 2" pipe must be the drop pipe. The pump cylinder in the bottom of the well must be attached to the drop pipe in order to pump water.


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## bee_linux (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks everyone. I should have mentioned that I've dug 12 feet beside the 2 inch pipe and never found the well top. The flange in the picture is 8 feet down from the top of the ground. They had a valve assembly attached to it and it was in a deep red brick pit. I may dig another 10 ft just to make sure there isn't a well top or old casing. The foot valve holds well and it pumps very good when I work the rod so I may just put the windmill up and see how long it lasts. I'll post what I find after digging.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Are you dependent on this well for live stock water or do you have other options.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I wonder if the drop pipe was placed in a hand dug well (cistern) that has filled in?


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## EDinTN (Sep 8, 2014)

If you pull the sucker rod all the way out of the well you should have a plunger attached to the bottom of the rod. It will have a check valve & ball, plus leather washers usually. If it is pumping water well now... I'd leave it alone. The plunger is not cheap to replace or repair usually.

Here's a cylinder and parts...

http://www.deanbennett.com/cylinder_parts.htm

http://www.deanbennett.com/cylinder.htm


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

I've pulled a lot of wells and never pulled the cylinder with the sucker rod. Pretty hard to do when the cylinder is in line with the drop pipe.


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## EDinTN (Sep 8, 2014)

Let me change the word to PLUNGER, which fits down in the cylinder. It's been a long night.

They even sell a slim-line cylinder that will fit down a 2" casing, I see.


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## bee_linux (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks Ed for the links. This well won't be my only water supply for the livestock, I have other too. I asked a maintenance guy at work that has worked on many wells and he said the same thing. He told me to pull the rod, might have to tug hard at the top of the barrel, but the plunger will come out. He also commented he hadn't see one like it for a long time. It's the well that use to pump to a large elevated tank to supply the house with water, so it is old. I'll post some pictures once the well / windmill is up and running.


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