About to buy a well pump...

I would question the 'underground river' aspect of the installation. While the aquifer may be a very good producer I doubt it is a hollow tube with a large river flowing through it......I would check this out and go with a submersible pump if at all possible.

Yes I too thought you were locked in on 115v when i did my post.
So yes, 230v and 10 ga. will work.
Still give the pump all the vennilation you can if you will be running it for any length of time.
How about a timer to turn on and off for certain periods of time ... ?

Jim, somewhere in the info pages it says the pumps come with a built in pressure switch, & recommend a 42 gal pressure tank. So, it really shouldn't run constant if it is installed to spec.

--->Paul

Rambler, what your electrical contractor did was possibly wrong and used to be right. Ha, how's that for beaurocratic double speak? It makes me want to run for office. The code for the last twenty years or so has stated that once a subpanel is fed from the service it needs to be a four wire feed and the neutral and ground are to be electrically seperate from the bond point at the service on out to the very last device, receptacle or branch circuit. Now the service is defined as the point in which the customer's equipment interfaces with the utility's gear. So if you are leaving a utility transformer and heading straight to each building to an individual service panel, everything is fine. If you have a main panel at the transformer, then leave that panel to each barn then it's not correct. There is a very real problem called difference of ground potential involved in three wire services and not only is it potentially damgerous it will total screw up a cattle farm. However, as you know, in your case this many be much about nothing, as it's tough to be an "expert" on line without seeing your farm. Hope this helped and didn't add to the confusion.

Thanks y'guys for the info. I do plan to use a 42 gallon pressure tank, and the pump does come with a 30/50 psi pressure sitch. The PVC conduiting is also in the plan. It will be out in the open, so hopefully weather won't be a problem? BobK, the neighbor says that when he put the PVC piping down there, it rattled back and forth like crazy untill he secured it, and he was also told by the guy who owned his lot previously that it is indeed an underground river. I would really like a sub pump, but it just isn't possible.

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Yes, we did!

If he had a pump hanging off the pipe without a torque arrestor the pipe would rattle like crazy when it was run.....I still don't buy it....what's keeping it from collapsing or acting like any other stream on the surface....like meandering...and erosion...ect.

Ditto what BobK said. I have been thinking the same thing since way back up the post. With a submersible and just wanting to pump water as needed there would be far less headache, no tank requirement, no pressure switch and no priming problems and could run the pump continuously. If the jet pump setup has issues just return here. I have lots of experience working on them!

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

if the well is cased what prevents it from being eroded out and if a pump is hung in the casing how would any 'current' from the river reach it? I would find out who drilled the well and get well log or at least talk to some well-drillers in the area and check this story out...I'm bettin you'll be able to use a submersible with no problem.....

another thought: You'll need to put a pipe down the casing for the jet pump....how will that be anchored against the 'current'..

just curious but might help put some perspective on things...where abouts in California are you talking about?

Ah, that's the loophole. No main panel (as I understand the term) at the transformer, just a 200amp breaker/ disconnect which is required now. But each building is wired as seperate main panel. Your 'everything is fine' way.

Yes, stray voltage (etc.) is a very big issue in MN & Wis, lots of lawsuits from the dairy folks. In my case I shut the main panel fuse off at the barn, only on if I need the lights in the barn. (No heat, water is gravity feed from cistern, winter waterer is earth-heat, electric fence is powered from a different building, no need for barn electricity 95% of the time for my cattle.) So, likely not an issue for me, but it sure could be. As well there is something about water pipes connecting buildings, also requires the 4 wires if I read things right? That kinda got sidestepped as well. But, no different than the place was wired for 50+ years, our wet clay soil likely does an above average job of grounding things out to nuetral.....

(Sorry SW for hijacking your thread on wells into this.....)

--->Paul

hmm... I see. The sub-pump can be placed up from the water inside of the casing. I always thought they had to be submersed. Is that what you are saying? (No sarcasm - I really want to know if it can be done).

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Yes, we did!

no the pump will need to be in the water....what is the depth of the well? The depth of the casing? the depth to standing water in the casing? Be interesting to know these details even if the pump is on its way!

where in CA are you doing this?

Yea, I don't know anything about flowing underground rivers, so this part has been facinating for me, hope we learn more about it.

100 feet is a real pull for a jet pump, on the fringe of what can be done. On the chart it looked like only getting 2 gpm from that depth.

Like you, I can't see the difference between needing a submersable pump in the water, or both pipes from the jet pump in the water.... Either way, things need to dangle in the 'flowing river' and will have about the same issues?

I'm not arguing for a submersable (tho if possible, would be a better choice), just curious how it all works! Would like to learn more about the situation.

--->Paul

The well is 100 feet. I'll have to talk with the neighbor about the depth of the casing. As you will notice, I took off the part about the pump being on its way... it turns out the order wasn't submitted yet. I'm in the Inland Empire, FYI.

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Yes, we did!

I would really put in a couple of calls to some local drillers and discuss this issue of the underground river and the area your talking about...and with the other information on casing depth and water depth I am fairly positive you'll be able to use a submersible pump...which you will be much happier with....I'd hold off on getting the pump until you sort some of this out...have you dropped a weighted line down the hole yet? or a line with a cork or something else that floats?

I am fairly confident that there are no underground rivers in the Inland Empire area

I'll talk to Jerry (the neighbor) tomorrow about using a submersible pump.

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Yes, we did!

I agree....I worked for a well company in CA for 13 years. We have never recorded an underground river. There are many Artisian wells in CA. In my experience a submersible pump would fit the purpose. Water will fill in the casing area to what is called a "standing water level" the pump itself should never be placed deep enough to sit in the flow of the actual incoming water. If the incoming water if fairly "fast" moving you may want to consider a screen to keep large debris, rocks/sand, from causing early wear to the pump unit.
My advise would also be to check with local drillers and well companies about having your own well. Artisian wells are known to dry up quicker than you can say "where's the water?" after an earthquake. Nice neighbors can become real nasty where water is concerned, and may insist that you drill HIM a new well if he feels you are responsible in any way. Also, shallow wells, 100 ft in CA is considered shallow, are known to have many problems with debris and surface contamination. Keep up your research. You'll find the right answer.

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Valerie
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Shhhhh......I'm hiding!