# I drove a point, water's in pipe, wont pump!!!



## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

My dad and I drove a shallow well over the weekend, 15 ft. When we stopped at 15ft we had 7 ft of water up the pipe. We hooked on the pitcher pump, primed it, but no water is coming up. The leathers are good and we kept tightening the sections every ten drives as it went in the ground. You wouldn't think a brand new point would be clogged already. Any suggestions? 

Thanks,

Jake


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

Bad pump


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## lenray (Dec 17, 2001)

CAN YOU FILL THE PIPE UP WHEN YOU POUR WATER IN????

To pump water the well has to be able to take water also.


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## johnd (Mar 31, 2008)

Do you have a check valve on the pipe?


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## Rudi's Dad (May 4, 2004)

johnd said:


> Do you have a check valve on the pipe?


I think there has to be a check valve somewhere in the pipe.


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

Lenray is correct, a well must take water to give water. 15 foot seems shallow, in most areas around here all shallow wells are 20 to 30 ft. Does the handle spring back?


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Did you soak your pump overnight to soak up the leathers in it? Most hand pumps have a built in check valve. When you poar water in the pump to prime it does the pump fill with water? If not your check valve is not holding and needs to be replaced or soaked up. If you take the base off the pump there is a leather check valve between the pump body and the base check to see if it is any good.


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## caseyj (Apr 8, 2001)

Remove the hand pump from the well pipe. Attach a short pipe to the pump. Fill a bucket with water. Insert the short pipe into the water. Prime the pump and than pump the water from the bucket. If it doesn't work , make sure you have a check valve inline. If you fill the pump with water and it comes out in the buckert, you either don't have a check valve or it is not working properly. 

A check valve is used to hold the water as close as possible to the pump. Kind of like pulling water up a straw and than holding your thumb over the straw to prevent it from going back down. This allows you to pump water at the pump level vs. 15/20 ft. down. Shallow wells are considered to be less than 25 ft.


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## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

Thanks for all of the advice guys, I am believe that we just are in an area without water. When we take off the pump and fill the pipe the water just stays to the top of the pipe. I've been told that that means there isn't any water down there. We drove the point another 5ft, now we're at 20ft in depth, but still nothing. Pipe will still hold water to the top of the pipe without the pump on. 

Also, I don't know if it is a good sign or bad, but in the last ft we drove, we went from being able to drive the pump 2-3" every ten drives to only about 1/4" every ten. We're at 20 foot, should we keep driving? 

Thanks, Jake


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## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

feedinggrounds said:


> Lenray is correct, a well must take water to give water. 15 foot seems shallow, in most areas around here all shallow wells are 20 to 30 ft. Does the handle spring back?


Yes, the handle spings back up after we pump a little while. Does that mean it wants to pull water/air through the point, but there's none down there?


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## lenray (Dec 17, 2001)

caseyj said:


> Remove the hand pump from the well pipe. Attach a short pipe to the pump. Fill a bucket with water. Insert the short pipe into the water. Prime the pump and than pump the water from the bucket. If it doesn't work , make sure you have a check valve inline. If you fill the pump with water and it comes out in the buckert, you either don't have a check valve or it is not working properly.
> 
> A check valve is used to hold the water as close as possible to the pump. Kind of like pulling water up a straw and than holding your thumb over the straw to prevent it from going back down. This allows you to pump water at the pump level vs. 15/20 ft. down. Shallow wells are considered to be less than 25 ft.[/QUOT
> 
> ...


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## caseyj (Apr 8, 2001)

It's not the depth of the well it's the lift of the pump.


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## Mark S (Nov 4, 2009)

5-7 more feet should do it . Sounds like you are at the hard pack.


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