“Can I install the Simple Pump myself?”
The Simple Pump can installed in about 1.5 to 3 hours if:
- You have an average mechanical ability and are somewhat familiar with the installation of routine plumbing or irrigation piping
- Your submersible pump system uses a pitless adapter, therefore your well cap can be easily removed.
Regardless of your skill level, you should enlist a helper for any do-it-yourself installation.
If the pipe from your submersible pump comes up through the well cap, it is strongly recommended you get a qualified pump installer or licensed plumbing contractor to assist you in removing the existing well cap and installing the new Simple Pump well cap.
“What size well casing does the Simple Pump fit into?”
The largest component of the Simple Pump system that fits inside the well casing is approximately 1 + 3/4″ outside diameter. If the Simple Pump is the only pump in the well, it can be installed in as little as a 2″ diameter well casing. In wells 4″ or larger, the vast majority of time the Simple Pump can be installed alongside an existing submersible.
“Are there special considerations for installing Simple Pump in a 2″ casing.”
When a 2” casing extends the usual 12-18 inches or so above the ground it is usually very flexible, even if made of metal. The leverage applied to the casing from a securely mounted Simple Pump can actually make a 2” casing deflect quite severely. In fact, a metal casing will deflect as much as 2-3 inches and a PVC casing as much as 6-7 inches. This deflection to the side makes pumping tricky and, if large enough, it could actually damage the top drop pipe and possibly the sucker rod inside.
It is imperative you use a rigid mounting for the Simple Pump. The best option is to avoid mounting Simple Pump directly onto the 2” casing. Instead it is advised you use a four foot section of 6″ metal casing as a sleeve around the 2″ casing that contains the drop pipe.
Please note you do not wish to center the 6” casing sleeve over the 2” casing. Instead you’ll need to carefully examine your new Simple Pump well cap, then position the 6” casing off-center of the 2” so the Simple Pump port is in the correct position above the 2” casing.
You begin by cutting the 2” casing down to about 12 inches above ground level. Dig down around the 2″ casing so the 6″ casing is embedded into the earth, making sure the top two inches of the 6″ casing is above the top of the 2” casing. Back-fill securely around the casing. It is advised you also use cement to fill the space between to two casings to form one solid casing assembly. Just use Portland cement without the stones. No aggregate is used or needed. Using stone makes it much more difficult to fill the small voids. Please make sure to cover the top of the 2″ casing securely so you don’t pour concrete down the 2″ well.
Having secured the 2″ casing, you can now put the proper Simple Pump well cap on the larger, more sturdy, 6″ casing. Now you can install the Simple Pump on the larger casing with the drop pipes slipping down the 2” casing.
“I want to put the Simple Pump in my basement and run a water line to the well 20 feet away. Can I do this?”
No. The Simple Pump must be located above the water source and securely attached. Because it uses drop tubes and sucker rods, the Simple Pump must pump in a straight vertical line.
“I have a submersible pump. Can the Simple Pump be installed in the same casing/well?”
Yes. Our submersible pump works independently of the Simple Pump and neither conflicts with the other no matter how our system is configured. You can continue to use your submersible pump. If you lose power, the Simple Pump is already installed and can begin pumping water immediately.
“What do I need to mount the pump on my hand dug well?”
The Simple Pump must be located above the water source in a very secure manner. A well casing, or at least a reasonable facsimile, is needed to mount the Simple Pump. In order for our pumps to work, either we need the circular rim of a well casing to mount our custom made well cap OR another secure mounting that could be used as a proxy for a well casing.
We can supply an adapter that bolts to the concrete, metal or wood cover of your hand dug well.
“Will your Boshart cap work on my well. It has a cap with a ‘bump-out’.”
Yes. The Boshart well cap modified for the Simple Pump is a similar design to what you describe. The submersible pump wiring comes out through the bump-out; the Simple Pump is installed on top, and bolted to, our well cap.
“Why can’t I save some money and use my old well cap?”
Our pump and your submersible are attached to, and hanging from, the well cap. Because of this we always quote our own well cap with our pump. We designed it to handle the weight and we’re responsible for making sure the whole structure doesn’t fall down into the well.
Please note all metal parts that come in contact with water are lead-free stainless steel.)
Our well caps are constructed from aircraft-quality aluminum and each cap begins as an aluminum billet. The well cap is computer numerical controlled (CNC) cut away from the solid piece of aircraft alloy to create each custom made cap….except the 6″ Trega. Because the aluminum is not poured (cast), there are no tiny cracks that occur during casting as the metal cools. Crafting well caps from solid billets makes them much stronger.
The standard well cap has one large hole. So how does this cap work with two holes? Where does the piping go?
The largest of the two holes, along with the supplied bracket, is for the Simple Pump. When a submersible (electric) pump is also used alongside our pump, the additional large hole provides an exit for the pipe bring water up from the submersible pump. There is a smaller hole used to allow the wire running power down to the submersible pump to exit the well cap.
Bottom line, our cap is designed to integrate BOTH systems side-by-side.
“There appears to be something blocking my well when I try to measure the water depth.”
In the vast majority of applications, the Simple Pump will easily fit into your existing well without removing or disrupting your existing pump and motor.
When submersible pumps are installed in deep wells, they also install something commonly called “torque arrestors”, “centering guides” or “wire’ guides”. These rubber or plastic fittings keep the submersible pump discharge pipe centered in the well casing while reducing the twisting effect, or torque, caused by the submersible pump turning on and off. Only one torque arrestor is really needed at the bottom. But sometimes wire guides may be installed further up the well.
Under normal circumstances our drop pipes slide easily into the well casing. When installing your Simple Pump, if you have difficulty installing the drop pipes, there may be wire or centering guides installed which the Simple Pump is hitting. If you run into this situation, carefully remove the Simple Pump drop pipes from the well casing and contact a qualified pump installer for assistance. You will need to remove these unnecessary guides before finishing the Simple Pump installation.
“What about using a Safety Line?”
We do not mention or suggest the use of a safety line in conjunction with our standard pump system installations because…
#1. A safety line needs an aperture or access port to travel through. In many Simple Pump installations there’s no room for another hole in the well cap.
#2. The Simple Pump installs through a 1.75″ port in the mounted well cap. Using a safety line affixed to the pump cylinder would require installation steps that would be more risky than no safety line. The safety line mounting point also raises a problem with future pump maintenance.
#3. The SIM073 machined billet aluminum safety tool, properly used, offers a virtually risk-free means of holding onto previously assembled 9-foot drop pipe kits.
#4 All Simple Pump systems with more than (12) drop pipe kits also come with a free T-Handle Installation Assist Tool that allows safe, controlled handling of the drop pipe kits.