Water pump replacement process

If you are facing any shortage of water, the possibility is that your water pump is either damaged or stopped working properly. Usually, it takes much time and effort to uninstall the old pump and replace a new pump at your home. It involves great patience while performing the task of replacement. If you have the proper tools and materials and have confidence in yourself, you can do it all by yourself though, but in case of extreme difficulties, you must call a plumber.

First, decide what kind of water pump you want-jet or submersible depending on the water level.Two types of water pumps are there -jet pump if you have water close to the surface less than 25 feet (7.63 m) and the and submersible pump if the water level is over 25 feet (7.63 m) deep. In most cases, when you see your pump is broken it is the replacement that guarantees the functioning of a water pump. 

Before going for any replacement, you must check the other components of your well-system as it is a costly affair. After consulting with a professional and be sure about the matter, you should go for a water pump replacement.

Replacing jet water pump

The first you should buy a quality jet water pump from the market.

Go to the main circuit breaker and turn off the power that goes to your pump. Now switch on the faucet and release all water deposited. Now get a plumber’s wrench and take out the inlet and outlet tubes of the old pump. Along with this, remove the wires located in the pressure switch on the old jet water pump.

Now when you are replacing the well-pumps, make sure the outlet and inlet pipes get properly sealed with tapes. This should be done to prevent water leaks. Install the new pump by following the guidelines given on the package. Now screw all the necessary pipes with the help of a wrench. Connect these wires with the right terminals on the pressure switch of the new pump and tighten them. Before using the jet water pump, you will need to fill the pump by pouring water from the outlet pipe and make it ready for use.

Tips to replace a submersible water pump

A few tools you will require in the process

An assistant to help you carrying out the installation activities, a good-quality flashlight, two pipe wrenches, knife, tapes, submersible pump wire splice kits, wiring pliers, wire nuts etc. while doing the installation, a very important thing to consider is what type of system existed to connect the water pump and the water line that goes to the pressure tank. Most commonly it is called well seal or Morrison’s head, otherwise, it can be a pitless adapter.

As you open the well-cap of the new submersible pump, it is the round piece of metal sticking out from the deep well, which will give you access to the pump.

Use a socket wrench to take out the hex nuts. Now lift the well-cap and pull out the extra wire and wire nuts. Check for any damage in the wires. Now unscrew the wires identifying which wires go to where. Turn the power back on to the well and hit the reset button and test the wire connected to the well. If you do not face any complications at this step, then you can go ahead to the next step. Before that, turn off the power. Use the high-powered flashlight and examine the well-casing.

If it is a pitless adaptor, you will see a pipe extending from the top of the adaptor to the top of the well-casing. The hold-down point is located there and stops to the side of the well-casing. Unscrew it with a hammer blow and remove the bar, plug, or tack weld, and thread a short T-handle to the end.

Measure the actual size of the size of the adapter as this information is crucial to perform the next step. The diameter of the hold downpipe can be a great clue to it. If it is a whitewater pitless, then only a professional can handle the installation.

Once you are successful connecting it, then the next step will follow which involves the pulling out the submersible pump out from the well casing with a pipe wrench. You must clean out the area free from any plants and other things around the well casing so that you can have free movement while you are replacing it.

Determine the depth of the well, you should have enough space to keep the pull-out pipes from the well.

You should get one assistant to be able to continuously lift the entire pipe and submersible pump weight while removing them out. Otherwise they might have slipped back into the well.

You should wear non-slip gloves to hold the grip while performing all these tasks. If your well is very deep, then only a contractor can do the replacement. In case of your submersible pump is installed using rigid galvanized pipe, you should use a derrick and winch to lift the assembly of pipes out of the well.

Next, you switch off the power that goes to the submersible pump. By way of using a socket and a wrench, you will remove the well cap bolts.  Also use a screwdriver to completely take out the well cap away from the well casing.

By way of twisting the T-handle clockwise, you should thread the end of the tool onto the pitless adapter. When it is tightly adjusted with the pitless adapter, you apply electrical tape around the T-handle base. Now you lift the T-handle pump removal tool until the pitless adapter is just above the top of the well casing.

After pulling out the pipes, you should look for any damage and the underlying problem of your pump not working. Now buy a replacement pump from the nearest hardware store and install it as per following the guidelines. Put all the parts back down to the well and secure electrical connections. While buying the submersible pump, you should also buy a set of crimp connectors for the electrical connections, composed of two connectors, and some heat-shrink material.

After that, you prepare the pressure tank by setting the correct air pressure for it. Adjust the pump switch accordingly. You will see your submersible pump has started working properly.

Thus, you have seen the process of water pump replacement is an elaborate and complicated one. If you need any replacement at your home, contact us Mr right services for expert guidance.