Looks like you have a decent system worked out there. We don't have many windmills on wells that deep in eastern Colorado (USA) but we have a few 12' heads still running. I know where there is one that is 18' or 20' but it's mostly for show on a shallow well. Sometimes it is possible to drop another bottom check into the cylinder above the one that is stuck and not have to pull the pipe out. Though usually you end up knocking enough rust down the hole to screw up the checks and end up pulling the pipe anyway. Most all of the wells around here are not tubular cylinders and are larger than the pipe, usually a 2-3 inch cylinder below 1 1/4 inch pipe so we have to pull the pipe to do any work. We use neoprene leathers (link below) on the wells and almost never pull one for the leathers being wore out. Usually the pipe or rod will wear out before the neos will. Just be sure to get 1 7/8 if that is the size of the cylinder you are using, a 2" leather may squeeze down but a neo won't. www.awwasc.com/wind/page/accessories/cups_and_leathers One thing you may improve is not to run your hands closed on the rod, either use the back of your hand or the heal of a closed fist hand to guide the rod. Or better yet a wrench to keep your fingers clear. If the rod does drop it will take your hand with it if you have a grip on it. A few years ago I crushed the end of one of my fingers doing the same thing pulling the 1 1/4" pipe out of a windmill. I knew better at the time but got careless. We also finished pulling a well that caught two other guys hands stuck in it when they unhooked the rod from the mill and the cylinder was rusted off the end of the pipe and the rod dropped. One lost a finger the other got messed up quite a bit. Stay safe and have a good day.

@mbickie

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info mate. I will make sure to keep my hands clear in future. my pump is 2 inch. 1 7/8 inch pumps are not common here from what I see. We have very few deep well windmills here in Southern Australia but they are more common up North. I learnt quite a bit chatting to and visiting Tom Conlon from Ironman windmills in China. I actually have an electric pump on the bottom of the pump cylinder but it's cable got damaged on the way down. It has a "belvedere" style check valve, being my second check. I am actually pulling up the column to remove the electric pump at the moment. I had to buy some heavy duty pulley blocks to half my lifting weight to be able to pull it with the 4WD. In Southern Australia it also more common to have a flash cap pump that is wider than the delivery column. Good idea on the second bottom check valve. I'l keep that in mind for next time. Do you lower the bottom check down on the moving part of the pump? I have found no info on methods but have been told by one person they just drop it down!!! I guess the water slows it down but it seems crazy.

@kennykemp2790

6 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't be a bit afraid to drop it if the pipe has water in it. It may have enough mineral buildup that you end up pushing it down with the rod when you set it. If not then when it gets to the cylinder it will stop on top and need to be pushed down there. They fit to tight to fall in by themselves. On short sets we usually just trip the rod with just the check valve and not the plunger to get them set into the cylinder, then set the plunger after pulling the rod again. I presume you are drawing water through the electric pump. That is fine as long as the windmill doesn't make more than it can suck through the impeller stack of the electric pump. We have set up several this way. In your case I'm guessing as long as your pump is rated for more than 3 liters per minute it works great. If you have a smaller pump than that you may notice in a good wind on the windmill down stroke the water will drop a couple inches (into the vacuum left in the cylinder) before getting caught by the bottom check and water in the cylinder. It may also hammer hard enough to hear from the top. If it does this you need to have the electric pump plumbed with a check valve between the cylinder and the electric pump where the cylinder is drawing straight from the well. We do this with a 2 pipe jet pump end turned upside down for a T, then put a check valve on one side and the other take poly pipe or bent hard pipe around the check valve and hang the electric pump in line below the windmill pump.