How to release this pitiless pitless adapter.

[BetaRayBill]

Dear Houdini,

Please have a look at the attached picture.

My well pump motor stopped working and needs to come out. I have a hoist strong enough to pull it straight upward, but I need advice about how to release the pitless adapter.

I started by screwing a one inch pipe with a T handle into the center of the round plate that is visible in the center of the picture. Pulled with impressive force, and nothing moved. Dared not pull harder. Removed the T handle, and made a picture.

The visible round plate is located three feet down inside a five inch diameter steel casing. The plate has two oblong holes on either side of the one inch female pipe thread in the center. One of the holes exits the wires for powering the pump. So, I am guessing that the other oblong hole has some kind of mechanism located down out of sight below that round plate which would act as a latch release. The problem is I don't recognize the round plate with the oblong holes. Don't know who made it, or the model number of the pitless adapter that must be sitting below the plate out of sight.

How do I release the latch?

 

[Valveman]

Strictly guessing here. But it looks like a spool pitless with the center 1" lifting thread hole filled to the brim with sand.

 

[RS]

I can see threads in the center, I would clean everything and vacuum out the debris and try pulling it. I have never used a spool pitless, but I see how they work. I have installed a few of the slide type. And I helped install one other type that I'm unsure what it's called, it had a locking device that hinged down. At our home we have what I think is called a packer above the pitless, because of extremely high-water table. ( +12 feet!)

 

[BetaRayBill]

Before that first pull attempt, when I removed the top cover, the space above the disk had a few pounds of loose dirt, dry, not packed. The dirt looked as if it had never been wet and dried. It really looked as if someone had removed the top cover and had deliberately thrown a couple of pounds of dirt inside the casing. Then, put the cover back on top, which had the effect of keeping out rain.

I poked the dirt with a long broom handle, and it seemed completely loose, so I used a long extension on a shop vac to pull it out before installing the T handle. When I screwed the one inch pipe T handle down into the center, it screwed in smoothly until it abruptly stopped turning, as if it hit solid steel before running out of pipe thread.

If it has a latch release hidden under the disk, I am hoping to figure out the model number and get a drawing. Possibly, I could make some kind of a hook to reach inside and pull the latch.

Next, I want to find out who installed that disk without a latch release cable up through that second hole. Go whoop um.

 

[RS]

Sorry, I guess I didn't read your original post thoroughly! When I googled a spool pitless, I don't see any sign of a latch, and I don't see the need for one, gravity should hold it in place. Ours has the set screws on top to hold it down, because of the high-water table. If I ever need to service the pump, I'm going to loosen the setscrews and try pulling it, with a one-ton chain hoist. I think I should pour some water down on top of the packer to lubricate the O-rings. I haven't found any information on the style of packer we have; I think it was installed by a local plumbing company that I would rather not utilize. What I plan to do for temporary water supply is hook a shallow well pump in the water line from the well to the pressure tank, that should work fine

 

[BetaRayBill]

That would work for your temporary supply, provided your original pump doesn't have it's check valve stick open. If you ever see a spool type pitless adapter with a circular top disk like this picture, please let me know the maker. I am willing to give it some time for the chance of learning more about what sits under that disk before pulling it harder. The way I pulled on it the first try was much like Hulk trying to lift Thor's hammer.

 

[RS]

If your water table is 20 feet or closer to the surface, you too could use a shallow well pump temporarily. When you screwed the puller pipe into the plate, how many threads do you think you engaged? And were you only pulling on it by hand? The important thing is to pull straight on it, so as to not break off the pipe. You could make some T-shaped pullers and pull from the slotted holes too.

 

[BetaRayBill]

When I screwed it in, the one inch pipe and T handle went around six turns before stopping. It felt as if the bottom end of the pipe hit a flat metal surface at the bottom of the female threads. The picture sees it straight on, so the depth of the threads might not be easy to figure from the picture.

I looped a lifting strap under both sides of the T handle. Joined the ends of the flat strap to each other with a flat strap "water knot." Hooked the strap using a three inch steel clevis hook on a 3/16" diameter stranded steel cable. Pulled the cable and hook upward with a hoist rated for one ton. My hoist groaned and started slightly tipping over, so I stopped and removed tension.

I had three deep steel ground anchors screwed into the earth with each about four feet out from the well casing, equally spaced. I had three steel guy wires and turnbuckles connected to the anchors keeping my hoist from tipping over, but the top of it still started to shift sideways, so I stopped.

Really wondering if that thing has a latch clamped inside out of sight somewhere.

 

[RS]

You did pull on it pretty hard! I'm not sure what I would do next, hope someone else has some experience with this situation. If I would hook up a shallow well pump to our well, I would put a check valve on the suction side of the pump, then we could continue to use it once the old pump is pulled. I have been searching the web for spool-type pitless adapters, and there is a blue plastic one, but not much for details. I see they make one for flowing wells like ours, to stop the water from coming out the top of the casing. Maybe that's what we have, and the casting with the setscrews is what holds it down. Good luck, keep us updated!

 

[Valveman]

"Go whoop um." Lol! I doubt a spool pitless has a latch. But those two o-rings could be stuck like Chuck. Don't know anything about the pump or pipe below? Could be steel pipe and easily weight 1000# by itself. Don't know how you would pull the latch if there was one under the half moon cutouts. I would pour some water on top of the spool for lubrication and put about 3000# pull on it and let it sit that way for a while. If it didn't give I would double the lines and put 6000# of pull. I would probably pull until it came loose or something broke, because the only thing left to do is dig it up and replace the pitless.

Even if you can get a skinny plumbers camera through the half moon cutout I don't think you could do anything to the latch if there is one. But you might be able to see if there is or isn't a latch.

 

[BetaRayBill]

Where I used to work, we had a $5000 fiber optic bore scope. Not available now. I might just mount a tiny camera chip and LED on a stick.

 

[Ludington]

Where I used to work, we had a $5000 fiber optic bore scope. Not available now. I might just mount a tiny camera chip and LED on a stick.

You can get cheap borascopes from Amazon that will give you a picture. I actually got one from timu for around 10 bucks that I'm actually pretty impressed with... gives me a nice picture.
Cheap but it works.

 

[BetaRayBill]

Getting a scope, and will use it. A primary issue is that my support tower for the hoist was slightly bending. Noticed, and gently backed off the force before it buckled. Simple math shows why a vertical lifting column can support four times as much load if the column is half as tall. Nine times as much for one third.

The original improvised structure was ten feet in height. Have parts now for replacing the vertical strut with a new column half as tall. Also, the new column has (much) thicker steel. The new structure will support 16 times as much load so the limit should be my tackle. Will be using a snatch block for doubling the lifting force of my hoist. Might not get to it for a few days. Gathering medicine.

 

[Ludington]

Getting a scope, and will use it. A primary issue is that my support tower for the hoist was slightly bending. Noticed, and gently backed off the force before it buckled. Simple math shows why a vertical lifting column can support four times as much load if the column is half as tall. Nine times as much for one third.

The original improvised structure was ten feet in height. Have parts now for replacing the vertical strut with a new column half as tall. Also, the new column has (much) thicker steel. The new structure will support 16 times as much load so the limit should be my tackle. Will be using a snatch block for doubling the lifting force of my hoist. Might not get to it for a few days. Gathering medicine.

Good luck ! That sounds like a lot of firepower for this job. But maybe you need it.