Need serious help from well experts!

[cougar14]

Okay, after you stop laughing, I need help in retrieving the jet and about 40 feet of black PVC from the bottom of my well. I had a few little leaks need fixing, so I tied off (I thought) the piping about a foot off the ground and cut the PVC. ZIP!!! The tops of the cutoff PVC are about 15 feet down from the top of the wellhead, you can see them fine. I was thinking if I dropped some type of tool over the pipe that would grab into the pipe when you pulled it up, that might work. But it's getting dark and I'm really bummed out.

 

[arjay]

The well drillers have got to have a tool for that.

 

[Onomea]

No well expert here, but could you fish it out with a rope and a big hook on the end, like on crowbar? Or fashion a hook from something to tie to the end of the rope?

 

[jack the toad]

Sounds like you need an overshot tool.
Is it possible to connect back on to the string with joint of pipe and collar with PVC glue before the glue sets up?

 

[cougar14]

No well expert here, but could you fish it out with a rope and a big hook on the end, like on crowbar? Or fashion a hook from something to tie to the wnd of the rope?

i tried that, both with a rope and grapple, no luck. Then linked several sticks of 1/2" conduit together , bent the end over about 120 degrees, same result. There's nothing external to grab. Thanks for the thought though.

 

[cougar14]

Sounds like you need an overshot tool.
Is it possible to connect back on to the string with joint of pipe and collar with PVC glue before the glue sets up?

This might work, except the cut end pointing up is rough from the sawblade, might be really tough to get that union over it. But maybe I could do a couple of tests without glue. Good idea, thanks.

 

[schgsd]

Do you have more pipe around? Enough to get the end close to the pipe down the shaft? Fashion yourself a version of a "rabies pole" and put it down the shaft and loop the rope over the pipe and pull her tight.

 

[cougar14]

Do you have more pipe around? Enough to get the end close to the pipe down the shaft? Fashion yourself a version of a "rabies pole" and put it down the shaft and loop the rope over the pipe and pull her tight.

Do you know how this is set up to grab something smooth and slippery? I have what I need if I know how to set up the knot.

 

[jack the toad]

I made a snare pole once to handle a vicious dog by using 3/4" conduit and some 12-2 romex but anything stiff enough to maintain a loop should work.
No idea though if it will tighten up enough to not slip off.

 

[jack the toad]

I made a snare pole once to handle a vicious dog by using 3/4" conduit and some 12-2 romex but anything stiff enough to maintain a loop should work.
No idea though if it will tighten up enough to not slip off.

 

[model70hunter]

What about the rabies pole using sandpaper wrapped around nylon tie downs.

Are the electric wires still attached? Perhaps lightly pulling on these with the rabies snare will work.

 

[Stubborn Dutchman]

Do you have any pipe that would slide inside the well pipe? If there was some way to cut some slits in the smaller pipe you could pull long strips of course cloth or something thru the slits leaving long tails. If the pipe could be inserted inside the well pipe a long ways, you might develop enough friction against the well pipe to pull it up. Kinda like the stress when using a cleaning patch that is just a little too big for the bore. ???

Maybee twisting the smaller pipe once inside might help increase the tension. Sorry, this is the best I can come up with at the moment. Good luck!

 

[schgsd]

I'm liking the sandpaper or something similar. Wrap the end of pole you are putting in the shaft with it and when you pull the rope tight to snare your well pipe hopefully you slam your original pipe against the sandpaper on the pole enough for a good grab.

Tell you what though, I'm thinking you get this rig far enough down your original pipe before you pull her tight and it might not slip off anyway.

 

[cougar14]

What about the rabies pole using sandpaper wrapped around nylon tie downs.

Are the electric wires still attached? Perhaps lightly pulling on these with the rabies snare will work.

No wires, not electric, two pipe system. The other idea is possible.

 

[cougar14]

Do you have any pipe that would slide inside the well pipe? If there was some way to cut some slits in the smaller pipe you could pull long strips of course cloth or something thru the slits leaving long tails. If the pipe could be inserted inside the well pipe a long ways, you might develop enough friction against the well pipe to pull it up. Kinda like the stress when using a cleaning patch that is just a little too big for the bore. ???

Maybee twisting the smaller pipe once inside might help increase the tension. Sorry, this is the best I can come up with at the moment. Good luck!

Actually, I have 1/2" EMT inside both pipes right now, dropped them in so if I was able to get something hooked up enough to pull, I could keep the PVC piping from splaying out and digging into the well shaft, just another problem.

 

[30-30remchester]

I spent 36 years drilling wells and installing pumps. What you are doing is called fishing. There are many types of fishing tools. The problem with the overshot or tap (which goes on the inside of the pipe and is threaded) is the pipe you are trying to catch is not rigid enough to make either work well, as both require decent down pressure to make work. At 15' the job sounds simple. Try this when you cant see the fish (lost or stuck tool down hole) and are thousands of feet deep. The first and most important thing to be done is how you are going to control the fish once you have it to the surface. So often an inexperienced hand catches the lost fish, bring it to the surface and then loose it again as they are not prepared to secure the fish. Once you have a secure way to capture the fish at the surface, you can now figure which tool will catch the fish. Being the fact the fish is slick, I would use a long conduit, which is tied off on the other end so you don't have two fishes to rescue, and try to use a loop like other purposed. Trial and error, good look.

 

[bhayles]

I had the same problem 5 years ago, except the top of the pipe was 220 ft down my 240 foot well...

Steel cable...had to pull HARD...attached to a square piece of carbon steel. it was 1 1/2 inch pipe so I cut the piece of steel 3 1/2 inch square with an opening 2 1/2 inch square. Dropped it down, wiggled it around till the square hole slipped over the outside of the pipe (neighbor had a camera on a wire he used to pull thru pipes to inspect them and had the monitor at the top of the well), then when pulling the steel tool tipped up and wedged the pipe inside...pulled slowly and carefully.

 

[cougar14]

I'm liking the sandpaper or something similar. Wrap the end of pole you are putting in the shaft with it and when you pull the rope tight to snare your well pipe hopefully you slam your original pipe against the sandpaper on the pole enough for a good grab.

Tell you what though, I'm thinking you get this rig far enough down your original pipe before you pull her tight and it might not slip off anyway.

Hey! Just thought emery cloth might do the trick, flexible, strong especially if I double it.

 

[schgsd]

Hey! Just thought emery cloth might do the trick, flexible, strong especially if I double it.

Yup perfect. Wrap the end of the pole, or maybe you can get some around the last foot of whatever rope you use.

 

[30-30remchester]

I had the same problem 5 years ago, except the top of the pipe was 220 ft down my 240 foot well...

Steel cable...had to pull HARD...attached to a square piece of carbon steel. it was 1 1/2 inch pipe so I cut the piece of steel 3 1/2 inch square with an opening 2 1/2 inch square. Dropped it down, wiggled it around till the square hole slipped over the outside of the pipe (neighbor had a camera on a wire he used to pull thru pipes to inspect them and had the monitor at the top of the well), then when pulling the steel tool tipped up and wedged the pipe inside...pulled slowly and carefully.

Excellent idea you had. I had a more complicated tool that basically did the same thing. My tool was factory built and expensive. Your tool show the ingenuity America was founded on. Congratulations. While the op wont have the following problem I feel for those reading this thread that might need to do something similar in the future need the following input. As I stated before you start, the very first thing to be done is have a plan in place to capture the lost fish at the surface. When you get it to the surface is not the time to try to figure out how to hold it. Another thing to consider, when you capture the lost fish with your tool, will you have the power to, and the equipment to, rescue the lost item. Many times they are stuck. Pulling too hard could result with the fishing tools also in the hole.