Repairing old pitcher pump well

Hey all,

I recently purchased an older home (early 1900s) with a pitcher pump well that has fallen into some decay. I tried running a 35 ft. measuring tape down the shaft and it came back fairly wet at the end, though I'm not certain if that indicates the well itself is still usable. Local well drillers I've talked to are either unresponsive or only interested in projects involving a new well entirely being drilled.

I had thought that perhaps something like the Legacy Food emergency hand pump might work to extract water without fixing the entire pump shaft, but having never used it before I'm uncertain.

Any thoughts?

Looking at the pump you mentioned, it looks quite simple to operate: Legacy Food emergency hand pump
It says: "No Assembly Required- Take it out of the box and put it in the well. (May need to adjust pipe length for optimal performance)"
"Our pump is so easy to use that even kids can pump and get water to flow."

All the pictures on their website show it being using in a raised well casing. Can you remove the top part of the pump to use the body as a clamping device for the unit?

For $310 though, did you want to just use it once to check the quality of the water or have it as a backup also?
Seems like there would be a much cheaper way extract some water if that's all your looking for. A shop vac with a small hose adapter, a drill operated in-line pump etc.

Did a quick search and there is lots of information on repairing pumps if you choose to go down that path if your water turns out to be good.  Good luck!

Rebuilding a Pitcher Pump

Mountain Light wrote:Hey all,

I recently purchased an older home (early 1900s) with a pitcher pump well that has fallen into some decay. I tried running a 35 ft. measuring tape down the shaft and it came back fairly wet at the end, though I'm not certain if that indicates the well itself is still usable. Local well drillers I've talked to are either unresponsive or only interested in projects involving a new well entirely being drilled.

I had thought that perhaps something like the Legacy Food emergency hand pump might work to extract water without fixing the entire pump shaft, but having never used it before I'm uncertain.

Any thoughts?

any pump submersible or jet should work in that well. I would leave the pitcher pump in place and install something new alongside it.
Does the pitcher pump have a shaft all the way to the bottom? There is not much to go wrong with them usually their leather gasket is just worn out or so drie is cant seal...

Upon closer inspection of the pictures it looks like the draw pipe is corroded and has holes in it. The pipe would need to be changed so the existing pitcher pipe is probably toast. The above still applies. Pitcher pumps are still around fairly cheap probably even a boat hand bilge pump could do the job for that depth...
Cheers,  David

For a small amount of water to test I wonder if you could lower a hose until a portion is submerged and then fills with water. You could tightly seal the upper end creating a vacuum in the hose allowing the filled portion of the hose to be withdrawn and the water emptied into a container.

I appreciate all the replies. I think I will try the shopvac first before having the pitcher pump fixed.