How To Choose Water WEll Drop Pipe

Hiring labor for installation or removal of the pump and motor can be very costly. To reduce this cost in the long run, drop pipe should be selected that has an easy installation and removal process and has a greater life expectancy.

For water well systems our company supplies three kinds of drop pipes. These three types are:

·       PVC

·       Galvanized

·       High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) or poly pipe

The blog post covers the advantages and disadvantages that each of these pipes has. Knowing these differences will help you make a better decision about which one you should choose for your water system.

Some main factors that should be focused mainly are:

·       Convenience in installation and removal

·       Restriction of flow

·       Limitations of depth and weight

·       Water composition

Each pipe has a different value of friction loss. Friction loss is the head loss or, in other words, pressure loss at the surface of the pipe due to the velocity of the liquids. The head loss in PSI for each foot of poly pipe is almost half than that of PVC or galvanized pipe. To give a better idea of the head loss, let’s say in 100 ft of each pipe, 25 GPM of water is flowing through it: 

·       1-inch poly pipe: Head loss is 30 ft or 13 PSI

·       1 inch galvanized pipe: Head loss is 64 ft or 28 PSI

·       1 inch PVC pipe: Head loss is 66 ft or 29 PSI

Now let’s see the depth limitations of the pipe. The Galvanized pipe can cover nearly any depth. It is the check valves because of which the depth gets limited. Besides that, other fittings, too, might have limitations. E.g. there is a rating of about 600 ft in the case of the brass valve, which is generally used, and there is a rating of 1500 ft or more for a ductile iron valve.

Schedule-120 PVC pipes of one inch mostly need at least 1.5 HP or a higher motor number and 650 inches of depth. Whereas in 1.25-inch pipes, motor should be have least 2.0 HP and 520-inch maximum height. In depths greater than 100 ft, it is better not to install poly pipe since the installation and servicing is quite hard and inconvenient.

For withstanding higher pressure, galvanized pipes are better. There is a rating of about 2100 PSI for schedule-40 1 inch pipes, and 3500 PSI for schedule-80 one inch pipes. PVC is second to galvanized pipes in terms of withstanding higher pressure. There is a pressure rating of about 600 PSI for a 1.25-inch schedule-120 PVC pipes. The poly pipe’s pressure rating is only 250 PSI, which is the lowest of all three. Ensure that operating pressure can be withstood by other fittings, including check valves, before making any deep installations.

Durability in normal water conditions is high for galvanized pipe, and then they have a life expectancy of 15-20 years. For protection from rust and corrosion, these pipes have zinc coating. But if the water is too acidic or alkaline, then the galvanized pipe can corrode. Even in harsh water conditions, PVC and poly pipe will stay intact and not get much affected.

Galvanized and PVC pipe can be easily installed and serviced and are predictable and straightforward. Because of lower weight PVC pipe are also lighter. However, in the case of poly pipe for depths higher than 100 ft. it is not suggested to use them. It is because it can be a safety risk to install or service them at a depth greater than 100ft. But if you use it for shallow depth, they can be very convenient in installations and service and are also light and predictable.

We hope that this blog post was able to provide valuable insights to help you decide according to your water system which drop pipe is better. For further queries and consultation, contact us at ‪(760) 440-8520‬.