New windmill well cylinder selection

[Ron Stauffer]

Wood rod pretty quickly became a dinosaur when fiberglass rod and airtight rod were developed. Wood rod cost and lack of standardized length made other choices pretty clear. Airtight buoyancy was as good as wood. You can simulate pipe rod to airtight by putting a siilcon plug in each end.

It really never had an advantage for pumping capacity increase as you can see it was lumped with steel in the Pumping Capacity Chart. The handwritten numbers are weights per stick

Table of Pumping Capacities.jpg

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[Ron Stauffer]

Snow has melted some and was in the yard getting pics of a mill for a customer and it was beside the used pipe. This pipe was 12 year old Vietnamese from the top sticks that were readable out of the water. It was a recorded pump install so that is how I was sure of the dating. It had stopped pumping and had never been releathered. Assumed it was leathers and no wind after releather so left and got a call the next week of still no water. Took a drum of water along on the return to see if checks were holding, 30 gallon never brought the water up in the pipe. This was what it looked like after pulling. The same week I pulled a well that had never been pulled since his dad installed in 1963. It was US Steel pipe that you could still read on the pipe below water. No pic of it but should have

holy pipe.jpg

Ron

[PaulV]

I hope my Vietnamese pipe lasts longer than 12 years.

[windybob]

I also live with the dilemma of import V USA pipe and rods. I can buy American galv pipe for 4 times as much as import, and it will probably last 4 times as long. Most of my customers almost get visibly sick when I quote the price difference. The issue lays with the initial costs. Also, alkalinity of the well matters.

[Ron Stauffer]

I dont think you can blame electrolysis on this as it was the first 3 sticks in the water and nowhere close the cylinder. There was more pipe in this well than I would have put in it as the drawdown was not excessive.

When buying in quantity, Wheatland is 75% higher than good import. Couplers are rated as a coupler whereas import is a thread protector and unrated. I could probably make a buck hustling pipe but that wouldnt be as much fun as putting up windmills...

Ron

[hedgerow]

I am surprised you guys even have a choice on import or American made. I am finding in my area the wholesalers are caring more and more import pipe and fittings.

[windybob]

Yes, I was surprised that a local store had the American pipe. I was also surprised at the price.

[Wayne]

It's a shame how our country sold our souls to the devil China becaus we wanted cheap crap. Now if you are willing to pay the extra for American made you cant get it. I always try to buy American made tools but more and more you can't find them.

[Ron Stauffer]

Even tho I begrudge going over for work on the Front Range/Denver because of traffic, materials & supplies are the least expensive there from midwest to west coast. Return trips are usually an empty trailer so a load of pipe keeps it from bouncing. US Wheatland is all I stock and sell and buying in quantity gives me the best pricing. Even Denver pump supply houses dont handle Wheatland.

We lost all the old name US solar panel manufacturers. There is a startup in TX that is buying Chinese cells and assembling to qualify as US made. I got my first pallet of them in and they look good, we will see.

If we lose more US manufacturing, we will be held captive for manufacturing as we were with oil.

Ron

[windybob]

Ron, we are already being held captive, and we will be with oil again soon.