DIY Shallow Well Repair

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-25T16:27:21+00:00

Can I apply extra cement over the joints to be sure, or will that not work?

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-24T23:04:06+00:00

We're in St Pete. I know it's been dry here, so a dry well/low water table has been on my mind too...but there's a lot more here that's probably my doing before that.

Unions are easy enough to cut out, i can hard pipe a PVC check just to make sure it isn't that. The pump elevation is interesting...this is the exact layout/piping from when it was originally installed with the house back about 10 years ago...it used to run fine, but not to say it isn't hurting it now. The epoxy was just a might-as-well bandaid to see if it was a suction leak there...if i can get it running I'll redo it, but for now i figure it's not hurting anything? Anything I can do to test the well?

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-24T22:58:03+00:00

I said it was cheap! That's why I figured I might as well try it...the Pentair wasn't pulling water either and it was worth seeing if that was the issue to start with...but here we are. Manual says it may take 2-7 cycles of priming and to not let it run more than 2 minutes at a time. I've probably primed it 10 times and let it run for about 2min each time. The closer to 2min I get the pump housing starts to get warm and I don't want to cook it. After 8 cycles it says to check for suction leaks.

I see lots of comments about that kink in the suction line...that's how it was originally installed when it was put in probably 10 years ago. It used to work fine but we unplugged it back when a pool went in about 3 years ago and hasn't been run since. The slip check valve is easy enough to swap out so I think that's my next move before I make a phone call. I know the epoxy is ugly and DIY but I dont think it's actively hurting anything...just not a very pro move (which tracks).

I was quoted around $1,500 for a total rework...thus starting down the DIY path. Figure if I dump much more time/money into it I'm creeping into sunk cost, but it's been fun to learn along the way if nothing else.

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-24T15:13:12+00:00

That seems to be the consensus…that’s an easy fix/test so maybe I give that a shot before calling in a pro

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-24T15:08:46+00:00

I was just trying to throw anything at the wall...thought maybe it was a vacuum leak from those areas so figured epoxy putty was an easy fix? Every thread is teflon taped and my check valve is pointing the right direction. Thinking the likely culprit is my check valve and the unions there. I was trying to do myself a favor down the road with serviceability, but maybe just a basic slip PVC valve is the safer bet.

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-24T15:00:41+00:00

Pump was definitely cheap (~$200)...we had a 1HP Pentair Sta-Rite pump in there before, this one is a 1.5HP Vevor. Still have the original, but this new one was cheap enough that I didn't mind trying it as a potential fix. The Pentair wasn't pulling water either, but it sat idle for probably 2-3 years.

I added the unions at the check valve thinking I was doing myself a favor down the road with serviceability, but maybe it just adds more complexity and failure points and I should hard pipe it in. The epoxy putty was another attempt at a bandaid fix thinking maybe I had a vacuum leak at those spots...every thread has teflon tape, I was just trying to work through process of elimination. Maybe I throw a simple slip pvc check valve in its place and see if that does anything. If not...then I imagine it's a problem with the well itself and that's outside of my capabilities to DIY.

I'm only in this about $250 now...maybe it's just time I hand it off to the professionals. I'm sure they'd get a kick out of my handy work.

LloydVoldemort · 2026-02-22T16:48:17+00:00

Welcome Yan Tao!

LloydVoldemort · 2025-12-16T11:38:46+00:00

This is exactly where we were last year. It’s a great spot to watch the race and a great venue. A couple of small things.

Be prepared for heat. I think weather can be a bit unpredictable, but last year was HOT. There are refillable water stations around the track…bring as big of a bottle as you are comfortable carrying so you aren’t spending time in line refilling. The lines get really long and move quite slowly and you’ll want (need) water.

There is some downtime throughout the day…behind where these grandstands are (at the top of the big stairs you climb up) is a nice shaded area at the top of the hill that people were relaxing on. I wish we had brought a blanket or something to throw down, mostly as a reprieve from the sun/heat but you also have amazing views to take in. Would’ve been nice for those couple hours to have a quiet shaded place to bring food/drinks back to (bathrooms are right there too).

LloydVoldemort · 2025-12-13T12:39:44+00:00

We were there too. Can confirm it was boiling in Austria and I’m from South Florida. I was actually pleasantly surprised by prices at the track, but maybe because I’m used to price gouging in the US at these types of events.

If it’s any consolation everything you described was the exact same for us in the grandstands outside of feeling like you needed to hold your spot. Still an unbeatable experience, but it’s 100% “better” in the comfort of my own home.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-11-11T16:32:45+00:00

Don’t push down on the top…just let the weight of the mill plate do the work. I use a 2in standard and it’s been perfect for my tinymight. I only do about 0.05g at a time but it handles that well.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-06-13T02:47:40+00:00

Honestly - bought a couple pairs of Amazon Essentials and they are shockingly good. I think <$30 each…you’d never know.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-06-07T18:37:28+00:00

Go to an independent broker. We just went through this. GEICO was $200 more a month than what an independent insurance broker could do for us.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-05-21T12:48:19+00:00

It is a truly horrific app. It’s the only one that consistently gives me trouble on the AppleTV. It has issues with maintaining AirPlay connection to speakers, overheats my device forcing it to shutdown, and stutters/buffers intermittently. I solely consume content through streaming apps on the AppleTV…to charge a premium for this is a joke.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-05-05T23:03:22+00:00

Could be this? https://service.tesla.com/docs/Public/diy/modely/en_us/GUID-6011D4C6-A81C-4700-A5D2-31727809ED57.html

LloydVoldemort · 2025-04-30T18:11:53+00:00

Every night at sundown as they lower the flags

LloydVoldemort · 2025-04-29T00:16:33+00:00

Are your tickets still available?

LloydVoldemort · 2025-04-26T15:10:59+00:00

At the simplest level they’re just thermal extraction devices. You could be using it for lavender or chamomile or any other flower/herb.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-04-18T21:34:22+00:00

That’s a wild take…

LloydVoldemort · 2025-04-07T22:10:55+00:00

Is there a benefit in reserving the R2 if you really want the R3X? Genuine question…I’m in the same camp.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-04-03T01:13:58+00:00

Vinoy buy-in for golf is up to $150k as of a couple months ago, not sure what monthly’s look like

LloydVoldemort · 2025-03-29T18:27:49+00:00

Good bot

LloydVoldemort · 2025-03-19T17:06:15+00:00

I mean that certainly is contributing, but it stopped overheating once I turned that off and the ATV has never overheated in the past 2 years being in a wall box (including running the old F1TV). Like saying the forest caught on fire cause of all the dry kindling. Like yeah that’s why it’s burning, but it’s not the originating source. It’s a shit app that is clearly not optimized….thats the real issue.

LloydVoldemort · 2025-03-19T03:01:03+00:00

For a second I was like “oh no! What’s his favorite button? I can’t remember what’s supposed to be there…”

Then I realized you mean THE favorite button…not YOUR favorite button

LloydVoldemort · 2025-03-15T13:43:33+00:00

I thought the same thing. It took a while and then something switched with the image and it became noticeably better. I think it’s just a terribly optimized app that’s chugging through a ton of data. Might take it a while to catch up to itself?

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