Drip Wells

 WHY IRRIGATORS AND PUMP COMPANIES SHOULD CONSIDER USING A "DRIP-WELL" SYSTEM ON THEIR OIL LUBED TURBINE PUMPS

The Upper Loup NRD, as part of their water quality program, offers cost share for the purchase of drip wells. Cost share is 50% of actual cost. The District will pay cost share on a maximum of 2 drip wells per producer per year.

Inadequate drip oiling is the leading cause of turbine irrigation pump failure.  All pump companies will tell you that it is absolutely essential that the bearings in your pump get plenty of oil during operation.

 Continuous dripping (when your pump is not in operation) wastes oil and causes water contamination.   Excess oil dripped when your pump is not running will rise to the top of the water table and floats in the well casing. Many wells have from three to five feet of oil floating on the water and it has been reported that occasionally pump repairmen will find as much as 30-40 feet of oil in the casing! This not only can cause water contamination but also causes perforation build up.

 Automatic operation assures bearing lubrication whenever the well is pumping.  The Drip-Well valve is often perceived as an automatic shut-off. But the truth is that Drip-Well is a complete oiling system which is primarily about lubricating pumps reliably and efficiently. It not only shuts down your oil drip when the pump shuts down but more importantly, it starts dripping when the pump starts up whether the operator is there or even if he should forget to manually check it.