Pump Installation
We size and set submersible well pumps for new wells and replace worn pumps in existing wells. The drop pipe, wire, controls and the electrical to the pump come with the job.
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Water line trenching and installation is the link between your well and your house. One trench, across a yard or a field, carries the water line and the pump's power conduit. Big River Drilling digs that trench, lays both lines in it and makes the connections at each end. It is part of finishing a new water well, and it is how an old, broken line gets fixed.
We are a licensed C-57 well drilling contractor based in Riverdale, working Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties. The same company drills the well, sets the submersible pump and runs the lines to the house. Call or text (559) 867-3806 for a free on-site estimate.
Tell us about the well or the water problem. We come out, look at the site and give you a free estimate.
The California Plumbing Code calls for at least 12 inches of cover over the water line to a house. Where frost reaches deeper, the pipe goes deeper too. The valley floor has no frost line to speak of. Cover is measured from the top of the pipe to the finished ground.
The conduit that carries the pump's power has its own rule. The electrical code's burial table calls for 18 inches of cover over PVC conduit. Cable buried without conduit needs 24 inches. With both in one trench, the trench is dug to the deeper rule.
The plumbing code also calls for a blue copper tracer wire beside buried plastic water pipe. It lets a pipe locator find the line later, before anyone digs near it.
At the well, the new line ties into the fittings beside the well head. In the valley, the pressure tank and the pump controls usually sit there too, above ground. At the house, the line comes up and ties in where the house's own plumbing begins. The code calls for an accessible shutoff valve on a well's water supply.
The plumbing code approves PVC and polyethylene pipe for this buried run, but not for the pipes inside the house. Plastic water pipe comes in pressure classes, such as 160 and 200 psi. On a long run, pipe size matters too, since water loses pressure to friction along the way.
The code calls for a pressure test on the new line, with water rather than air for plastic pipe. It must hold a test pressure at or above its working pressure for at least 15 minutes, with no leaks. After that, clean earth free of stones and debris goes back in thin layers to 12 inches over the pipe. The rest of the trench is filled, compacted and graded back.
On a new well, the trench comes near the end. The well is drilled, cased, sealed and pump-tested, then the pump, the tank and the lines go in. County setback rules keep a well away from the septic system, which can make for a long trench. A replacement well goes in a new hole, so its line runs from the new well head.
A broken line can show up as a wet spot or a green strip across a dry summer yard. The pump may kick on with every tap closed, and the pressure comes and goes. A pump that starts by itself can also mean a check valve that leaks back down the well. We find the cause before anyone digs.
Gophers gnaw flexible plastic water lines, according to the University of California's pest management program. One break can be dug out and repaired; a line that keeps failing is a candidate for a new run. A broken line that leaves the house dry is an emergency well service call. We take well and pump calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Free estimates and site visits across Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties and out to Kern, Madera and Merced, about 60 to 70 miles around Riverdale.
(559) 867-3806From the first call to water at the tap, here is how it goes.
Call or text (559) 867-3806, or send the form. Tell us about the property and what you need, and we set up a free estimate.
We look for a well spot with room for the rig. State standards keep it at least 100 feet from the septic tank and leach field. We also pull the records of nearby wells.
As the licensed driller, we apply for the county well permit. Drilling starts only after the county issues it.
Our mud rotary rig drills the hole. We set the casing and gravel pack, then place the sanitary seal that keeps surface water out.
We develop the well to clear out drilling mud and fine sand. Then a pump test measures the flow and tells us where to set the pump.
We set the pump and the pressure tank and run the lines to the house. State standards call for disinfecting the well before the water goes on.
Common questions about trenching and water lines across Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties and out to Kern, Madera and Merced, about 60 to 70 miles around Riverdale. If yours is not here, call and ask.
We size and set submersible well pumps for new wells and replace worn pumps in existing wells. The drop pipe, wire, controls and the electrical to the pump come with the job.
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We install and replace bladder and galvanized well pressure tanks, plus the switches, gauges and check valves. When the pump clicks on and off, we find out why.
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Irrigation and stock wells for farms, orchards, dairies and ranches around Riverdale. We drill by mud rotary, test pump the well and handle the permit paperwork.
Learn MoreCalifornia law says only a C-57 licensee may drill a water well. Big River Drilling is a licensed C-57 well drilling contractor.
Our mud rotary rig drills the well, and our pump crew sets the pump, the pressure tank and the lines. You deal with one company from the permit to water at the tap.
No water at night or on a weekend? We take well and pump calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We work Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties from our Riverdale yard, and out to Kern, Madera and Merced counties.
Real reviews from real well and pump jobs, 9 reviews on Google.
Helped out my parents asap when the others wanted us to wait 2 weeks. He came out same day!!!! and changed the valve in only 10 minutes “thank you sir!! “ (water well drilling)
Open 24 hours. The owner is always available and always answers the phone or calls back. He’s very attentive, and when we have problems with the well, he will come out and check it immediately. He takes full responsibility for his work, which is excellent. we just call and he’ll walk us through the situation and it’s usually something simple. He also was able to get us a well at reduced rate through a program that he works with
Great fokes to do business with
Tell us about the property or what your well is doing, and we will set up a free estimate. For a well or pump problem, call or text (559) 867-3806, day or night.
Tell us about the well or the water problem. We come out, look at the site and give you a free estimate.
