Well seal elbows (also known as venturi elbows) vs pitless adapters. Would you ever need both? Why would you need one or the other? Well seal elbows are typically used in well pit installations. Due to some well codes, well pits are being converted to to a well casing extension with pitless adapters which are more sanitary and protects your well water from surface water contamination.
In this blog, we will go over what well seals are and how they fit in shallow and deep well jet pump systems and show how pitless adapters have eliminated the need for well seal elbows using diagrams.
What are Well Seal Elbows?
Well seal elbows are simply a 90° long bend, "sweep" elbow that are designed for polyethylene pipe. Having a long, sweeping bend reduces friction loss to ensure your deep well jet pump will run efficiently. They are used to make directional changes from. vertical pipes down in the well, to the horizontal service link that goes to the pump house or
residence.
Well seal elbows can be used in both shallow and deep well jet installations. Typically, shallow systems use one well seal elbow and deep well jet installations use two well seal elbows for the drive pipe and the delivery pipe. Shallow well jet pumps can pump water from 0' to 25' deep and deep well jet pumps can typically pump water anywhere from 25' to 120'.
Below is a diagram of how a well seal elbow is used in well pit installations instead of pitless adapters. Again, well pits are almost completely extinct due to well codes wanting them converted due to sanitary and safety reasons. In their place? Well Casing installations using pitless adapters.
Well Seal Elbow Installation vs Pitless Adapter Installation
Pitless Adapters
Pitless adapters becamse popular when well pits became dangerous and dirty, leading to the creation of a new system, a quick connect system. They were referred to as "quick connector adapters" and they got their name from the fact that they eliminated the need for well pits.
Pitless adapters provide a water tight, 90° connection below the frost line and they provide a quick connect assembly which creates the connection between the drop pipe and submersible pump. This makes a 90° change in flow direction, discharged through the service line all the way to the water storage tank. Well casing installations typically use a slide type pitless adapter as they are mainly used in residential and commercial applications up to 2" drop pie sizes.
You install the slide pitless through a hole drilled in the well casing. This ensures a water tight, sanitary seal that uses compression gaskets on both the inside and outside of the well casing.
For more information on slide pitless adapters, check out our blog, Slide vs Spool Pitless Adapters: What's the Difference?
In conclusion:
Well seal elbows may still be used in some areas, but for the most part, well casing installations have become the norm and use pitless adapters, ensuring a more sanitary application. If you are wanting more information on pitless adapters and well casing installations, we have tons of resources on our Knowledge Base and BoshartU.
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