H ello, I'm Bill Smedley. The Lemco Drawdown Well Seal was invented by my father, Bill Smedley, Sr., who was a well driller needing to control drawdown to prevent cavitation in submersible pumps.

Many of Dad's wells were in fine sand, which was not a problem until he started installing submersible pumps. Then, over time or during dry spells, he began to have trouble with pump motors burning out. In most cases there was plenty of water to make a good well, but the fine sand restricted water flow and increased drawdown. If the water level dropped below the pump inlet, cavitation would occur and the motor would burn out. The only alternative, it seemed, was to drill deeper, looking for a higher-yield aquifer.

Dad started experimenting with airtight seals above the pump which forced the submersible to pump water from the aquifer below, instead of lowering the water from above, inside the well casing. These seals which he called "drawdown seals" solved the problem. Dad also discovered well production could be increased to the value he was pumping with his well rig, or better. This, he reasoned, was because the seal was causing suction to be placed on the well. He thought it was similar to sucking on a straw and that it was possible to raise the pumping water level, inside the well, far above the pumping water level outside the well casing. Since suction is not broken when the pump shuts off, the seal is ideal for low water level and slow producing wells.

In 1969, Dad showed his invention for the first time at the Michigan Water Well Driller's Convention in Alpena, Michigan. The above photo shows him demonstrating his seal to other well drillers at that convention. He had an actual working model, complete with a submersible pump, which enabled him to show how his invention worked. His demonstration was similar to the animation below:

Notice that the water level inside the well casing is above the pumping water level and above the submersible pump, just like it would be if you were sucking on a straw.

Thank you for stopping by our website and for your interest in the Lemco Drawdown Well Seal. If you have any questions or comments, please fill out the Contact Us form and I will personally reply to you.