Tips and Tricks

We were fortunate to have a customer, within our home state of New Mexico, that needed the new SkinnySleeves for sampling from their 2-inch, schedule 80 wells.  It was perfect timing to coincide with the release of the new narrow diameter HydraSleeves.  Daniel B. Stephens & Associates was kind enough to allow us to post some photos and comments of their sampling event.

Photographs & captions courtesy of Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc. (DBS&A) http://www.dbstephens.com

DBS&A field sampler completing first deployment of new HydraSleeve SkinnySleeves at a work site in New Mexico.

Use of the new HydraSleeve SkinnySleeves has reduced DBS&A's field sampling costs by over 50%

than traditional bailing and low flow techniques previously used to sample the groundwater at this site.

 DBS&A field sampler uses the new HydraSleeve SkinnySleeve to retrieve a groundwater sample

captured from middle of screened water column in a 2-inch schedule 80 well.

Please see the information below for the details and specs of the new Skinny HydraSleeve product line.

"You can never be too rich or too thin" ~ Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

We can help you with the thin part....

"THE NEW SKINNY SUPERSLEEVES ARE READY!!"

Skinny Sleeves will solve the issue of using standard 2-inch HydraSleeves and SuperSleeves in narrow ID, U.S. 2-inch Schedule 80 wells and Australian/European 50mm wells. The new 1-inch Skinny Sleeve fits in a 1-inch schedule 40 well.

Please call 800-996-2225 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for additional information.  

One of the reasons we are developing the new Skinny SuperSleeves is that our normal SuperSleeves will not fit in 2-inch, Schedule 80 wells.  They were designed to fit tightly in the more common 2-inch, Schedule 40 well.  Although we have posted notes in all of our normal SuperSleeve documentation, some customers have still tried to use the SuperSleeve in 2-inch Schedule 80 wells.

Sometimes it's not immediately apparant that you have schedule 80 wells. 

They can be difficult to identify especially if white pvc was used (not gray).  In the picture here it's almost impossible to identify which pipe is schedule 40 and which is schedule 80; imagine trying to identify this without a side-by-side comparison. 

When we hear that customers are having difficulty in deploying the SuperSleeves in the well, we can almost always identify the problem.  It is very likely that the customer is trying  to use a normal SuperSleeve in a 2-inch, schedule 80 well.  The top weight will fit, but it's very tight and there is no room between the weight and wall of the schedule 80 pipe, as seen in the photo here.

As you can see they were designed for a tight fit in the schedule 40 pipe.  In order for the SuperSleeve to work properly there must be some gap or play between the outside diamter of the top weight and the inside diamter of the casing. 

When the SuperSleeve is full of water it will have a larger outside diameter than the top weight.  It will protrude slightly from the edge of the top weight and thefore we must have room for the sleeve to fill. 

As seen in the photo there is no room for this expansion if the SuperSleeve is used in a schedule 80 well.  IF  the SuperSleeves do actually get installed in the schedule 80 wells,  it will be a most difficult task.  At this point there will be another problem when they are retrieved.  When the assembly is activated and the bag fills,  it will be almost impossible to retrieve.  Most likely the bag will be forced to rupture and no sample will be retrieved.

We cannot emphasize this point enough: 

PLEASE DO NOT USE NORMAL SUPERSLEEVES IN 2-INCH SCHEDULE 80 WELLS, IT WILL NOT WORK!

We are in the process of addressing the issue of using HydraSleeves in narrow:  2-inch, schedule 80; Australian/European 50mm; and 1-inch schedule 40, wells.  The new items will be called Skinny SuperSleeves.

Prototypes are on the way and we are excited to be bringing these to market very soon.

The new 2-inch Skinny SuperSleeves will fit in both 50mm and 2-inch schedule 80 wells; while the new Skinny 1-inch SuperSleeve will fit in 1-inch schedule 40 wells.  Maximum sample volumes will be announced after testing but we plan to have 2-inch skinny sleeves that will hold ~1 liter, ~1.5 liters and ~2 liters; the 1-inch configuration will likely hold ~500 mls.

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We are hoping to have the new Skinny SuperSleeves and the necessary weights available before the beginning of 2014.