Should I use a safety line on by submersible pump? If so what kind do you recommend?

We get this question quite often when customers take on the challenge replacing their own well pump.
The first thing I will mention is that we do not generally use a safety line when installing well pumps. There are however a few specific cases that we would use a safety line, if for example we were installing a well pump using poly pipe. If the pump were to become deadheaded with poly pipe, the pump could heat the pipe to melting point, which would cause the pump and pipe to separate. Another example would be a scenario when using PVC drop pipe, and for the same reason described above. Otherwise we generally would not use a safety line because we use galvanized steel pipe for most installations. We also tape the wire to the pipe every 20 feet. In the event that the pump did become detached, it could be pulled up by the wire worst case scenario.

If you decide to use a safety line you really only need the weight rating of the safety line to cover the pump and motor. In the event that you are relying on the safety line to pull out the pump, it would be detached from the pipe so the weight of the pipe is irrelevant.

When it comes to material selection, we recommend either poly rope or stainless steel braided cable. Poly and stainless hold up very well in the wet environment and would last a long time.