Water well pumps are a necessity. The basic function of a water well pump is to raise water from the ground and there are three basic types.
The three water well pump types include:
The type of water pump one selects depends on the function and amount of water required.
The centrifugal jet pump is the simplest and cheapest. This pump is composed of a single pipe that goes underground to the well borehole. This type of water well pump is only used for shallow wells because it can generate suction to efficiently elevate water to no more than 20-25 feet. This style of well pump is not submersible and is placed outside the well in a well housing.
The jet pump is available in two styles - the shallow well and deep well jet pumps. A shallow well jet pump is usually connected to the well borehole water column with only one suction pipe. This type of jet pump also has limited water-lifting capacity that is no more than 20-25 feet. The shallow well jet pump has a pre-installed jet device installed on or in the pump at the ground level. It is also much easier to prime compared to the centrifugal pump. One simply fills the pump container with water and turns on the device.
The deep well jet pump is generally utilized for wells that have a water level depth much greater than 25 feet from the ground surface. This system has two pipes within the borehole water column. One pipe functions as a suction pipe and the other pipe returns water to operate the jet unit, which is installed in the well borehole below water level. When the pump is turned on, it pushes water down one pipe and re-enters via the second.
This device can raise water from depths greater than 40-50 feet. There are also some large jet pumps that can pump water to the ground surface from wells below a hundred feet below the ground surface.
These water well pumps are not submersible and are placed in a well housing. These pumps are popular with people who have a fluctuating water table.
The submersible pump is the most versatile and also the most popular when it come to water well pumping from below ground. Like the jet pump, it can be used to raise water from shallow and deep-water wells. The latest, smallest submersible pump for domestic use can easily fit into a three inch or larger diameter well. However, the most popular for domestic well use is the four inch submersible pump. These water well pumps have superb efficiency and are capable of pumping large amounts of water from deep wells. The function of the pump depends on its horsepower. The greater the horsepower, the greater the water return.
Overload protection should be a feature when considering any of the above pumps for your water well.
