11 January 2017
 Categories: , Blog

Without a pump, your water well is little more than a big, wet hole in the ground, so choosing the right pump for your well and your water needs is vital. Jet pumps are one of the most common and popular types of well pumps used, and they have numerous advantages over other types of well pumps, such as submersible models. However, not every jet pump is the same, and when choosing a new jet pump for your well, you will have to decide whether a shallow or deep well pump is right for your needs. Each of these types of jet pump comes with its own advantages and disadvantages:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a shallow well jet pump?

As their name would suggest, shallow well jet pumps are designed to be used in relatively shallow wells and will function properly when pumping water from up to 25 feet below ground level. These types of jet pumps are therefore ideal for use with shallow wells, as they do not waste unnecessary energy providing more pumping power and higher flow rates than necessary -- many shallow jet pumps used less than 1 horsepower and are subsequently very cheap to run. 

However, these shallow pumps have another key advantage in that they are positioned outside the well, rather than submerged within it. This makes conducting inspections and occasional maintenance on your pump a far simpler prospect and means that a pump can be easily repaired or replaced if and when it fails. It also makes adjusting pressure cut-off valves and other safety features easier.

Unfortunately, the limitations of shallow well jet pumps are also rather self-explanatory, and they will not function properly in excessively deep wells. The limited pressure they produce also limits their effectiveness when used with expansive piping systems (such as a system that serves several, relatively distant buildings), even if the system is served by a shallow well.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a deep well jet pump?

These pumps are more robust and powerful than their shallow well cousins, and the most powerful models can be used in wells up to 200 feet deep. However, this doesn't mean their use is limited to deep wells -- if you have a shallow water well serving an extensive piping system, placing a deep well pump in your shallow well will provide considerable amounts of additional pressure, allowing distant buildings to receive water moments after the pump is activated.

As far as disadvantages go, the main disadvantage of operating a deep well jet pump is the higher running costs you will encounter, as their more powerful motors take considerably more energy to run. Another problem that deep pump operators sometimes encounter is that deep well pumps must be placed inside the well, rather than at ground level -- this problem can be circumvented somewhat by choosing a model with starter controls at ground level connected to a submerged pump, but bear in mind that this only makes repairing a malfunctioning starter control box easier. If the pump itself suffers problems, it will have to be brought up from the well, which can be a difficult.

For more information about water pumps, talk with equipment suppliers in your area.