Deep well pumps ?????

[RJD2516]

one other thing. 180 feet is not deep. A deep well pump will be over 1000 feet. We made 12 inch pumps for pumping the water off the top of natural gas deposits. These would run over 100hp, and pump water over 2500 feet. Now, those are deep well pumps.

I built a pump for my folks that was 3 hp. Their well is 425 feet. That was 12 years ago. And it is still running great.

 

[Egon]

Oh, they do pump from deeper than 2500 feet.:thumbsup:

 

[TheGoose]

Howdy, getting ready to have a well drilled for my daughter's new place. Estimate the water table at about 180 feet deep.

I really just want y'all's opinions about submerged pumps versus surface pumps.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the surface mounted jet pump?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the bottom mounted submersible pump?

Are any of y'all familiar with Grunfos (sp?) pumps?

I am a licensed WW pump installer here in Tx.

There is no competition-submersible pump is better in every category except initial cost. It will be much more reliable, pump more water, and use less electricity than any comprable jet pump.

As for the 180' water table, my guess is that the OP is talking about the total depth of the well. I would imagine that in S. Mississippi the WATER LEVEL would be fairly high, probably less than 60-80 ft. So in that case a jet pump would be totally feasible, but not desirable unless the initial cost was your only factor.

Grundofs is indeed very good, but probably also the costliest option. Variable speed is an individual decision and has pro's / con's.

Howdy. Good question.

I worked for Grundfos pumps for 6 years, at the manufacturing facility in Fresno. Okay, at 180 feet, you are going to use a submersible pump. Period. Now, what kind is up to you. And I don't mean brand.

First, put on a pump protector. A PUMPTEC. This is so important. Don't skip this. For 300 bucks, it will pay for itself. I promise.

Next, make the decision on standard or variable speed motor. Variable speed are more efficient (a lot more - so cheaper to run), but have been semi-questionable on longevity.

Then you need the pump sized correctly. 180 feet, yes, but how far to the house. What pressure do you need? How much landscaping? How many bathrooms? Are you going with a constant pressure system? etc. 3 inch, 4 inch or 6 inch pump? 120 or 240 volt? etc. This is where you need a professional.

The last decision is brand. I could go on and on about Grundfos and how good they are (I have not worked there in 5 years), but they are expensive. Stainless steel is not cheap. I will say Franklin makes a very good motor.

You want to get this right. This is your WATER. So call up Grundfos, or Goulds, or whomever, and get some information. This is free. And those people have a lot of experience.

Would you please explain to me how variable speed is cheaper/more efficient? VS has advantages/disadvantages but I don't think energy efficiency is one of them.

 

[RadarTech]

My well is 465 ft deep and the basement of the house is another 50 feet higher... So a submersible was the only option. Don't even think about it! Go submersible and pick a good brand....

 

[Fi-Q]

Go submersible. And if you're the kind of guys who wants to ne prepared when grid goes out, ( or even worst some would say be prepaired for when SHTF) a variable speed pump dosen't have a huges surge start so it can be run from a lot smaller generator or inverter than regular good old 240 submersible pump. You can even get a good DC grundfos. But the extra cost can be a cons, your own decision.

 

[RJD2516]

A quick reply on the variable speed.

The purpose of a variable speed pump is to be more energy efficient. That is the only advantage to them. As a WW installer, you probably are more familiar than I am with all of the different types of pressure systems. The variable speed pump (motor actually) does not have to run at constant rpms every time it is turned on. I believe (and it has been a while) that the standard submersible motor runs at 3840 rpm's when started. It can not run at less than 3840 rpms. It is either running at this rate, or it is not running at all. A variable speed can run at 50 rpms, or 100, or 500, etc. All the way up to 3840. So, it consumes less electricity. Hence, the energy efficiency.

The problem with them, is that it takes a lot of electronics to make this happen. Sitting in water, all those electronics......... Well, you get the idea.

If you want more information, Look at the Grundfos SQ pump line. What I will tell you, is that we had tons of problems with these when they were new. But that was 10 years ago. I have a newer version in my constant pressure system now, and I haven't had any problems with it. So far. It is 3 years old.

 

[IndyIan]

A quick reply on the variable speed.

The purpose of a variable speed pump is to be more energy efficient. That is the only advantage to them. As a WW installer, you probably are more familiar than I am with all of the different types of pressure systems. The variable speed pump (motor actually) does not have to run at constant rpms every time it is turned on. I believe (and it has been a while) that the standard submersible motor runs at 3840 rpm's when started. It can not run at less than 3840 rpms. It is either running at this rate, or it is not running at all. A variable speed can run at 50 rpms, or 100, or 500, etc. All the way up to 3840. So, it consumes less electricity. Hence, the energy efficiency.

The problem with them, is that it takes a lot of electronics to make this happen. Sitting in water, all those electronics......... Well, you get the idea.

If you want more information, Look at the Grundfos SQ pump line. What I will tell you, is that we had tons of problems with these when they were new. But that was 10 years ago. I have a newer version in my constant pressure system now, and I haven't had any problems with it. So far. It is 3 years old.

So you don't have a pressure tank? Interesting! I have a franklin submersible with a large pressure tank so the pump doesn't have to cycle as much. A side benefit is that we can have quite a bit of water pressured up for a short power failure, enough to cook with for a day or two or even flush the low flow toilet a couple times. Our generator is only 120V so I can't run the well pump with it.

 

[RJD2516]

Yes, I have a pressure tank. But it is 2.5 gallons. My system is a 2500 gallon storage tank with a SQ (variable speed pump) in it. The well fills the tank when it hits 1500 gallons. Then, when you flush a toilet, the pump in the storage tank kicks on to kick the pressure back up. Good and bad points to this kind of system.

The good part is the pressure. I can press a button to adjust the pressure up to 100psi. I have it set to 60. It is always 60. No matter what is running. Two showers, toilets flushing, washing clothes, dishwasher running, and the sprinklers on in the front and back. Go to use a hose, and you get 60 psi.

The bad part, every time you flush a toilet, the pump spins up. Not the well pump. Only the SQ pump in the tank. But it happens every time. There is no way to tell it not to. It is determined to keep the pressure at 60 psi. Not 59. If the system goes to 59 psi, the pump spins up, and kicks it back to 60.

I do not have a single leak in my sprinklers. If I did, I would know, because that darn pump would probably never shut off.

 

[RJD2516]

Oh, and when the power is out, I run the 120v SQ in the tank with a generator. So we have 2500 gallons on tap. But when that is gone....no water.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

My well goes down 300 feet.
Submersible jet pump is the only way to go.