Tips for Choosing the Right Well Pump

Digging water wells in your land can prove quite helpful with a steady supply of water all year round. It is particularly beneficial to farmers who need plenty of water for irrigation or animal care. Choosing the correct pump size is one of the most important parts of successful well operations. The following are some of the things to consider when choosing the right well pump:

Water depth

The water depth greatly determines what kind of pump you can get for your well. Your well depth is often mentioned in the well driller’s well report. You can also tell the depth of water in your well using a fishing bobber and a piece of string. Since the depth of your well is the distance between the ground surface and the water surface, lower the string into the well until the bobber is floating on the surface of the water and mark the string at ground level. The distance from the ground level mark on the string to the fishing bobber should tell you the depth of the well. Here are some pump considerations for depth:

·         Shallow well pumps are suitable for well depths of 25’ or less. This pump is not submersible but it is placed outside the well in a special pump housing unit. When shopping for shallow well pumps, look out for overload protection, which will prevent the motor from burning out. A tank or booster can also increase the PSI for constant water pressure in all the outlets.

·         Convertible well pumps operate in well depths between 0-25 and 25-90’ deep. The 0-25’ depth requires a shallow jet well nozzle while that of 25-90’ uses an ejector assembly. It is ideal for water wells with a fluctuating water table since it can handle different depths, it is also not submersible and it is kept in a special well housing at ground level. The ejector increases pressure in the well to help draw water from deeper depths. The pump creates a vacuum in the suction pipe and uses atmospheric pressure to draw water from the well.

·         Deep well pumps on the other hand can be used for wells that are as deep as 300’ below the ground level. They are submerged inside the well. Because the pumps are installed many feet underground, the starter controls usually remain above ground wired to the pump.

Water needs

Your home’s water needs will determine the size of the pump that you should get. This is often guided by the number of rooms you have in your home. A three to four bedroom house usually needs about 8-12 gallons per minute. Count the number of water fixtures in your home including faucets, shower heads, water using appliances and outdoor water spigots. Assume each of these fixtures needs one gallon per minute of water flow for calculation purposes. Most pump capacity is usually listed in gallons per hour or gallons per minute to make it easy for you to decide what you need.

Posted By: KCW Water Well Repair  http://kcwwaterwell.com/