Wisconsin Well

Wisconsin Well & Water Systems, LLC

Pump Information...

E-mail us: bruce@affordablewells.com Call us: 800-995-5004

The Oxford Travel Plaza at Hwy 82 & I-39. Click on the picture for a larger view and more information.

While there are many different types of pump systems, essentially there are only two common in our area. They are "JET PUMP SYSTEMS" and "SUBMERSIBLE PUMP SYSTEMS". Let's take a look at both of them.

But first...

"I don't care about all of this technical stuff! I just want to run a lawn sprinkler, take a shower and do a load of laundry. If it's a hot summer afternoon and the kids are playing in the sprinkler and Dad needs to take a shower after mowing the lawn, I don't want to run out of water". Michelle

OK, Michelle. You want a well with a submersible system and you can skip all of the jet pump technical stuff. If you want to read about your PVC well advantages, go here:

Or just e-mail me or call me and we will make sure that you don't run out of water!

If you do choose to read about a bunch of technical stuff, by all means, please read on!

"JET PUMP SYSTEMS", or Centrifugal pump systems (they do not all use jets) are typically installed on either 2' wells or driven points. They are divided into two different categories, "SHALLOW WELL" and "DEEP WELL" systems. Those names actually have nothing to do with the actual depth of the well, rather they describe how the pump lifts the water.

SHALLOW WELL JET PUMP. Imagine placing a straw in a glass of soda. As you sip on the straw, you are creating a low pressure area---a small vacuum---relative to the atmospheric pressure that is surrounding you. That relatively greater air pressure all around you is what then pushes the soda up the straw. That is essentially how a shallow well jet pump works. Many people choose to drive their own well point, and this is the type of pump system most commonly used.

Water has weight. If you dive for pennies in the shallow end of a swimming pool, you don't it notice much. Dive to the bottom of the 12' end and you can feel the difference. Every 2.31 foot of water = 1 pound per square inch (psi) of pressure. Lift a column of water 23.1 feet = 10 psi. You are constantly surrounded by about 14 psi of atmospheric pressure. You take away ALL of that 14.7 psi (at sea level) and the difference in pressure created by that vacuum will allow you to lift a column of water about 33 feet into the air.

Even if you create a perfect vacuum, however, you cannot suction lift a column of water more than about 33 feet at sea level. It does not matter how big your pump is! The pump cannot ever create more of a vacuum than a vacuum! Geographically here in Wisconsin, it's an average of about 900' above sea level. That means just a little "thinner" air than at sea level. A little less atmospheric pressure to push the water up the pipe. Add the fact that a jet pump does not even come close to creating a perfect vacuum and you find that the efficient, or practical limit to the shallow well pump is about 24'. The deeper it is to water, the less efficient it is to lift the water, the more difficult it is to prime the pump, the less volume you get once the pump is finally primed.

Click here to see a chart of practical lift of shallow well pumps.

What if it is farther than about 24 feet to water? In that case, if you choose to use a 2" well, you must use a Deep Well Jet Pump.

DEEP WELL JET PUMP. Have you ever taken a garden hose with a nice nozzle attached and shot a stream of water across the lawn? Have you ever sprayed off a concrete sidewalk, or the bed of a truck? If you notice a puddle of water there, you can use the water spray to "push" the puddle away. In concept, that is how a deep well jet pump system works. It uses water forced through a venturi nozzle and venturi tube to push water that it draws in from below. Remember that you can never create a suction of more than 14.7 psi @ sea level. Imagine a garden hose with only 14 psi. That is not much pressure. On the other hand, some deep well jet pumps build in excess of 100 psi!

Click here to view a diagram of how a deep well jet pump uses the pump pressure to draw water from below.

The center pipe (commonly known as drop pipe) is suction. The annular space between the drop pipe & well casing is pressurized by the pump, similar to the garden hose analogy mentioned above.

An off-set pump hooked to a well with a buried suction line in Wisconsin must be connected to a pitless adapter using concentric piping. View a diagram here.

For JET PUMP SYSTEMS connected directly to the well, you will need a pump house and heat it in the winter. SUBMERSIBLE PUMP SYSTEMS do not need to be enclosed within a pump house.

SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS are superior to jet pumps in virtually every category. They never need to be primed, because they are always immersed in water. They develop more pressure than a centrifugal or jet pump for the same rated horse power. The system is quieter than having the pump located in your basement or crawl space. The motor is cooled more efficiently by the cold well water than a jet pump is by the circulating air. The entire pump hook-up is less complicated and easier to maintain. The submersible pump is protected from freezing as it is down in the well. It is easier to push water than pull it. For the past 40 years, it has been the optimum way to supply your home with well water!

Michelle, a submersible pump simply gives you more water, less worry, costs less money. Any more questions? If so, go here:

Click to see pump curves for Myers Rustler submersible pumps.

There is no quiz at the end of this page. Submersible or jet, it's your decision. Now you can make the right decision for you!

Wisconsin Well & Water Systems, LLC

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608-584-5002 Fax

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