Living outside of the city can bring a lot of peace and quiet to our lives, and we don’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of city life. However, living outside the City of Hamilton can have its own unique challenge as well – especially when it comes to the utilities coming into your home. One of the things a lot of people who live in Hamilton take for granted is just having water available on demand to them. You more than likely require a pump when you live in a rural area as rural properties are often on well water. Here is what you need to know about rural water pumps and how to pick the right one.
What is a rural pump?
A rural water pump takes water from underground sources and pumps it towards home to provide clean drinking water.
There are two different kinds of rural pumps: jet pumps and submersible pumps.
Jet Pump
This kind has a motorized jet pump that moves the water from the well and a motor to drive the pump. A jet pump will also come with a pressure tank to help balance out the water throughout the home. Jet pumps work by pulling water up from the ground.
Submersible Pump
This kind will have a pump and a pump motor, in addition to an internal check valve. A submersible pump may or may not have a pressure tank – it will depend on the manufacturer. This kind of pump works by pushing the water up from under the ground (as opposed to pulling it like a jet pump).
What kind of pump do I need?
Well, the answer to that really varies depending on your situation. Certain pumps will work better for certain wells. For example, since submersible pumps push water up from the ground, they tend to work better with deeper wells as opposed to using energy to pull water from that deep in the ground. Other factors like the well casing and width of the well will determine which kind of pump should be used on your well.
How to tell if you have a shallow or deep well?
This information will be on the driller’s well report if you have a copy of that. If you don’t, you can tie a fishing bobber to a string and lower it until it’s floating in the water. Keep the string taut and mark the string where the bobber is just floating – that’s how deep the well is.
If the well is less than 25’ deep, you have a shallow well, and you can probably use a jet pump. If it’s between 25’ and 110’ deep, you can use a deep well jet pump. However, if it’s between 110’ and 400’ deep, you will definitely need a submersible pump.
Contact Wentworth Plumbing today.
Yearly maintenance inspections from a plumber who has experience with wells are always recommended to ensure your system is working as it should and your family has safe, clean drinking water coming into your home. If you have questions about the well on your property, give Wentworth Plumbing a call today.