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Photograph of a drilled well casing Submersible Well Pumps for Drinking Water Wells
Components of submersible pump well systems

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Submersible well pumps:

This article describes the components of a submersible well pump water system, how the pump, well and controls work, what the well pump components look like, and what they do.

We give submersible well pump troubleshooting advice and invite questions. We include definitions of water well and water well drilling terms, the typical capacity of drilled water well pumps, and we include descriptions of methods used to fish materials out of a water well if you've dropped the pipe, well pump, or tools down into the well casing.

We explain how to use a torque arrestor & other methods to stop damage to well pump wiring & piping caused by twisting forces as the pump starts.

In our page top photo we know that this well uses a submersible well pump. How? Notice that electrical conduit running up the left side of the well casing and into the well cap? That's carrying electrical wiring down into the well - that's how we power a submersible pump.

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What are the Components of a Drilled Well with a Submersible Water Pump?

Pulling a well pipe © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com Here we provide detail about the individual components and operating characteristics of drilled wells using a steel casing where a submersible water pump has been installed in the well to deliver water to the building.

Our photo (left) shows the process of pulling a well pipe and submersible pump.

Article Contents

We introduced the different types of drilled wells and bored wells

at DRILLED WELLS, STEEL CASINGS. This article discusses submersible in-well pumps - those water pumps located within the well bore or casing itself, typically close to the bottom of the well.

Rather than an in-well submersible water pump, other wells use a one line or two line jet pump (depending on well depth) - in those wells the pump is above ground rather than in the well. Those well types are discussed in more detail at

WATER PUMP, ONE LINE JET used in shallow wells

and
TWO LINE JET PUMP used in deep wells

Definitions of well and water pump items shown on the above sketch left side, top to bottom

Submersible Well Pump Components (C) Daniel FriedmanSketch & Definitions of the Components of a Drilled Well with a Submersible Pump

Refer to this illustration of a deep well with a submersible pump. This list and definition of water well parts and terms is organized from the top of the drawing towards its bottom and uses names that correspond to those shown in our drawing.

In the list of submersible pump type well components, please also refer to both the illustration here and my ink sketch of well parts in the next illustration below. Referring to the second inky sketch, we first describe items listed on the right side of that sketch, second we describe items and terms listed on the left side of that sketch.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Definitions of well and water pump items shown on the ugly ink-drawing sketch below, proceeding from sketch right side, top to bottom:

Photograph of a drilled well casing

Below we see an illustration of the details of a submersible well pump in the first sketch, and in the second larger sketch you will find additional details of a submersible pump well design, courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch. The letters at each definition are keyed to our rough deep well sketch higher on this article .

[Click to enlarge any image]

Photograph of a drilled well casing Schematic of a submersible pump deep well system (C) Carson Dunlop Associates

What is the Pumping Capacity in Gallons per Minute for a Submersible Deep Well Pump?

A submersible deep well water pump (the pump is physically inside the well and at or close to the bottom of the well piping) can typically raise water from depths of 30-feet to hundreds of feet, and at water delivery rates of 4 gpm 25 gpm depending on the variables that we list below. Submersible well pumps are typically offered in horsepower ratings of 1/2 HP, 3/4 HP, 1 HP, and 1 1/2 HP.

At WATER PUMP CAPACITIES TYPES RATES GPM we compare the pumping capacities of one line jet pumps, two line jet pumps, submersible well pumps, and other water pumping methods.

Rated water flow rates for pumps range (by horsepower and model) from a nominal 6 gpm to 35 gpm.

Watch out: installing a higher capacity well pump may indeed give faster water flow and higher water system pressure, but if the pump is not properly matched to the well's safe flow rate (by pump selection or pump controls) you can pump all of the water out of your well, run dry, damage the pump, etc.

See WELL YIELD, SAFE LIMITS

A nice example table of Deep Well Submersible Well Pump Capacities is provided in the Water Ace 4-inch (diameter) Submersible Well Pump Installation Manual and excerpted below to illustrate the factors that determine well pump capacity. We have sharpened the text and provided a larger, more legible table (click to enlarge) than the original.

In selecting a well pump the well depth as well as water flow requirements must be considered. While jet pumps have a pickup placed typically 5-feet above the well bottom, when installing a submersible pump it is placed ten feet above the well bottom (maximum) or ten feet below the draw down limit for the well.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Deep well pumping capacity - Water Ace Co.

The Water Ace charts (shown in part above) make clear that the capacity of a deep well pump to deliver water at a given flow rate varies by these factors:

  1. the depth of the well (the bottom scale in the two charts)
  2. the pump horsepower (the color codes indicate pump model and horsepower HP variation)
  3. The well pump model (the right hand table is for the company's more powerful well pump series of 2-line jet pumps)
  4. The condition of well piping, including pipe diameter, length, number of bends or elbows
  5. The presumption that the entire piping system has no leaks

Permission requested, Water Ace Corp. Aug 2010 - Pentair Pump Group.

Water Ace asserts that a typical 3-4 bedroom home requires a water delivery rate of 8-12 GPM.

Watch out: the water delivery rate at plumbing fixtures is determined by the water pump as well as building water supply piping and controls. But it is a number independent of the ability of the well itself to deliver a sustained water flow - the well yield. The water delivery rate is also independent of the total quantity of water that can be run before you run out.

See WELL FLOW RATE

Watch Out: Safety warnings  are throughout any pump manufacturer's instructions. Because some pump models are capable of developing internal pressures of more than 100 psi, if your building piping, pressure relief valves, safety controls, wiring, and plumbing are not properly installed, very dangerous conditions including electrical shock, tank explosion, and leaks or floods can occur.

Submersible Pump Torque Problems

This topic has moved.

Please see this new article: SUBMERSIBLE PUMP TORQUE PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

Submersible Well Pump IO Manuals & Contacts

 




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-11-28 by (mod) - cloudy metallic tasting well water after pump replacement

Kathi

Quite possible that the water in your well was disturbed during the submersible pump removal and replacement. It should clear up in a few days. If it doesn't there's a question of whether the pump is too close to the bottom of the world. If the distance from the world bottom has not changed then it might be worth sending a camera down low to check the condition of the casing to be sure that there are no leaks from higher in the well bore.

On 2020-11-28 by Kathi

Above well pump replaced to submersible pump. Water taste before excellent. Water before clear. Now slightly cloudy, metallic taste. Replaced four days ago....will it become clear and taste good again? When? How long?
Thank you.

On 2020-11-01 - by (mod) -

I think you may be exceeding the well flow rste and running out of water

On 2020-11-01 by John

My Submersible Well Pump System is losing prime when I turn on more than 1 faucet.

On 2018-12-29 - by (mod) -

It's common for a new well to give cloudy water for a brief time until the well has had time to settle down;

It's also possible for a new well to be supplied by an aquifer that contains taste elements or even fine clay.

So if these complaints persist I think it would make sense to have your water tested by a local Water Testing Lab.

Discuss your complaint so that they can suggest specific things that ought to be included in the screening test. You might also want a well drilling company to inspect the well casing interior for damage by using a camera.

Sticky bentonite is a form of bentonite clay, a material commonly used to seal around the outside of the steel casing when a drilled well is installed.

Properly located and installed that won't be the cause of bad tastes in your water;

On 2018-12-28 by Joan

We have a drilled well that is 265 feet deep with a submersible pump in it. I don't remember exactly when the well was drilled but it was about 20 years ago. The piping is 6" in diameter and what I saw brought here looked like black iron pipe with some rust on it.

The driller said we have an over-flowing well and that he put something that he called "sticky betonite" on the ground around the well so that we wouldn't have wet ground there. My question is about a sudden, very strong metallic taste we are getting in the water.

The taste is so strong that even a water filter on the tap cannot remove it completely. In the past, we would notice this taste from time to time, and then it would go away. Now it's relentless and very strong.

On 2017-11-21 - by (mod) -

Leak in through well casing or water level in well extremely low

On 2017-11-20 by Shiv

mud water from submersible pump


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Continue reading at PUMP, SUBMERSIBLE OPERATION or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see SUBMERSIBLE PUMP DIAGNOSTIC FAQs diagnostic questions & answers posted originally on this page.

Or see this

Submersible Well Pump Article Series Contents

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WATER PUMP, SUBMERSIBLE at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS

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