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Photograph of a drilled well casingWell Pump Types

Types of Jet Pumps, Submersible Pumps, Hand Pumps, Solar Pumps, Wind Operated Pumps

Well pump definitions, types.

Page top photo: this old Myers well pump, installed in a home renovated by the author (DF) is easily identified as a two-line jet pump by the two black water lines connected to the pump's pumping impeller assembly at left in the photo.

This article series describes the different types of water pumps or well pumps, and we list the factors affecting the life expectancy of water pumps and we include a list of steps to take to maximize the life of a well or water pump and its motor.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Types of Water Pumps

Jet pump schematic (C) Carson Dunlop Associates

In this article we describe and give specifics of different types of water pumps.

Article Series Contents

Kinetic water ram water pumps, or Ram Pumps for water delivery

Hydraulic ram type water pump, Cox patent 1990A kinetic water ram pump or hydraulic ram pump uses the force of running water in a stream combined with the principles of hydraulics to lift water as much as 50 meters from the pump location.

The water ram was invented in 1780 by Frenchman Joseph Michael Montgolfier. Cox's hydraulic ram type water pump (1990) is shown below.

Since surface or stream water is unlikely to be sanitary in most locations, water ram pumps are used mostly in agriculture to move stream water to fields for irrigation.

A very different water ram, a "Kinetic water ram" pump using compressed air to clear clogged building drains is available and is discussed

at CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.

That kinetic water ram, discussed in detail

at KINETIC WATER RAM, is a drain clearing tool not a water pump.

Hand Pumps (Pitcher Pumps) & Mechanical Pumps for Pumping Water

Mechanical well pump (C) Daniel Friedman

A variety of systems to lift water out of a well, including human carriers, rope and bucket, or mechanical pumps operated by hand, wind, or other means has been in use for thousands of years.

While simple pitcher pumps are still used to draw water from a shallow well, an engineered hand pump can lift water from depths around 300 ft. .

A leather valve on the end of the suction rod seals against the inner surface of the pipe to create water-lifting suction as the pump handle moves the suction rod up and down.

This simple but effective pump design could be operated by hand or by another power source such as a windmill.

See details about all types of hand-pumps for lifting water, now

at HAND PUMP for WELLS

We discuss windmills for lifting water separately

at WINDMILL OPERATED WELL PUMPS

Solar powered water pumps

RPS Solar well pump, 200 Watt, from rpssolarpumps.com cited & discussed at InspectApedia.comSolar powered pumps run on direct current (DC) supplied by a solar panel. The panel contains photovoltaic (PV) cells that convert light into electricity.

These cells are arranged into modules that form the panels.

The electricity is transmitted to either a floating pump or a submerged pump. Floating pumps are used to pump water while they float over a stream, pond, etc. The submersible pumps are used to pump water from a deep water source such as a well.

Since the PV cells are expensive and solar power is limited to the day hours manufacturers strive to produce very efficient pumps. Panels must be install and oriented to maximize the capture of the sun light.

A solar tracker may be used to automatically move the panels to face the sun as it moves during the day/season. For night time or cloudy days the system can be equipped with battery backup or a storage tank provided with capacity to supply the water demand for a few days.

-USDA, "Renewable Energy Sources to Power Grazing Watering Systems A CSP On-Farm Pilot Project ", retrieved 2022/05/30 original source: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_017476.pdf

Shown above: a 200-Watt solar powerd well pump provided by RPS Solar Pumps, cited below.

See our SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS home page at InspectApedia as well as the solar pumps listed below.

In addition to solar-powered jet pumps or submersible well pumps, the engineered deep well lift-pumps described above for hand pumping can also be adapted to use a solar-operated motor provided by the same company. The solar water pump uses a single 200W solar panel and can pump from depths to 350 ft. (Castle, op. cit.)

 

VFD Well Pumps: Variable Frequency Drive, Variable Speed Pumps

Scala 2 pressure control and leak indicator (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comA more-sophisticated type of water pump than others described in this article series, VFDs constant-pressure or variable frequency drive pumps, as described here, maintain constant pressure by varing the pump's motor-speed. These pumps are designed to start and stop repeatedly without suffering damage.

A VFD pump maintains a constant water pressure on its output side by varying the motor speed or rpm according to the demand. A check-valve on the pump's output side prevents back-flow from the pressurized side of the pump when the pump stops.

Manufacturers of VFD pumps such as Grundfos and DAB produce variable frequency drive pumps, also known as constant-pressure pumps, that use a motor controller to vary pump speed and thus output in order to maintain a constant pressure in the water system, increasing pump speed as water usage rate increase, and vice versa.

The Grundfos Scala2 whose control panel is shown above, increases its speed as it senses a pressure drop associated with increased water-use rate (flow in gpm or lpm( in the building.

If you're watching the pump as water usage rate increases in the bilding it serves, you'll hear the pump pick up speed and you'll see the green lights creep up the power scale on the pump's display.

At the center-right of our photo I've marked the up and down arrows that give pressure control.

The control allows the user or building occupants to set up or down the water pressure to be maintaind by the pump as water usage rate varies.

In the photos above and just below is the Grundfos VFD Scala 2 pump Model A (120VAC) that we installed in a home in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

This pump, with a lift capacity of 148 ft., and a nominal maximum flow rate of 13 gpm, was manufactured in Serbia.

We describe this Grudnfos VFD pump in detail along with other VFDs (Variable Frequency Drive Pumps)

Grundfos-VFD-Scala-2 installed in Guanajuato (C) Daniel Friedman @ InspectApedia.com

at WATER PUMP VARIABLE FREQUENCY / VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE (VFDs) where we describe these pumps in more-detail and we list sources for constant pressure VFD water pumps pumps such as the Simer VFD, and the Scala 2 from Grundfos. Details are also in

GRUNDFOS SCALA2 DATA SHEET [PDF] retrieved 2017/03/26, original source: http://us.grundfos.com/content/dam/GPU/Literature/SCALA2/SCALA2-DATASHEET.pdf

Below is the DAB ESYBOX MAX - Integrated Water Booster Pumping System (230V) as marketed by rainwaterequipment.com T: 877-331-7008.

DAB ESYBOX MAX - Integrated Water Booster Pumping System (230V) cited & discusse at InspectApedia.com

This pump is capable of delivering functional water pressure to medium and large buildings at least as tall as 14 stories. These 230VAC pumps can also be installed in a ganged or cascaded system and can pump to a head of 370 ft.

Note that the pump's output capacity in gpm or lpm will, of course, decrease as the lift height is increased.

DAP and Grundfs both distribute and operate providing VFD pumps world-wide.

At SHORT CYCLING WATER PUMP we explain that rapid on-off cycling of a typical jet pump or submersible pump ultimately damages the motor or can even destroy it. Short cycling, as described there, refers to rapid water pump switching that occurs due, usually, to a water-logged pressure tank (easily fixed).

Wind-operated water pumps: Windmills

Windmill in Holland - Daniel Friedman

Above: an antique windmill in Holland and below, the Eli Windmill in Iowa, a wind operated well pump system manufactured by the Kregel Windmill Co.

Kregel windmill, the Eli windmill in Iowa, manufactured by Kregel, library of Congress photo archives cited at InspectApedia.com Reproduction Number: HAER NEB,66-NEBCI,6--54

The windmill Dutch windmill is also discussed

at WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Kregel Co. Windmill head Reproduction Number: HAER NEB,66-NEBCI,6--57 cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com

From the Library of Congress catalog: 57. Detail of head and wheel of eli windmill on the ground at the Stoll residence, about 1-1/2 miles west of Nebraska City on Steam Wagon Road. - Kregel Windmill Company factory, 1416 central Avenue, Nebraska City, Otoe county, NE. - Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Above: details of the Kreger Co. windmill head from the same Library of Congress collection (Reproduction Number: HAER NEB,66-NEBCI,6--57).

Below: a water well sucker rod workbench and wooden sucker rod sucker rod storage racks inside of of the Kregel Windmill Company Factory, 1416 Central Avenue, Nebraska City, Otoe County, NE, USA

Windmill sucker rod workbench, Kreger Windmill company factory - library of congress at InspectApedia.com

The Kregel Windmill Company factory is the last preserved intact windmill factory in the United States.

The company was founded in 1879, and began to manufacture wooden windmills known as the "Kregel." By the last decade of the nineteenth century, the company was producing steel windmills sold under the name "Eli."

Company founder George F. Kregel moved the factory to its present location in 1903, where he manufactured windmills through World War II when materials rationing forced him to stop production.

After the war George's son Arthur took over the business and focused on water well and pump services. - U.S. Library of Congress, retrieved 2022/05/30, original source: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/ne0071/

Below: a wind-operated water pump, using a vertical axis barrel wind rotor but no longer in operation, in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Wind operated water pump in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato (C) Daniel Friedman

 

Photo & Description of Piston Type Well Pumps

Vertical piston well pump (C) Daniel Friedman

A mechanical version of the hand pump on wells (shown just above) was able to lift from somewhat greater depth, perhaps as much as 20 feet.

The well pump motor and its vertically-operated piston was set directly over the well casing as we show in the photo of an old, discontinued piston well pump.

In our photo at left you can see the large pulley wheel on the right side of the vertical piston pump, but the drive belt and motor that drove the pump have been removed.

What is Well Pump Cavitation?

Well pump cavitation describes the entry of air or gases into the mechanical parts that are trying to move water through a water pump.

The presence of air or other gases in the actual pump chambers or around the water pump impellers leads to overheating of these parts and mechanical damage to the pump moving parts.

Cavitation can also cause the pump to have to work longer to satisfy the water demand and thus its electric motor to overheat, also reducing motor life.

Cavitation inside of a water pump can be caused by several problems including:

  1. Inadequate well yield:

    if the yield of a well drops for any reason, trying to pump water beyond the safe yield of a well pump can introduce air into the well pump and water piping.

    See WELL YIELD DEFINITION where we define safe well yield.

    Also see AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES.
  2. Oversized pumps

     that mismatch the well flow rate to the pump's output rate can also cause the pump to form a strong vacuum inside the pumping chamber around the pump impeller. The vacuum, in turn, causes dissolved gases in the water itself to leave solution and return to bubble form.

 

Low Water Cutoff Devices and Well Tailpieces for Well Pump Protection on a Low-Flow-Rate Well

Well pump protection tailpiece © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com For details about well pipe tailpieces, tail pipes, or other low water cutoff devices that protect the well pump from damage when the well flow is too limited, please see our compete article

at WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE. Excerpts are just below.

When the well pump's capacity is known to exceed the flow rate of the well, a tail pipe, tail piece, or low water cutoff control is installed to protect the pump from damage.

The well piping tailpiece (also shown in this SKETCH [image file]) permits the in-well water pump to continue to run by recirculating well water within the pump but by halting delivery of water or slowing delivery of water to the building.

Many sources, including the Penn State School of Forest Resources recommend installing a low water cutoff device to protect a well pump that has to operate in an inadequate or low-yield well.

A still different approach that may provide some water pump protection by reducing the well pump cycling rate is the installation of a Smart Tank that regulates water flow in the building.

 

Pressure Sensitive Water Pumps & Inline Control Water Pumps: Variable Speed, Variable Frequency VFD Pumps

Pressure sensitive pumps and inline pump controllers provide water pressure boosting, rainwater harvesting, or similar functions without requiring a water pressure tank.

See WATER PUMP VARIABLE FREQUENCY / VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE (VFDs)

 

What are Artesian Wells & How do They Work?

Water flows naturally to the ground surface of an artesian well, pushed there by higher pressure groundwater deeper in the earth. "Artesian" refers to Artois, the region in France that gave this type of water source its name. The Latin form of Artois is Artesia.

The level of groundwater is not "flat" under the surface of the earth. Rather underground water tends to follow the contours of the ground surface.

When the underground water reservoir is actually higher than the well that taps into it, water is forced from the higher level to the surface of the artesian well.

See details at

ARTESIAN WELLS, WELL SPOOLS

At SINKHOLES in Estonia-The Witches' Well we describe a non-artesian well that also pushes groundwater to the surface when a nearby underground river floods.

Research on Life Expectancy of Various Types of Water Well Pumps

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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

Question: does pressure control switch setting level affect well pump life?

2019/03/31 Gary said:

Are low (20/40) or high (40/60) switch settings better or worse for pump life, and why?

This Q&A were posted originally

at WATER PUMP DRAWDOWN VOLUME & TIME

Reply:

Gary

I offer two apparently but not really contradictory answers:

1. A pump that is required to reach a higher cut-off pressure before it turns off - all else being equal - has to work a bit harder so might run a bit longer or a bit hotter, factors that *could* affect pump life.

2. However, As long as you are operating a water pump within the pressure range for which it is designed and more-important the duty cycle for which it's designed, the cut-off pressure range should not measurably affect the pump life.

Starting at WATER PUMP LIFE EXPECTANCY (at the top of this very page) you'll see that there are factors that affect well pump life, among which the pressure control switch does, indirectly play a part.

In my opinion the most harmful problems affecting pump life are rapid on-off short-cycling. (see SHORT CYCLING at the end of this page)


...

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