Well pump question

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Cascadian

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We are setting up our well. We have 30 gpm available. I am leaning towards the Vfd pump vs conventional. Although it is about $1k more. Any thoughts or experience with Vfd?
 
I know about Vfd's, but are they worth the cost for home owners?
 
We have a Vfd pump here. It was here when we moved in. It works but I don't see much good or bad about it. Our well has just a fraction of the water available as your well.
 
I probably should have mentioned mine may be used for up to 2 homes, fire suppression or irrigation. If the latter is allowed.
 
I've worked with a number of pumps but I'm not acquainted the Vfd. What are the benefits and why would you be willing to cough up an extra grand?
 
Short answer, my understanding is that Vfd pumps are a newer technology. So for one it is more efficient. The variable speed means you can use it at a lower capacity. When you need the full flow that is also available.
 
Have you ever thought of a back up hand pump installed along with your well?? I'm sure it would depend on your specifics to your location and availability of water. Bison is made in the US. They add cost but ...like I said..depends on your situation, interests n whatnot.
 
Have you ever thought of a back up hand pump installed along with your well?? I'm sure it would depend on your specifics to your location and availability of water. Bison is made in the US. They add cost but ...like I said..depends on your situation, interests n whatnot.

We tried one a few years ago and they put in the wrong kind it would take some hard pumping to get water .So be sure you get a guarantee it will pump enough water with as little effort as possible.
They left here almost as mad as we were.
 
There is a limit to how far you can pull water from a well with a hand pump. I think it is between 30 and 60 feet. If your water level is below that point then you need a submersion pump that produces more pressure than the head provides.
 
There is a limit to how far you can pull water from a well with a hand pump. I think it is between 30 and 60 feet. If your water level is below that point then you need a submersion pump that produces more pressure than the head provides.
Using a suction pump you can only draw water up about 30 feet(or slightly less). For deeper wells, besides a submersible, you can have a jet pump above ground with the jet down in your well that will "push" the water up. I forget just how deep these will work but at least 100 feet though they do require two pipes (one with water going up and one with water going down). A submersible allows pumping water from very deep (400' +). The trouble with water is always the weight of the water. The deeper you go the more water weight you must lift.
 
Best bet if water isn't too deep is to use a old bucket and pully. I used that when I was a kid and the power went out. No fun but it worked. We had a handle on ours used to pull up or let down the bucket.
 
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There is a limit to how far you can pull water from a well with a hand pump. I think it is between 30 and 60 feet. If your water level is below that point then you need a submersion pump that produces more pressure than the head provides.
this is true, but its a tad deeper than what your research is showing at least for a bison deep well hand pump...Its a bit of a workout..but it works at/for deeper levels.
 
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this is true, but its a tad deeper than what your research is showing at least for a bison deep well hand pump...Its a bit of a workout..but it works at/for deeper levels.
Actually that bison deep well hand pump is not "pulling up the water" but instead pushing it up. The piston is down in the water of your well, when you pull the handle up the piston fills with water and when you push the handle down the piston pushes the water up the pipe. These pumps will work down to a few hundred feet but the deeper they are the harder they pump.
 
Actually that bison deep well hand pump is not "pulling up the water" but instead pushing it up. The piston is down in the water of your well, when you pull the handle up the piston fills with water and when you push the handle down the piston pushes the water up the pipe. These pumps will work down to a few hundred feet but the deeper they are the harder they pump.
whatever works eh?? :}
 
Effectively, you'll probably get a bit less than 30' draw with a shallow well electric pump. A shallow jet pump just about doubles that. A deep well pump can go at least 700', most of the newer wells in my area are that deep and no one seems to have any trouble with them. However, the water is hard, hard, hard. It's like little BBs are hitting your skin if you shower in it.

Remember that with a shallow well pump you're measuring your max draw distance from the pump, not from the surface if the water. So if your pump is 15' above the water and you can draw to 30', you'll only have 15' to draw from...
 
Remember that with a shallow well pump you're measuring your max draw distance from the pump, not from the surface if the water. So if your pump is 15' above the water and you can draw to 30', you'll only have 15' to draw from...
That's one of the reasons some pumps are in pits. To get closer to the water table. Working on a pump in a pit IS the pits!
 
What if a person were too put a check valve in every 30' of suction pipe ???
It would not help, it's a physics thing, you can only suck that water up so far.
There are options. There are special jets that use the normal well casing along with a smaller drop pipe so you can then push the water up a greater distance. These jets are available for 1-1/4" and 2" pipe. For larger than 2" well casings you can use the more standard 2-pipe jet system or a submersible pump. Anything over 30' is a deep well and requires a deep well pump of some kind.
 
My
It would not help, it's a physics thing, you can only suck that water up so far.
There are options. There are special jets that use the normal well casing along with a smaller drop pipe so you can then push the water up a greater distance. These jets are available for 1-1/4" and 2" pipe. For larger than 2" well casings you can use the more standard 2-pipe jet system or a submersible pump. Anything over 30' is a deep well and requires a deep well pump of some kind.
My brother's well is about 130' deep and the water is naturally under pressure, it comes up to about 45' deep or so. He uses a shallow jet pump and it works quite well. I wouldn't hesitate to use one if the conditions were right for it. But they aren't cheap and they don't last forever...but then no well pump does. It's almost imperative to have a replacement pump on hand, because they never go out at 9AM on a nice sunny day. It's always after dark, on a weekend, during a blizzard, when you can't get to the store for a replacement. At least that's my experience.
 
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