Artesian well pump: above ground or immersed?

[grower]

I am getting a 4" well. Since my neighbors have artesian wells, contractors are telling me I am likely to have one, too. What I don't understand is that their bids include immersible pump. Why not above ground?

[egon]

It could have to do with the flow rate of the well. Most likely a sub is speced as they are a better type of water pump with usually less long term maintenance. [ no air tight seals to maintain.] They are a lot easier to match to volume and most likely many other factors of which I am not aware of.

For me a submersible in a well is the best solution.

Egon

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[grower]

Thank you for the explanation. I have another question. Do I need water tank if I am going to use the water for irrigation only? No house, nothing. I will have about 1 hp pump which will give me about 20 gpm max flow rate. Sprinkler heads will use about 15 gpm. Without a water tank, the pump will stay on. If I put a holding tank with pressure switch, will it make the pump go on and off? Thanks.

[egon]

If you are setting up an irrigation system it may be best to follow the advive of your local well drillers.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[grower]

Thank you. I got answers from an irrigation supplier.

Let me ask another question. I know Goulds is a good brand. Is it the best brand? I am getting bids on the well drilling and I have no knowledge of pump quality. One company wants to install Franklin pump. Is it as good as Goulds? Thanks.

[1994]

Both Goulds and Franklin will have the same Franklin Electric motor on them. Only difference is pump end. Both have plastic impellers with floating stack design, not a nickles worth of difference between them. If there is any difference in price, I would choose the less expensive one. Also if you run 15 GPM sprinklers with a 20 GPM pump, you will have about 15 PSI more pressure than designed for. If that is a problem you could use something like a Cycle Stop Valve to maintain a steady pressure. Then your zones could vary from 1 GPM to 20 GPM and the pressure would remain the same. In this way you can match the irrigation zones to the yard and not the pump. You can use one of these valves no mater if you use the pressure tank and pressure switch or not.

[GaryQWA]

If you don't have a tank and switch, you turn the pump on/off manually. If you go with a CSV, you need a small tank and switch but that is the best choice IMO.

A 20 gpm 1 hp pump can deliver quite high psi and in many instances will deliver more than 20 gpm depending on the TDH (total dynamic head), you have to look at the pump curve chart for the specific pump.

Gary Slusser
Quality Water Associates

[1994]

Gary is right about checking your pump curve to see what pressure that pump will deliver while using 15 GPM. I was just using a 1 HP 20 GPM curve and that may not be the pump you have. Also the CSV does not have to have a tank and switch. You can use a pump start relay or turn the pump on manually and the CSV will still maintain a constant pressure at any flow rate above 1 GPM.

[grower]

Thanks a lot. I didn't know anything about what you mentioned. I will look for a Cycle Stop Valve. I was wondering what the unused water would do to pressure. Now I know.

My pump is from Home Depot, Flotec. It does not have a curve. But it says the max pressure at shut-off is about 46 psi.

[Pat]

What if the well is NOT artesion? The submerged pump will work either way so it is a sure bet.

Pumps can do more pressure/volume when the work they are doing is on the output side vice the suction side. Water can only be sucked up a height of about 34 ft (at the surface of our planet.). This is the height where the weight of the water column equals the typical atmospheric pressure, i.e. about 14.7 PSI. If you try to suck water through a longer straw than 34 ft vertical head you will reduce the pressure to a partial vacuum required to vaporize the water, i.e. you will boil the water and get vapor not liquid.

The limiting height is measured from the free surface of liquid standing in the well with the pump running at the deliverey rate in question which is a lower water level that the static one when not pumping.

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