Pumps For Residential Water Boreholes: Jet Pumps Vs Submersible Pumps
A water borehole on your home property can be extremely useful and help to reduce your reliance on expensive municipal water supplies. Water drawn from one of these narrow boreholes can be used for a variety of purposes, from watering your vegetable patch to flushing your toilets. With the right filtration equipment, it may even be possible to make your borehole water potable.
However, any water borehole is useless if you don't have a pump that can draw its water to the surface, and choosing the right pump for your borehole can be tough. Most borehole pumps used in residential settings are either jet pumps or submersible pumps, and each type of pump has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you are looking for a borehole pump, keep the following guidelines in mind.
Choose Submersible Pumps For Low Running Costs
Submersible pumps are so called because they are installed inside the borehole itself, below the surface of the water within. When activated, they pressurise their surface lines and 'push' water to the surface, where it can be collected, stored and used. Jet pumps are installed at ground level, and are attached to water lines that run down into the borehole. They create suction in these lines when activated, 'pulling' water to the surface.
As a general rule, pushing borehole water to the surface requires less energy than pulling it. Submersible pumps use less energy on average than most jet pumps, and therefore have lower running costs. Although these energy savings are relatively modest, they can add up over time if you use large amounts of borehole water on a regular basis.
However, submersible pumps also cost considerably more to purchase and install than jet pumps. If your borehole is not used regularly, or kept for emergency use only when municipal supplies fail, the added expense of a submersible pump may not be worth it.
Choose Jet Pumps For Easy Maintenance
Modern submersible borehole pumps are generally very reliable, and many pumps function for years with minimal maintenance. However, if your submersible pump does break down and require maintenance or repairs, it can be difficult to retrieve the pump and bring it to the surface safely If you choose to have the pump professionally maintained, inspection and repair costs are usually higher for submersible pumps.
You should also bear in mind that, because submersible pumps are usually submerged in water, they may be more vulnerable to wear and tear caused by constant water exposure. This is especially true if your borehole contains brackish water, which may corrode some metal pump components more quickly.
Choose Submersible Pumps For Deep Boreholes
Different jet pumps have different maximum depth ratings, and double drop jet pumps are more powerful (but also more expensive) than single drop pumps.
Unfortunately, all jet pumps that are small enough to be used on residential properties have limited pumping power, and will run into problems if they are used with a borehole that is too deep. If your borehole is too deep to be used with an affordable jet pump model, a submersible pump may be the only viable option.
For more information on pumps like Davey water pumps, contact a professional near you.