How do you tell the differ btw a shallow well and a deep well??

Question

how can you tell the difference btw a shallow well and a deep well is their a viewable looking difference and how do i know what pump to buy?? im buying a house and pump is gone, looks like their is a spot for pump w/lines and a plug recp-(110)and i can install one knowledgeable of plumbing but not on types of differ-wells i know a shallow is 26 ft. or less but is the set up the same for shallow and deep??

Answer 1

I don't know about under 30 foot just a garden well...for Here in Northwestern Florida i live in the city but most of my whole neighborhood is on a shallow well system and not more than 20 feet deep..this is for drinking and everything..not just garden  water...It depends on your geographic region to know..I would suggest calling local well companies and ask them the approx depth of the water table(aquifier) in the area that you live in..they should no..this is thier buiseness...Here even when i put my fence in when I dug post holes they started seeping water into them at 2 feet....so there is no set "rules" as far as how deep a well has to be for drinking water..mother natures water tables/aquifiers determine this...You can possibly get some info from your counties extension and agricultural department too...they usually know all of this..

Answer 2

Deep wells usually use a submersible pump that is set down in the well casing below the water line-close to the bottom of the well 3-4' off bottom. It pushes the water rather than pulling or pumping out of the well. The motor is down in the cool water-so they last a long long time.

You just need a shallow well pump. It will have a suction port and a supply port. The suction port is where you pipe it to go down into the well, the supply port is where you hook up to your water line going into the house.

I would check at Tractor Supply, Lowe's, Menards. - They should have the pump,fittings,pipe,tanks,to get you set up. Ask when their best pump man/woman will be there? They don't work everyday or all day at these places. Go in and talk to them.

Answer 3

In my neck of the woods, anything under 100ft is a shallow well, and gets a 'jet pump'.  Anything under 30ft is a 'garden well'.  You'd see this type for watering horses, gardens, and in more suburban areas for sprinkler systems.

I'd ask the previous homeowner what was there originally.  If, for some reason that's not an option, then check with the neighbors to see what kind they've got.  (I'd ask about the quality of the water, while I was at it too, hehe)

One other option is to go to the local hardware store... and I mean local.. not one of the big box suppliers... tell them what kind of set up youve got, and the size of the pipes.  A photo wouldnt hurt, but definitely the size of the pipes.  (The local hardware store in a rural area will have been supplying pumps and replacement parts for years... anyone who's been working there for a length of time will know what is normal for the area).  They may also be able to recommend someone who has been doing well maintenance and installation in the area...and if so, there's a good bet that person will have worked on your home well at some point.

Jet pumps come in anything from 1/2 hp to 2 hp units.  Some are 'convertible'.. and can be used in either 'shallow', or 'deep' wells.  Shallow wells typically need a jet adapter to help increase the pressure, and deep wells need a backpressure kit.  Some 'deep well' jet pumps are 'multi stage', and have more than one impellor to help increase the pressure.

If all else fails... you can measure the well depth, hehehe.

Good Luck

Answer 4

if there is water in it  you can put a  tape measure in it and see where it hits the bottom or gets wet or whatever. sorry i don't know anything about wells