Well pump

16 years ago

i just recently increased the size of my garden from 15' by 20' to 35' by 100'. i have an old well in my yard that has 8 to 10 feet of water in it. it is about 30 feet deep. i would like to mount a pump either at the bottom or on the cement pad around it. i have found a non- submersible pump that pumps 330 gph and has a maximum lift of 115 feet. from the well to the garden is about 75 to 80 feet. will this setup work? any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (4)

lehua49
16 years ago
Hi wh,

What diameter is your well? Do you have 20 feet from the static well water level and where the pump will be mounted? Pumps usually only are able to pull water about 15 feet vertically. Surface pump would be a jet pump(check google) or a submersible one. What is the vertical height between the pump location and the elevation of your garden? Horizontal distance of 80 ft is not a worry about any measurable head lost from pipe friction(use a 1 1/2" or 2" pvc pipe for the mainline to the garden plot. Check the pump curves for the pump. It will tell you the expected pressure and flow for different vertical heights you may have to experience. You will need adequate pressure and flow at the elevation of your garden versus the center line of the pump. Your problem with a surface pump is keep it leak free and lose the vacuum on the suction side of the pump. See other threads on this topic. JMHO. Aloha
wh312-8
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for the help.... The garden is down hill from the pump. im guessing probably around 5 to 10 feet lower then the top of the well. the well is about 3 to 3 1-2 feet wide. i will check again to day to see what the water level is.
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wh312-8
Original Author
16 years ago
Also, the well has not been used and i just discovered it last summer. it had an hand pump on it and i thought it was just a decoration but appearently not. the well probably has not been used in at least 30 years, should i get the water tested?
lehua49
16 years ago
Hi wh,

You are in fortunate shape. Also let's try and figure out how much water you need every time you irrigate. How many plants do you plan to grow and what spacing? I imagine you are using a drip system. With a well it is best to irrigate lower gpm and longer irrigation time. Not to cause severe draw down on the well. Do you have an idea what your sustainable yield may be. That is the flow rate that doesn't cause much draw down on your well and minimizes and turbidity especially if you only have 10 feet of water to pull from. A well contractor usually perform this yield test before recommending a pump size. I am pretty sure they would recommend a submersible pump with a check valve to keep water in the mainline and keep water from returning to the well and an air relief at the top of your piping before it headed for the the lower garden. The submersible is more reliable and the least maintenance way to go. Aloha