Plumbing License Number 7148

Well Work

• Dug Well - is a well that was actually hand dug. They are usually very shallow and only found where the water table is very high. They are often lined with stones to prevent them from caving in. These wells are extremely uncommon these days due to ground water contamination.
• Driven Well - Driven wells are built by driving a small diameter pipe into the ground. This pipe usually has a screen on the end to filter out sand and gravel. This method can also only be used where the water table is close (no more than 20 feet down) to the surface. Again, the problem with driven wells is the high chance of contamination from surface pollutants.
• Drilled Well - Almost all modern wells are drilled wells. These wells are done with a drilling rig using rotary, percussion, and auger drill bits that chew, smash, grind through rock which makes for a much deeper well. Most wells in our area are 150 - 300 feet deep, but these wells can reach depths of over 1,000 feet. When the drilling is complete, a well casing is installed into the bedrock on about the first 50 feet down to prevent groundwater contamination.

• Submersible Well Pumps - Submersible well pumps are pumps that have hermetically sealed motors close-coupled to the stainless steel pump body. These pumps are submerged deep into the well water to be pumped out. One advantage of a submersible pump is that it provides a significant lifting force as it does not rely on suction to lift the water. Instead, it pushes the water out of the well which is significant.
• Jet Pumps - A jet pump is a type of impeller-diffuser pump that draws water up from a well into your house. This type of pump can be used for both deep wells and shallow wells. Shallow well jet pumps can usually lift water about 20 feet. With a deep well jet package, using 2 pipes, once primed, 2/3 of the water pumped out is pushed back down the well using a venturi action to pull the water up. Jet pumps are being used less and less as they require significantly more electricity to run than submersible well pumps.
• Variable Speed Well Pumps - A newer type of well pump that is becoming quite popular is the variable speed pump. This pump only requires a small expansion tank as it needs no storage. Instead of waiting until water pressure drops 20 pounds like a conventional pump, it turns on as soon as water is called for as it is set to operate on a constant pressure. When a variable speed pump is being used, a drop in water pressure is nonexistent because of the response relationship between water usage and the pump. In regular language, as water use increases, two showers being used at the same time or a dishwasher turned on at the same time, the pumps motor speed increases and pumps more water to match the water usage demand, creating an even flow, like city water.