Jet Pump vs Submersible Well Pump: Which One Does Your Well Need?
For a drilled rock well in the Upstate, the answer is usually a submersible pump. USGS calls it the most common pump for deep private wells. It sits down in the well, below the water, and pushes the water up a pipe. A jet pump sits above ground and pulls water up with suction.
USGS calls jet pumps the most common pumps for shallow wells, 25 feet deep or less. They are also the usual pick for narrow wells, 3 inches across or less.
A drilled home well is usually cased with pipe 4 to 6 inches across, and it goes much deeper. On a well like that, well pump installation means a submersible system sized to the well.
How do a jet pump and a submersible pump compare?
The cost and lifespan rows come from one national cost guide. Its prices are market numbers for the pump alone, not our price list.
| Factor | Jet pump | Submersible pump |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Above ground, on the well or in a pump house | Down in the well, below the water level |
| How it moves water | Pulls water up with suction | Pushes water up a pipe |
| Depth it suits | Shallow well jet: water less than 25 feet down. Deep well jet: wells up to 150 feet, in the cost guide | Shallow or deep wells |
| Well width | Most often 3 inches across or less | Most often 4 inches across or more |
| Priming | Must be primed, filled with water, to work | Self-priming |
| Service access | Above ground, within reach | Has to be pulled from the well |
| Efficiency | Lower pressure and lower yield | More water from the same size motor |
| Equipment cost | Shallow well jet $230 to $1,000; deep well jet $440 to $1,200 | $275 to $1,550 |
| Lifespan | 8 to 15 years for a well pump with regular maintenance | The same 8 to 15 years; NGWA says it can go years or decades without service |
How does a jet pump pull water up?
NGWA says jet pumps sit above the ground, often in a small enclosure. A state health department’s well owner’s handbook says one can also sit in a pump house. The pump forces water through a jet, which makes suction and draws water up from the well.
NGWA says that because water creates the suction, jet pumps generally must be primed. That means the pump has to be filled with water to work.
On a shallow well jet pump, the jet sits inside the pump itself. The handbook says that kind is used where the water is less than 25 feet below the surface. A deep well jet pump puts the jet down in the well, below the water level. The pump itself stays above ground.
How does a submersible well pump push water up?
A submersible pump and its motor hang inside the well casing, below the water level. The handbook calls it the type most often used in drilled wells.
NGWA says a submersible pushes water up a pipe instead of pulling it with suction. Because it moves more water with the same size motor, NGWA calls it more efficient than a jet pump.
A national cost guide says submersible pumps are self-priming. Service is the catch. NGWA says a submersible must be removed from the well to be worked on. It also says one can be very reliable and go years or even decades without service.
Which pump fits a drilled well in the Upstate?
USGS describes the Upstate’s aquifer as bedrock under loose material called regolith. A drilled well goes through that layer and into the rock. The water comes from fractures, and USGS says a well that hits none yields little or no water.
So depth changes from one lot to the next. The state logs two Spartanburg County rock wells at 6 inches across. One goes down 225 feet and the other 442 feet. One hard-rock well we drilled in Inman found good water a little past 520 feet.
Deep well jet pumps exist too. The handbook says they usually go on wells with water levels under 200 feet. A 6-inch well also has room for a submersible, since most go in wells 4 inches across or more. That is the pump system we set in the wells we drill.
What are the downsides of each pump?
A jet pump’s limits come from suction. A shallow well jet pump is made for water less than 25 feet down, and jet pumps generally need priming. The handbook also says jet pumps run at lower pressure and give a lower yield than submersibles.
A submersible’s downside is reaching it. It hangs in the well, so the pump comes up on its pipe and wire for any work. Its equipment price also tops out higher in the cost guide.
What does each kind of pump cost?
One national cost guide prices a submersible at $275 to $1,550 for the pump alone. Jet pumps run $230 to $1,000 for a shallow well model and $440 to $1,200 for a deep well model. These are market numbers, not our price list.
Labor and the rest of the system come on top. Depth moves that total on a submersible job, since a deeper pump needs more drop pipe and wire. For the full bill, see what a well pump replacement costs in South Carolina.
Can you switch from a jet pump to a submersible?
Often, yes, when the well is wide enough. Most submersibles go in wells 4 inches across or more, though some are made for 3-inch wells. The switch is a pump installation. The new pump is sized to the well’s yield and your household’s needs.
The jet pump comes out, and a submersible goes down the well on drop pipe with its wire. A pitless adapter carries the water out of the casing below the frost line. South Carolina’s well standards call for the well to be disinfected after a pump installation.
Why do both pumps need a pressure tank?
Either pump feeds a pressure tank. NGWA says the tank delivers water under pressure, so the pump does not have to run every time water is used. It also says the tank prevents a tremendous amount of wear and tear on the pump.
The water stored in the tank means the pump starts and stops less often. A waterlogged or undersized tank short-cycles the pump. If your submersible runs constantly or short-cycles, see well pressure tanks and well pump repair.
What if your shallow well keeps running dry?
Many old bored and dug wells are shallow, and jet pumps are common on them. USGS says dug and bored wells go dry in droughts when the water table drops below the well bottom. A new pump cannot bring that water back.
SCDES tells owners of a dry well to call a well driller. A drilled well reaches down to fractures in the rock. Read how a bored well compares with a drilled well, or call about a drilled replacement well.
Which pump does your well need?
The well’s width and depth decide the kind of pump. Its yield and your household’s needs set the size.
Core Well Drilling installs and repairs complete submersible pump systems on new and existing wells. We are South Carolina certified well drillers based in Pacolet, working the Upstate about 60 miles around Spartanburg. Call (864) 768-5688 for a free estimate on a submersible pump system sized to your well.