Recommendations for a deep(320’) water well pump.

[Leaky88]

Just had a replacement Well Drilled and need to set a pump.
Any recommendations on a superior quality pump (10GPM) would be
most appreciated?
Thanks
Leaky

 

[finn]

I would talk to your well driller. Go with their recommendation. They will know what’s reliable and popular in your area and will be familiar with servicing that brand. Doesn’t make sense to go with something that can’t be serviced locally.

 

[nh_yota]

In my experience the well company can provide their own pump, controls and installation.

Otherwise you can try waterpumpsdirect.com

 

[pcmeiners]

"Doesn’t make sense to go with something that can’t be serviced locally."

What is there to service ? Never heard of anyone pulling apart and rebuilding residential water pumps, not that it can't be done, but it is not profitable.


You do not ask the well driller for his recommendation, it will be the easiest to obtain, with the most added profit margin. Research online.

 

[larry_g]

I have a Franklin variable speed pump/controller in my well. I have had good results in the 13 years it has been in use. I went with the variable speed unit because of the large amount of outdoor watering we do in the lawns and gardens during the summer. One advantage is that the pump does not have the large inrush current on startup and I can run it off my 6kw generator when needed. My son also uses the same system at his property.

SubDrive QuickPAK Constant Pressure Package

The SubDrive QuickPAK is a popular system-solution package designed to simplify the installation of a constant pressure system.

franklinwater.com

on edit; My well is 280' deep with the water rising to ~30' from the surface. The water depth is important as that is what the pump has to lift so factor that in.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[finn]

"Doesn’t make sense to go with something that can’t be serviced locally."

What is there to service ? Never heard of anyone pulling apart and rebuilding residential water pumps, not that it can't be done, but it is not profitable.


You do not ask the well driller for his recommendation, it will be the easiest to obtain, with the most added profit margin. Research online.

My pump is around thirty years old. Reflecting on it, having the driller do a package deal was pretty smart. He drove the casing, set the pump, trenched the line to the house, installed the tank, and did the wiring and controls.

Amortizing all of that over thirty years means any additional margin I paid for one stop shopping comes to Pennie’s per year. Plus, there’s no finger pointing or arguing if something had gone wrong.

I had better things to do at the time than chasing pennies.

Sourcing your own pump, tanks, and controls on a new installation is sort of like calling Toyota an telling them you want to supply your own master cylinder or oil filters on the new car you’re going to order.

Servicing an existing well where something failed after a number of years may warrant a different approach..

 

[nh_yota]

"Doesn’t make sense to go with something that can’t be serviced locally."

What is there to service ? Never heard of anyone pulling apart and rebuilding residential water pumps, not that it can't be done, but it is not profitable.


You do not ask the well driller for his recommendation, it will be the easiest to obtain, with the most added profit margin. Research online.

Have you ever had the pleasure of pulling a pump from the bottom of a 320' well? It's a real *****. Both of my parents' houses have deep wells and the pumps usually last about 15 years before they burn out or less if they get hit by lightning. Dealing with a deep well pump is something I'll gladly outsource to a well company. Goulds/ITT pumps are the most common from what I've seen installed around here.

 

[robert6715]

360' well. Grundfos pump originally installed by the well driller lasted 20 years. Installed 2 cheap pumps over the course of 3 years before bitting the bullet on another Grundfos.

 

[Leaky88]

Thanks for feedback.

My first 340’ Well cost 5K in 2009. Though the Bill has not arrived, #2 is probably going to be 13.7K (not that the cost of everything has not steadily risen of late). Driller did mention something about cost of #2. I think he was making it up.

I see pros and cons of one-stop. Just hope a “quality” pump comes with the package.

Pulling a pump from those depths is an experience one does not forget.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Have you ever had the pleasure of pulling a pump from the bottom of a 320' well? "

Yes, and I have drilled and installed at least a 100 wells in the past. If you think that is tough try pulling a pump after the pipe breaks 10ft above the pump at 250 ft or threading and capping a 10" casing with a high artesian flow (like a fire hydrant) at a water temperature of 50 degrees .

 

[Copymutt]

I’m going to deviate from the recommendation to purchase from local support. Each will have their fav. I’m partial from experience to Gould. Cycle stop plumbed in will significantly extend the life of any pump.
I grew up near their manufacturing facility, had friends that worked there. Have had the same Gould for 35 years here in Colorado.

Submersible Well Pumps - Xylem Applied Water Systems - United States

goulds.com

 

[csp]

"Doesn’t make sense to go with something that can’t be serviced locally."

What is there to service ? Never heard of anyone pulling apart and rebuilding residential water pumps, not that it can't be done, but it is not profitable.


You do not ask the well driller for his recommendation, it will be the easiest to obtain, with the most added profit margin. Research online.

My pump failed just a month shy of the warranty period and we had a fairly high amount of sand in our well the first ten years. Had I sourced the pump myself I likely wouldn't have known to get a pump that handles sandy water, and I would have been on the hook for removal and replacement of the pump under warranty. Not that I would have attempted an install to begin with, being 340' below the surface.

My pump installer didn't drill the well, as it had been drilled 20 years prior to my ownership of the property and 26 years prior to the first installation of a pump. I went with him because at the time he was in his early 70s and was known in the area for being "the" pump guy to go to and built this reputation with honest work.

 

[Showkey]

There was another well pump thread ………a well driller weighed in on the variable pump. His comments was stray away.

Quote from post #52
“The important thing I have learned over the years that I can share with everyone else, is that pump manufacturers are not your friend, they are not out to make pumps affordable, long lasting, or even efficient. Pump manufacturers build planned obsolescence into every product they make. Variable speed drives or VFD's are heavily advertised not because they save energy or money, but because they are the most profitable item a pump company sells. They actually make more money these days selling the expensive and short lived VFD's than they do selling pumps anymore. Making you think a VFD saves energy when it does not is just icing on the cake for pump manufacturers. They don't have to do anything else to convince you to spend a lot of extra money on a VFD that is not going to last very long. You think you are being green, saving energy, saving the planet, but you are not. By falling for the hype of VFD's you have purchased a Tar Baby that will bleed your bank account regularly and leave you out of water and standing there with soap in your hair many times over the years.”


post #52 in this link that also dealt with stop cycle valves…complete post and thread below.

Anyone really understand well pump systems?

Well, the well guy (well respected) (No pun intended) said a 3/4 HP 10 GPM is right for the job. Being an overdesigning engineer I asked about the advantages of going to a 1 HP, but he did not recommend due to the tendency to short cycle unless the tank was considerable larger. This is my first...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[dcg9381]

Grundfos / Goulds.

What is perhaps more important than the pump is the pump controller and a quality pump saver. What is also important is the pressure tank or device like a Stop Cycle Valve to keep the pump from cycling more often than it needs to.
I agree that pulling out deep pumps is a real @#$%@.

I don't like VFDs. They cost around $2500 and really make pumps work harder in non-efficient manners than they need to. After years of pressure tanks, I've started installing stop cycle valves.

A well here is 500'+ feet and $20k+. So we get particular..

 

[PWC Repair]

Well (ha-ha), mine got hit by lightning about 10 years ago. The guy came out and said he drilled my well back in about 1960,....yep, house was built in '58, close enough. Installed a new 3/4hp Gould's pump. He said anything else is throwing money away. Told me if lightning doesn't get it that I'm good for another 50 years!!

 

[My Old Tools]

Variable speed constant pressure is the hot setup these days. No need for a tank.

 

[Mr onetwo]

Grundfos soft start all day every day https://product-selection.grundfos.com/us/products/sq-north-america/10-sqc?tab=models

 

[rustrunner]

My pump was installed about 2 years before i bought the house. It was down 280 ft and lasted for approx 36 years. It was a Meyers and i replaced it with a Myers. Never had a problem with the first one till it died.

 

[justler]

I ordered a Grundfos SQ pump since I needed a soft starting pump so I could run off generator and didn't want to deal with something like a VFD controlled pump. Was a great decision and it's OD is actually 3" and not 4" if that matters to you. I installed a Lakos Sub-K on it and it does a nice job of keeping starting amps and running amps at around 8-9. Pulled and replaced myself in about an hour (It was 180ft). Rented a wheel that bolts to the top of the well casing and you just walk it out... pretty easy (https://www.rentalsunlimited.com/rental-equipment/well-pump-puller/).

As important as getting one of the better brands is that you get the right size pump. Just HP doesn't mean much these days so if your well driller won't help with that i'd go with a retailer that will.

I bought mine online from Aqua Science and it came in a couple of days and was cheaper than all the local stores (This is the model I actually bought):

Grundfos 10SQ07-240-230V, 10GPM, 3/4HP, 230V, 2 Wire, 96160142, 3" Stainless Steel Submersible Well Pumps

Aqua Science offers the Grundfos SQ Series 3" Stainless Steel Submersible Pump 10SQ07-240-230V.

www.aquascience.net

 

[dcg9381]

Variable speed constant pressure is the hot setup these days. No need for a tank.

It's the modern setup. But these controllers are like $2500 and driving an electric motor off optimum frequency/voltage - that's usually not ideal. If you're hit with electrical issues, you may be out a controller and pump (both expensive). I really prefer a good analog pump protector and a Stop Cycle Valve.. Just needs a small pressure tank.

 

[pcmeiners]

DIY lightning protection.....

SURGE PROTECTION CIRCUIT PRINCIPLE AND DESIGN

Surge in general is a sudden increase in level or magnitude from a normal or standard value. In electricity, surge is often used to describe voltage transient, voltage surge or voltage spikes. Voltage surge or spike or transient is not a permanent event. It is occurring only within a short...

electronicsbeliever.com

Used this setup on multiple well, only I place multiple MOV/surge protectors on each leg ( like >6 on each leg); does require a metal box, as a heavy lightning hit will cause MOV/surge protectors to burn; had it happen, interior of the box scorched but pump survived.

 

[Showkey]

Surge and lightening strikes are two very different things when it comes to protection.

Lightening can be a very unpredictable and often strange series of after effects. A 60’ pine 18” in diameter was struck on my property less than 20’ from my well. The tree was completely destroyed into relatively small pieces as the sap instantly “boiled“ and exploded the tree.

My well was fine. Everyone’s well within 1000’ on the cul-de-sac was burned up. I had other damage in the home like drier control panel, garage door opener, microwave etc fried.

 

[My Old Tools]

It's the modern setup. But these controllers are like $2500 and driving an electric motor off optimum frequency/voltage - that's usually not ideal. If you're hit with electrical issues, you may be out a controller and pump (both expensive). I really prefer a good analog pump protector and a Stop Cycle Valve.. Just needs a small pressure tank.

No where near that expensive. It's just a VFD running a 3 phase motor.

 

[dcg9381]

No where near that expensive. It's just a VFD running a 3 phase motor.

Got it.. I've dealt with two of these recently in my neighborhood. Replacement on both was $2500. Haven't seen these lower cost options.

 

[My Old Tools]

did that include the pump and install? Here is a drive unit. Looks like with a pump your numbers are right. https://www.rcworst.com/franklin-el...cy-drive-w/-pressure-sensor.html?feed=Froogle

 

[Kezorm]

Got it.. I've dealt with two of these recently in my neighborhood. Replacement on both was $2500. Haven't seen these lower cost options.

Just had old well with 3" casing brought up to running with a Grundfos SQE variable speed pump. Cost adder over the standard pump was about $1000. Tiny little 2 gallon pressure tank in the house. Note that this isn't just "VFD" up top driving a "standard" pump down the hole. The variable speed drive is actually down the hole on the pump itself. The controller up top is essentially just a pressure sensor interface that sends commands down to the pump with PLC (Power Line Communications). The idea that it "really make pumps work harder in non-efficient manners than they need to" is simply not true. These pumps / motors are designed from the ground up to be variable speed. Source, engineer with 10+ years designing PMAC motor controls for fluid handling equipment.

 

[Jay H 237]

Pentair deepwell pumps are popular where I am, and a 1/2 hp one was installed 120' down in my well as part of buying my home as the one there was working but drawing too much current, original from 1972

 

[crucible]

Sorry, I don't have a pump recommendation as the one in my well when I bought my house five years ago is still working well (Franklin 3/4 hp @ 372') for now, but I appreciate the other pump recommendations here for my future reference.

I can however offer another recommendation for the Cycle Stop Valve-I replaced 30+ years old 40G pressure tank, valve and switch combo with a CSV and I think the tiny standard 4.5 gallon pressure tank it comes with great results: very reliable, very well made, and constant water pressure to boot-mechanically. I'd purchase one again absolutely as my first choice.