How Does Your Water Pump Installation in Columbia, TN Actually Work?

September 1, 2016

We’ve grown up just turning the knob on our showers and sinks to get hot or cold water flowing through our pipes almost immediately. That’s the luxury of living in a society that (for the most part) has running water available to anyone who wants it. However, unless you’re familiar with a water pump installation in Columbia, TN, you’re probably unaware that it takes quite a bit of technology to get that water from your well up into your house.

What is a water pump?

After a well is drilled a pump is installed in the well that will effectively move the water out from the depths of the underworld and up into your home. Pumps can work in several ways, explained below. In the olden days, before indoor plumbing was commonplace, folks who wanted water had to walk out to their well and hand pump the water from the well up into their bucket. It took a lot of effort and to get the water from deep below the ground and up onto the surface and into their pail. Luckily those days are over.

While the hand pump was the only option to get water up from your well for a few centuries, modern technology allows us to get water a few different ways, depending on how deep your well is.

How does a modern water pump work?

Nowadays, there are several different kinds of water pumps. Which one your home can use depends on the depth of your well.

  • Single-drop jet pump: If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with a high water table, water pump installation in Columbia, TN can be a relatively easy task. If your well is 25 feet deep or less, contractors only need to dig a shallow hole to install your well. Water can be extracted from a well of that depth by installing an above ground, single-drop jet pump. This kind of jet pump work by driving water down the well. The water that’s driven down into the well creates a vacuum. The vacuum sucks the new water from the well back up through another tube which gradually decreases in diameter, thus creating more force and driving the water up to ground level.
  • Double-drop jet pump: If your well is deeper than 25 feet, you’ll need to install a double-drop jet pump. This kind of pump works in a similar way to the sing-drop system. Instead of installing a single pipe to get water up from the ground, the double-drop system has two pipes that force water at a faster rate into the ground to extract fresh well water. The extra pressure is needed to extract water from deeper depths.
  • Submersible pump system: If your well is really deep down in the ground, a jet pump simply won’t get the job done. You’ll need to install the pump below the ground to extract water. Instead of driving water down into the ground, like a jet pump, submersible pumps work by lifting water up to the surface. The power to the lifting mechanism is provided by a motor. As such, there is a chance for the motor to break down and render your pump useless. Luckily submersible pumps are known to be quite sturdy.

If you believe your home could use well service, contact us at 931-285-0138 today!

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