Jet pumps sit above ground and lift water by suction, so they suit shallow wells within about 25 feet of lift. Submersibles sit in the water and push it up, so they suit deep wells, which is most of Suffolk. On a well where either would work, a submersible avoids priming trouble; a jet is easier to reach and cheaper to replace.
Wellborne works on both kinds of pump around Suffolk, Isle of Wight and Virginia Beach, and the choice between them is usually made by the well before anyone has an opinion about it.
How each one works
A jet pump sits above ground, in a well house, garage, basement or crawlspace. An impeller drives water through a narrow nozzle, the jet, creating suction that pulls water up a pipe from the well. Because atmospheric pressure is what pushes the water up the suction pipe, a single-pipe shallow-well jet can only lift about 25 feet in practice. Two-pipe “deep well” jets put the ejector down in the well and reach somewhat further, at lower efficiency.
A submersible pump hangs down in the well, below the water level, on a drop pipe. Its motor drives stacked impellers that push water up the pipe to the house. Because it pushes rather than pulls, depth is limited only by the pump’s design and power, and it never needs priming.
Comparing them
| Jet pump | Submersible | |
|---|---|---|
| Practical depth | About 25 ft lift (single pipe) | Hundreds of feet |
| Priming | Needs a full suction line; loses prime from leaks | Never needs priming |
| Efficiency | Lower, especially at depth | Higher at the same depth |
| Noise | Audible where it is installed | Silent in the well |
| Service access | At ground level; easy to reach | Has to be pulled from the well |
| Replacement cost | Lower, no pull needed | Higher on deep wells because of the pull |
| Freeze exposure | Housing and lines can freeze if exposed | Protected in the well |
What Suffolk wells usually need
In the Virginia Cooperative Extension clinic of 204 Suffolk households, 59% of owners reported wells deeper than 300 feet and 17% reported wells under 50 feet. The deep majority need submersibles; nothing else will lift water from those depths. The shallow minority, mostly bored, dug and driven wells on older lots, plus many irrigation wells, are where jet pumps still make sense.
In north Virginia Beach, where USGS reports that groundwater is used mainly for irrigation and the shallow aquifer is the main source, jet pumps and small submersibles are both common.
When converting to a submersible makes sense
A shallow well with a jet pump that keeps losing prime is the classic case. If the casing is wide enough, typically 4 inches or more for a standard submersible, and there is enough water above where the pump would sit, a submersible ends priming trouble and runs quieter. The conversion means new drop pipe, wiring down the well, a pitless adapter or well seal, and removing the jet’s suction line.
Converting is less attractive when the well is very shallow and the water level swings close to where the pump would hang, when a narrow driven well cannot take a submersible, or when the jet’s problems are really a suction leak that a simple repair would fix.
When to keep the jet
A jet pump in good condition on a shallow well within its lift is a perfectly good system. It is cheap to replace, easy to reach, and simple. The things that keep it healthy are an airtight suction side, a sound foot valve, protection from freezing, and a correctly charged pressure tank so it does not cycle itself to death.
What it costs either way
A jet pump replacement on a shallow well usually sits toward the low end of the national budgeting range for well pumps, because there is no pump to pull. A deep submersible replacement sits toward the top, because of the pipe and cable at depth. The cost guide explains what moves each. To talk through your own well, call (757) 919-1972.