Both jet and submersible pumps have a variety of applications. Both of them are often used for pumping from a well. However, there is often confusion on which to use in a specific situation.
Jet-pumps are usually utilized when pumping from small and large augured wells and boosting water pressure on home water systems. They are occasionally used for pumping water from lakes and ponds for irrigation purposes. They use centrifugal force to throw the water around the outer edge of a pump component called the “impeller”.
There are two basic types of jet-pumps – Shallow well only jet pumps and convertible jet-pumps. Shallow well only jet pumps have a nozzle and tube built into the housing and can only be used as a shallow well unit. The word “shallow” does not refer to the depth of the well, but refers to the pumping level of the water that the pump is working with. Convertible jet pumps have a bolt on kit that can be removed to convert them into a deep well jet pump.
It is often confused that a “deep well” type can be submerged underwater. This is not the case. Deep well jet pumps outperform shallow well pumps in the case of depth capabilities, but it still cannot be submerged in the water like a submersible pump can.
The submersible pump is the most popular of pump types in the industry. It is still a centrifugal pump, but can be much more efficient than an average above-ground jet pumping system. They can be used to pump water for small cabins or large cities. In a submersible pump, the pump and motor are both submerged in the water. This allows for a huge benefit because now the energy goes into pushing the water instead of, like typical centrifugal pumps, combating gravity and atmospheric pressure to pump the water.