How long a water pump can run continuously? It’s a general question that comes almost to everyone’s mind at some time or another because water and the well pump is the basic need of every home.
In this article, we try to help you to explain how long a well pump runs according to its various types.
Table of contents
How does A Water Pump work?
Every home must have a water pump for water storage and usage. The water pump draws water up from the underground in your water storage tanks, which are connected to your water supplies and provide you with fresh water whenever you need water.
The water pumps work until your water tank gets full.
How Long Can a Well Pump Run Continuously?
It is important to know how long a well pump should run to avoid any kind of danger. Generally, most of the well pump doesn’t work continuously but it works in cycles. This means the well pump runs for a shorter period and then stops to cool down.
Mostly it depends on the type of well pump type, some pumps a designed for longer working, while some are designed to have a maximum continuous working of two hours. The modern well pumps are designed to work for a shorter period to avoid overheating.
There are different types of pumps as follows:
- Submersible Pumps
- Centrifugal Pumps
- Jet Pumps
The Factors On Which Your Well Pump Working Depends
There are different factors on which the working of a well pump depends upon. These factors are:
- Size of A Well Pump
- Power of A Well Pump
- Type of A Well Pump
- Size of Your Water Storage Tank
The water well pumps come in different power, size, and type, these three factors determine how long your good pump runs continuously. The size of your water storage tank also determines the working of your well water pump.
How Long Can A Well Pump Run Continuously? The Different Types
The main purpose of a water well pump is to provide enough water for anyone who’s using a well pump. To fill up your water storage tank, you have to run the well pump. Your well pump runs in the cycle or it will run continuously until your storage tank isn’t full, mainly depending on the well pump you have installed.
Here is a quick review of the main types of well pumps:
Type 1: The Jet Pump
The jet pump is the most potent and exclusive well water pump type as it can be used in both shallow and deep wells. This pump has a higher suction power than other well pumps. This powerful pump is built for deep wells which go deep more than 100 feet.
How does A Jet Pump work?
The jet pump has the highest suction power, and it can drain water from the 50 feet as well as 100 feet deep well. The jet pumps draw water and fired out this water with the help of a pressurized nozzle, which forces the water upward and out of the well.
Run Time Of A Jet Pump
The deeper the well the more powerful the water well pump you will need. As shown by the name the jet pumps force water up very speedily, therefore it will not need to run for as long. The size of your water storage tank should be big or compatible with the size of the jet pump, so the jet pump runs for 60 sec as needed.
Tip for Jet Pump
The jet pump can run steadily for 20 minutes. Make sure the jet pump doesn’t lose pressure and doesn’t run out of water otherwise you have to prime it again.
Type 2: Centrifugal Well Pump
This is the simplest type of water well pump. A centrifugal pump uses rotational force for its work. Centrifugal pumps use less power than the jet pump and submersible pumps. Centrifugal pumps are used for shallow wells, therefore they used less power.
Run Time Of A Centrifugal Pump
The centrifugal pumps are used for almost 25 feet or less deep wells. Centrifugal pumps run out of water very fast as they are used for shallow pumps and use less power, therefore their runtime is short.
How does A Centrifugal Well Pump work?
This type of pump uses rotational force and has one or more impellors that force the water to move round and use their velocity to drive the water upward and out of the well. The centrifugal pump runs for 20 minutes at a time max.
Tip For Centrifugal Pump
If you are running your centrifugal pump for more than this period, you risk damaging your pump and its mechanism or it can put a strain on your system. The running cycle of a centrifugal pump is long enough to fill your water tank to its top.
Type 3: Submersible Pumps
Submersible pumps are used economically and industrially. A submersible pump operates entirely under the water. The submersible pump is used in shallow well and deep well because of its high suction power.
Run Time of A Submersible Pump
It can draw up water from 25 feet and deeper water well. The submersible water hold and supplies more water, therefore it is more suitable for deep well as compared to a centrifugal pump. Due to this amazing feature, the submersible pumps can run continuously for a longer period.
How does A Submersible Pump work?
A submersible uses a rotating energy which put pressure on the water and forces the water in an upward direction. Using an impellor it pulls water into the pump and forces it to move out. Submersible pumps are best suited for deep wells and they have to completely seal.
Tip For Submersible Pump
The submersible pumps are specially designed to run continuously for as long as needed. The only issue with the submersible pumps is that they need to remain submerged. If the pump runs out of water it will extremely damage the inner mechanism of the pump.
Try to remain to fill your water tank to avoid any kind of damage. Try to avoid the overuse of the submersible pump.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
You must have some kind of confusion in your mind related to the continuous running time of your water well pump. We want to solve some of your confusion:
How many hours does a water well pump run every day?
Usually, the well pumps run for 2 to 3 hours a day.
How often should a well pump cycle?
Well Pump cycle depends on the size of the tank and size, capacity, and type of the well pump.
Does the well pump burn when it runs for a long?
Overheating, if a well pump runs too long it gets overheated, and this overheating can cause the burning of your well pump.
Why does my pump cycle ON and OFF frequently?
The frequent ON and OFF of a pump are called “Short Cycling”. It happens due to too much usage of water that is more than the pump can handle.
What should I do if my pump runs too much?
In this case, check your well pump pressure and your water tank.
Can I run out of well water?
Yes, if you use too much water your well water will be dried out.
Should I turn off your well pump?
You should turn OFF your water well pump only when you have planned to stay away from it for a long period of time.
How can I run a well pump without electricity?
Hand Pumps can be used in case where there is no electricity
Can I run my water well pump on a generator?
Generally, it is hard to run a well pump on a generator, because the well pump needs a high voltage for its running. A very high-voltage generator can provide proper voltage to your well pump.
Can a 240v well pump run on 120v?
No, if you provide less voltage to your pump than its required voltage, your pump will not able to create pressure to pull up water.
Does A Well Pump Refill Itself?
Yes, the water well pump refills itself, if you provide it with an appropriate amount of break or gap.
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CONCLUSION:
Generally, well pumps should not run continuously, because it will lead your well to dry out of water. This can seriously damage your whole water system. To avoid the continuous running of well pump, you can easily set up your well pump to keep filled your water storage tank by using a pressure switch and pressure tank.
