| Water is an important aspect of life; for drinking, | | | | water source easier. |
| bathing, washing clothes, and maintaining proper | | | | Most shallow wells use a jet pump to draw the |
| hygiene in general. Long ago, water was hauled | | | | water up from its source. These pumps create a |
| from a nearby stream and carried to the house | | | | sort of suction, similar to a straw, with the |
| for use. Water was sometimes carried for miles | | | | pressure in the atmosphere doing most of the |
| at a time, just to be able to take a bath. Today | | | | work. In order to get these jet pumps ready to |
| people have the luxury of water being pumped | | | | use, they need to have water added to them, |
| directly into their homes. This wouldn't be possible | | | | this will then prime the pump for use. |
| if there weren't such mechanisms as well pumps. | | | | There is also a one-way valve system included on |
| In the city, the local waterworks place is in charge | | | | these pumps, to keep the water from being |
| of keeping water pressure present for household | | | | pulled back down into the well. A shallow well is |
| use. The only thing needed is to know how to | | | | considered to be anything under 25 feet deep. |
| turn the faucet on. In the country, most | | | | Many pumps are located deeper than 25 feet, |
| households get their water from individual wells. | | | | especially in rocky areas. Jet pumps are still able |
| This means that if the pump stops working, the | | | | to be used for these deeper wells too. |
| house that this well supplies water to is out of | | | | The configuration of the pump parts is a bit |
| luck until it is fixed. These can quit working for | | | | different and more pipes are used with this setup. |
| various reasons; clogged pipe going to the pump, | | | | Another option for pumping water out of a |
| the motor burned up, a power surge fried the | | | | deeper well is to use a submersible pump. This |
| control box, or no water present. | | | | pump consists of a casing around a cylindrical |
| The length of the pipe going from the water to | | | | shape that has a sealed motor at the bottom. |
| the well depends on how high the water table is. | | | | The pump is then connected to wires located |
| If the water table is fairly low or the house is | | | | above ground. |
| positioned on a hill, drilling a well can be extremely | | | | Submersible pumps are often very reliable and |
| expensive. Having a low water table also means | | | | don't usually need servicing for 20 to 25 years. |
| that the water has to be taken through a lot | | | | The main things that will shorten the life of these |
| more pipe to get it to the house for use. On the | | | | well pumps is silt, sand, and other fine ground |
| other hand, a high water table means that there | | | | debris. They also aren't meant to run all the time, |
| is less filtering of the water through the ground, | | | | so fixing leaky faucets is a must when using a |
| which means contaminants are able to access the | | | | well to pump water. |