Jet Pumps
Jet pumps, unlike other types of pumps, use the Venturi effect to move fluid
from one location to another. How the Venturi effect works is that the fluid is drawn into the pump, but must pass
through a constricted section. While passing through the constricted section the fluid’s pressure decreases, while
the fluids velocity increases resulting in an increase in kinetic energy. It is the increase in kinetic energy
which allows fluid to flow.
There are many brands and models of jet pumps available, with some models offering pump
capacity of up to a thousand gallons per hour. When choosing these pumps, the first thing you will need to confirm
is how much water flow is required, that is how much water are you expecting the pump to supply. You will also want
to determine the water pressure that is required.
How Jet Pumps Work
Jet pumps are most commonly used to get water out of wells for you to use in your home or around
the farm. The pumps are mainly installed below the ground level in a well and works to pump the
water from the bottom of the well to wherever it is needed.
With a deep well pump the jet pump is located at the bottom of the well, but how deep it can go
will depend on the velocity and diameter of the jet. It moves water by making use of the jet stream which is
responsible for creating suction to transfer the fluid to the surface. With a shallow well pump, the jet pump is
attached directly to the main pump and can only go about five to eight meters down the well.
Jet pumps are designed with a jet and a venturi fitting. These two components help in boosting
the performance of the pumps, and in this way they are able to pump water from a much greater depth. Jet pumps are
capable of handling water that contains much more air, as compared to other pumps such as multistage pumps.
Things To Note When Operating Jet Pumps
Deep well jet pumps are often not easily accessible if something goes wrong, such as when the nozzle of
the pumps gets clogged up. How soon the hole can get clogged after operating the pump is a guessing game, but it
will probably take at least several months if not years if it happens at all. The easiest way to tell that the
hole is clogged is when your water pressure cannot get past a certain point.
Another thing to take note is that sometimes jet pumps can leak from the top of the pump, which is where you prime the pump. This
is often the case when you have the jet pump attached directly to another. Pipe dope and Teflon tape are the
obvious tools to use when fixing a leak, but many times an O-ring is what is needed to do the trick. Once you
stop the leak the pump works just as well as before.
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