The casing on our 40+ year-old well has cracked after being hit be debris
during a hurricane storm surge, and we're going to have to have a new well
drilled.

Well water in this neighborhood has generally been poor -- very high mineral
content, either calcium and iron or sulfur (mine had the former before the
casing break, now has the latter). But the man who runs the company that
drills most of the wells around here (his father or grandfather drilled ours
way back when) has often hit an aquifer with good, drinkable water at about
300 - 350 feet (including the next-door neighbors'), so I imagine that's the
depth we'll be looking at for our own.

I'm probably going to have to go with a 2" well and a jet pump, for reasons
of cost, but I'd appreciate hearing the pros and cons of both options -- jet
and submersible.

Every time I've ever had to prime my old pump, I've wanted to go to a
submersible. I understand submersibles are more energy efficient -- but is
that true, and if so, is it significant, cost-wise?

Other than the higher initial cost, the biggest drawback I can think of to a
submersible is that my ability to work on it myself if anything goes wrong
is pretty limited. I've been told wells with submersible pumps are prone to
lightening strikes, but have never heard that first-hand or even
second-hand -- is that really a problem?

Any other points to weigh down one way or the other will be appreciated.

--

Robert

"Robert E. Lewis" wrote:

... we're going to have to have a new well drilled.

way ... water at about 300 - 350 feet ... that's the
depth we'll be looking at for our own.

I'm probably going to have to go with a 2" well and a jet pump, for reasons
of cost, but I'd appreciate hearing the pros and cons of both options -- jet
and submersible.

....
... I've been told wells with submersible pumps are prone to
lightening strikes, but have never heard that first-hand or even
second-hand -- is that really a problem?

Any other points to weigh down one way or the other will be appreciated.

At 300' or more, I'd definitely go to the submersible.

1-1/2" should be adequate for household supply and a 2 hp pump also.

Don't know who told you about the lightning, but it just ain't so...

i suppose this is subject to climate and water temperatures...
wondering can you do geothermal heating thru a water well or can you
use the old one for geothermal...