Sizing Your pump To avoid Upthrust and Down Thurst

Submersible well pumps are centrifugal pumps that have several stages inside them. A rotating impeller and a fixed diffuser make up each stage. Generally, these pumps are positioned vertically, and in between the diffusers, the impellers move up and down.

The top part has a lower pressure, and the water volume coming from the bottom is high in an upthrust situation. Impellers then float up since the pressure on them is very low, and they strike on the diffusers and cause them to wear and tear. It can happen in, for example, a bucket or very shallow well since the pump and motor are more potent than required.

Alternatively, there is high pressure on top, and the volume of water coming from below is low in case of down thrust. Impellers float down due to this increased pressure from the top, and diffusers on the bottom get wear and tear. This scenario can be in a deep well or any other situation where the motor and pump are not powerful enough according to the requirement.

There would be minimized wear and tear of diffusers in ideal working conditions since impellers will float in between. A balance between water volume coming from below and pressure on top would be there in the suggested operating range. Your pump life expectancy, too, will rise since wear and tear would be minimized when there is a balance between water flow and pressure levels of water. 

In short, upthrust and down thrust are not very good for your water system, and they should be reduced as much as possible. For that, correct sizing of the pump is needed.

If you have any trouble or query regarding the pump's sizing, feel free to reach out to us by calling us at ‪(760) 440-8520‬.