How Long Should A Well Pump Last?

A residential 3- wire pump generally has a useful life of 10-15 years, whereas a residential 2-wire pump has a useful life of 8-13 years. Various factors are responsible for determining how long a submersible pump would last. The running time of the pump, its quality, and electrical supply are a few of them. In the following part of the blog post, we have covered in detail all of the points that influence the useful life of the pump.

·         Wear and tear due to upthrust and downthrust:

There is a lower pressure on the top against the higher volume of the water that this pumped from the bottom in an upthrust situation. Impellers then float upwards due to the lower pressure on top or low head. As a result, the diffusers located above the impellers will have wear and tear when these impellers strike on them.

Alternatively, when there is a down thrust position, the pressure upwards is greater than the bottom, and the water being pumped upwards is of lower volume. Due to high pressure from the top, the impellers float downwards and strike the diffusers below. As a result, there is wear and tear on the diffusers located below the impeller.

Wear and can be minimized if the pump is functioning within the suggested operating range. Within operating range, the impeller will not float upward or downward and will only float in between. There is a balance between the volume of water pumped from the bottom and pressure from the top in the suggested operating ranges. This balance will prolong your pump's life expectancy since impellers will only float in between and cause no wear and tear of diffusers.

·         Life expectancy of 2-wires against 3-wire

In a 3-wire motor, the starting components are located inside a control box installed in the pump. Whereas in a 2-wire motor, these components are placed in the motor itself. If there is any fault in any starting components in a 3-wire motor, the control box only needs to be checked, faulty parts can be replaced, and the motor can run. However, in a 2-wire motor, this work has a bit of a hassle. The whole motor needs to be taken out from the ground in case of any faulty component. Though this difference appears as a small one, it impacts life expectancy. Therefore the useful life of 3 wire motors is at least two years greater than 2-wire motors.

·         The frequency of the usage of the pump

The pump used continuously or has a lot of load has a lesser useful life than the one that runs a few times a day. Often to prolong water drawdown, a bigger pressure tank is installed by owners. It helps to reduce the number of times the pump is turned on and off. The heat produced from starting currents can also be spread evenly only in one minute if you have a proper pressure tank size. Life expectancy can be reduced to even lesser than ten years if your pump has to make a large number of cycles, like 50 cycles per day.

·         Quality of the motor 

The motor's life expectancy is highly dependent on the quality It has. Factors like lubrication and electric motor bearing's quality determine the overall quality of the motor. Submersible motors were first invented by Franklin Electric. Out of all companies, this company is known for making the highest quality motors, which are sturdy and have the highest durability. A high-quality motor has almost double the life expectancy of a low-quality one.

·         The buildup of sediments

Compared to electric motors, which run the pipes, sediments harm the pump assembly more. Moving parts such as pump bearing have much wear and tear due to these sediments as they act as abrasives. Without sediment buildup, pumps can last even as long as 15 years. But in the opposite case, when there is a lot of sediment buildup, they last even lesser than two years.

·         Installation techniques and location

The useful life of equipment highly relies on how well the water system was installed. Installers with proper knowledge, assess the check valve's location and other factors like electrical wiring and filters. However, some installers don't know these things, and they hook up the wiring and pump. And therefore, the latter one has a shorter life expectancy than the former one.

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