Hey everyone, I’m Jake from the deep well submersible pump team—get ready for a real talk that’s been popping up in my DMs nonstop lately: can a deep well submersible pump actually work if your well has a high water table? As someone who’s spent 7 years selling and troubleshooting these pumps, I’ve seen way too many people overcomplicate this, or even buy the wrong pump and waste cash, so let’s break this down like we’re chatting over a coffee (with way less jargon, promise). Deep Well Submersible Pump
First off, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what we’re actually talking about here, because “high water table” and “deep well pump” can mean different things to different folks. A high water table basically means the groundwater level is really close to the ground surface—like, usually 10 feet or less, right? Not some 50-foot-deep crevice in the middle of a farm. And a deep well submersible pump? Yeah, it’s that pump you drop all the way down the well pipe, submerging it fully, to pull water up—way different from a shallow well jet pump that sits on your shed wall.
I get why people are confused here, honestly. Back when I first started in this business, a customer brought in a brand-new deep well pump he’d just bought, super excited to get water for his backyard garden and cabin, and he was like “Wait, my well’s only 12 feet deep—can’t I just use this?” That question is exactly why I’m writing this today, because it’s way more common than you’d think. Let’s start with the short answer to keep you from scrolling away: yes, 9 times out of 10, a deep well submersible pump works in a high water table well. But it’s not just “buy any deep well pump and call it a day”—there are a few critical details you gotta nail down, or you’ll end up with a pump that runs hot, burns out fast, or wastes way more electricity than it should.
Let’s talk about why deep well pumps are actually built to handle high water tables in the first place. The core job of any submersible pump is to pull water from point A to point B, right? Deep well pumps are designed to handle the entire “total dynamic head” (TDH) of your system— that’s not just how far down the water is, but also how high you need to lift it to your house or your tank, plus friction from the pipes. If your well’s water table is only 10 feet down, that’s a super low suction lift requirement, which is actually a sweet spot for most deep well pumps, because they’re built to handle way more lift than that.
Wait, let’s throw in a quick example to make this concrete. Last month, I worked with a guy named Leo who lives in a suburban neighborhood, his well’s water table is at 8 feet, total depth is only 25 feet, and he needed to get water up to a 40-foot storage tank for his lawn and house. We picked a ½ HP deep well submersible pump rated for 100 feet of TDH, and it’s been running flawlessly for 3 months now—no issues, no overheating, way cheaper to run than the old shallow pump he had before. That’s exactly the kind of scenario this works for.
But hold up, there are a couple of gotchas here that I see people miss all the time, and these are the ones that cause problems. First: the pump’s placement in the well. A lot of folks think “it’s a deep well pump, so I drop it all the way to the bottom” and call it good. Wrong. Even with a high water table, you can’t plop the pump too low, and you can’t leave it too close to the top either. Here’s the rule of thumb I teach all our customers: submerge the pump at least 10 feet below the static water level (that’s the level when no water’s being pumped, right?) and at least 5 feet above the well bottom. Why? If you drop it too close to the muck and sediment that settles at the well base, that gunk will clog the pump’s intake, make it work harder, and burn out way faster. If you leave it too high, above the water level when it’s pumping? Well, it’s a submersible pump—if it’s not fully submerged, it runs dry, and that’s a one-way ticket to pump graveyard. I’ve replaced 17 pumps in the last two years alone because people didn’t get that placement right, even though their well had a high water table.
Second thing: motor cooling. Deep well pumps get their name from being submerged, right? But that submergence isn’t just for pulling water—it’s how the motor stays cool. Wait, if your water table is really high, does that mean you’re always fully covering the pump? Most of the time, yes, because the static level is close to the surface, and when you pump, the water level only drops a few feet, not 20 or 30 like in a deep well. But here’s where it gets tricky: some low-quality deep well pumps (I won’t name names, but you know the ones sold at big box stores for $99) have motors that are designed to run in cooler, slower-moving water. In a high water table well, sometimes the water isn’t as deep, or the pump is running at a speed that doesn’t keep enough water circulating around the motor to cool it. That’s why we only sell pumps with submersible-rated motors that are built specifically for continuous operation, even in shallow, high-water-table wells—no cheap parts here, because I don’t want a customer calling me at 2 a.m. when their pump dies mid-shower.
Wait, let’s address the myth that keeps a lot of people away: “shallow well pumps are better for high water table wells.” Yeah, shallow well jet pumps exist, but they have their own problems. Shallow pumps need to be within 25 feet of the water level, which works if your water table is super high, but they have a big suction line that can leak, and they’re louder, and they require more maintenance on the jet assembly. Deep well submersible pumps are quieter (you barely hear them, even a few feet from the well head), they’re more efficient, and they last longer—so even if your well is only 10 feet deep, a good deep well pump is often a better long-term pick, not a worse one.
I’ve also had customers come to me with a well that has a fluctuating high water table—like, it’s 5 feet down in the wet season, but drops to 15 feet in the dry summer. Can a deep well pump handle that? 100%, as long as you adjust the pump’s placement for the lowest expected water level. A lot of people fix their pump for the wet season, then when summer hits, the pump is above the water level, runs dry, and burns out. That’s why it’s so important to check your well’s water level over a full year before you pick a pump, not just when it’s rained nonstop for weeks.
Now, let’s talk about when a deep well submersible pump might not be the best pick for a high water table well, because I’m not here to sell you something you don’t need. If your well is only 10 feet total depth, no seasonal fluctuations, and you just need a small amount of water for a garden hose or a tiny sprinkler system, sometimes a small shallow pump will work and be cheaper upfront. But if you need consistent water for a whole house, a sprinkler system, or a pressure tank, deep well pumps are still the way to go. Another case: if your well has a lot of sediment, even with a high water table, you might want to add a sediment pre-filter, because deep well pumps pull water from a specific intake, and too much gunk will clog it. I always recommend a 5-micron pre-filter for anyone with a well, no matter the depth or water table.
Let’s also touch on efficiency, because I know a lot of you care about utility bills. A good deep well pump is more efficient than a shallow pump for most high water table well setups, because it doesn’t have to work as hard to pull water up a long suction line. Wait, let’s do a quick number example: Leo, the guy I mentioned earlier, his old shallow pump used about 1200 watts when running, the new deep well pump we installed uses 750 watts, same flow rate—so that’s a huge difference on his electric bill, like $30 a month in savings. That adds up fast, right?
Another question I get: can you just use any old deep well pump, no matter the depth? Nope, not at all. You need to match the pump’s rated flow and TDH to your specific needs. Flow is how much water it pumps per minute—like 5 GPM for a small house, 10 GPM for a whole house with multiple bathrooms. TDH, like I said earlier, is total dynamic head: that’s the depth from the pump to the water, plus the height you need to lift it, plus friction from the pipes. Even if your well only has a 10-foot water table, if you need to lift water 50 feet to a tank, that’s 60 feet of TDH total, so you need a pump rated for at least that.
Wait, let’s bust one more common myth: some people think deep well pumps are only for deep wells. That’s just not true—they’re called deep well pumps because they’re designed to be submerged, not because they only work in deep wells. The terminology just stuck around from when they were first made for drilling deeper wells, but they work perfectly fine in shallow, high water table wells too.
Now, let’s get real about what could go wrong if you pick the wrong pump for a high water table well, because I’ve seen it so many times. First: dry running. If the pump is too high, above the water level when it’s pumping, it can’t cool itself, and the motor will burn out in a matter of hours. I had a customer last spring who installed his pump 1 foot above the static water level, didn’t check his seasonal drop, and by the time summer hit, he’d run it for 2 hours before the motor seized up—cost him $400 for a new pump, plus the hassle of digging up the well pipe to replace it. Second: sediment clogging. If the pump is too low, it’s sitting in the muck at the well bottom, and that gunk gets pulled into the impeller, clogging it, reducing flow, and making the pump work harder. Third: high electricity bills. If you pick a pump that’s too big for your needs, it cycles on and off way too much, wasting power, and it’s also harder on the motor.
So, what’s the step-by-step if you’re trying to figure out if a deep well submersible pump works for your high water table well? Let’s make this simple, no fancy spreadsheets needed:
- Check your static water level at both its highest and lowest points (wait a full year, don’t just go by a one-time measurement).
- Measure how far you need to lift the water to your desired outlet (house, tank, garden, etc.).
- Calculate your total dynamic head: static water level at its lowest + lift height + 10% extra for pipe friction. That extra 10% is important, I promise—pipe bends and length add up, so don’t skip that.
- Figure out your required flow: how much water do you need per minute? (A standard whole house is ~5-7 GPM, a small garden is ~2-3 GPM.)
- Pick a deep well pump that’s rated for at least your calculated TDH and flow, with a submersible motor built for continuous operation. And follow the placement rule: at least 10 feet below the highest static water level, at least 5 feet above the well bottom.
I know this sounds like a lot, but it’s way less work than replacing a pump every year, or getting a huge electric bill, or being stuck without water when you need it most. And for the record, I’ve installed pumps in wells that are as shallow as 15 feet total depth, with water tables at 5 feet, and they run like a charm—no issues, no complaints, just consistent water.
Wait, let’s wrap this up with a quick customer success story to drive it home. Sarah, a teacher in Ohio, contacted me last month because her well’s water table was at 7 feet, total depth 20 feet, and her old shallow pump had just died, leaving her without water for her kids’ soccer practice, her house, and her backyard garden. She was nervous about getting a deep well pump because she thought it would be overkill for a shallow well. We walked through the steps together, figured out she needed a ½ HP pump rated for 80 feet TDH and 6 GPM, installed it, and she sent me a text 2 weeks later saying her electric bill dropped by $28, and she hasn’t had any issues—plus it’s way quieter than her old pump, so she doesn’t hear it when she’s working in her home office. That’s exactly what this is all about: helping people get the right pump, no guesswork, no wasted money.
At the end of the day, the biggest takeaway here is: yes, a deep well submersible pump absolutely works in a well with a high water table—if you pick the right pump for your specific setup, and install it correctly. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, and for most people, it’s actually a better, more efficient, longer-lasting option than a shallow pump, even if your well isn’t deep.
If you’re still not sure, or you have questions about your specific well—like what size pump you need, or how to check your water level, or anything else—don’t overthink it. Reach out, and we can walk through it together. No sales pitches, no pushy stuff, just real advice from someone who’s been in this game for years, fixing and installing pumps for regular people like you.
Wait, that’s all I’ve got for today. I hope this cleared up the confusion about deep well pumps and high water tables—feel free to drop a comment if you have more questions, or shoot me a message if you need help picking a pump. Stay cool, and keep your water running!
MMA Welding Machine References:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2020). Private Wells: Selecting and Maintaining a Pump. EPA.gov.
- Submersible Pump Industry Association. (2021). Technical Manual for Deep Well Submersible Pump Systems.
- National Ground Water Association. (2019). Well Design and Pump Selection for Shallow Water Table Conditions. NGWA.org.
- Residential Pump Efficiency Guide. (2022). U.S. Department of Energy. Energy.gov.
Lewei Pumps Industry Co., Ltd.
Lewei Pumps Industry Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional deep well submersible pump manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and low price. Please rest assured to buy bulk discount deep well submersible pump for sale here and get free sample from our factory. Also, customized service is available.
Address: Shanshi Industrial Zone, Daxi Town, Wenling City, Zhejiang Province, China
E-mail: info@rolwal.com
WebSite: https://www.rolwalpumpweld.com/
