Many Missouri homes with a private well have a pump that the owner has never seen. It may sit in a basement, a utility closet, a crawlspace, or a pump house near the well, or it may be down inside the well itself. Knowing which type you have helps when you read a pressure gauge, describe your system to a service provider, or answer questions during a home sale or inspection. This guide explains the two common setups in plain terms and lists what a homeowner can check without opening any electrical equipment.
Why pump type matters
Pump type affects where you look for trouble. A pump above ground can usually be heard, seen, and checked from the outside. A pump below ground cannot be inspected directly, so you rely on the pressure system, the electrical controls, and the records. The two designs also make different sounds and fail in different ways, which is useful to know when a tap starts running weak.
Shallow-well jet pumps
A shallow-well jet pump sits above ground, most often in a basement or crawlspace near the pressure tank. It pulls water up through a suction pipe. Many jet setups use a foot valve or ejector at the bottom of that line. Because the pump lifts water rather than pushing it from underground, these systems are generally found where the water level in the well is fairly close to the surface.
Common signs of a jet setup include a pump body with a visible suction line, a pump that makes noise when it starts, and a pressure switch mounted on or near the tank. Sputtering taps can point to air in the suction line, which is one reason jet pumps sometimes lose prime, meaning they lose the water they need to move.
Submersible pumps
A submersible pump sits underwater inside the well casing. It pushes water up through a drop pipe to the house. You cannot see it, but several clues show that one is in place. The house usually has a pressure tank and a pressure switch, a cable or conduit runs from a control box toward the well head, and the well log from the original drilling may list the pump information.
How to identify yours at home
- Find the pressure tank and the pressure switch, which are usually in the same area.
- Look for a pump body with a suction pipe and a second line, which suggests a jet setup. If you see only one pipe leaving the tank area and heading toward the well, a submersible pump is more likely.
- Check the well log, if you have one. It may list the pump depth, model, and install date.
- Look for a model plate, often on the pump body or the control box. Write down the name and any date you can read, but do not remove covers to find it.
Safe checks you can do yourself
- Watch the pressure gauge while a tap runs, and note whether the reading drops steadily or stays fairly steady.
- Listen to the pump when it starts, and note whether it runs in long cycles or short bursts.
- Check whether the pump runs when no taps are open, since that can point to a leak in the system.
- Keep the area around the pump and tank clear, dry, and well lit.
What to leave to a qualified person
Pump wiring, control boxes, breakers, and any work on the pump itself carry real electrical and mechanical risk. Do not open a control box, change a breaker, or pull a pump out of the well on your own. Hire a licensed, qualified person for any of that work. A homeowner can describe what they observed, such as the gauge readings and the sound of the pump, which helps that person arrive with better information.
Recording what you find
Write down the pump type, its location, the model details from the plate, and the date of any service or repair. Keep these notes with your well records. Older records may also be held by the county or by the original driller, so ask if you cannot find the well log in your papers. A simple written record makes future questions easier to answer, whether you are troubleshooting a weak tap or preparing for a sale.
This guide covers identification and basic observation only. It does not replace water testing, which is a separate step that checks what is in the water itself. For Missouri homeowners, knowing the pump type is a practical starting point for caring for the whole system.