In Riga and the Riga region we choose and install pumps, pressure tanks, pressure switches and dry-run protection. Submersible pump installation costs from €200; the pump is not included. In your request, give the water source, its depth and what is in the house now.
Surface pump or submersible pump
A surface pump stands in the house, the basement or a caisson and sucks water up through a pipe. Physics limits it: in practice it lifts water from no deeper than about 7–8 m, counting from the pump to the water level while the pump is running. If the level is lower, the pump does not draw water or draws it intermittently. A submersible pump sits under the water and pushes the water up, so it has no such limit.
| Criterion | Surface pump station | Submersible pump |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable for | Spike well, shallow dug well, water level up to ~7–8 m | Borehole, deep well, water level below 8 m |
| Where it sits | In a warm room in the house, a basement or an insulated caisson | In the borehole or well below the water level |
| Maintenance | Easy to reach, but sensitive to air leaks in the suction pipe | The pump has to be lifted out for maintenance |
| In winter | The room must not freeze | The pump is below frost level; the pipe and the top of the borehole must be protected |
Surface pumps with an ejector can draw from greater depth, but they are noisier and use more electricity. We rarely recommend them, usually only when there is no room in the borehole for a submersible pump.
Borehole pump
Boreholes use 3 or 4 inch submersible pumps, and the diameter is set by the borehole pipe. We choose the pump from the borehole passport data or our own measurements: the static and dynamic water levels, the borehole's yield and how high and far the water has to be delivered. The pump must not pump more than the borehole gives, otherwise the water level drops right down to the pump.
We lower the pump on a stainless steel rope together with the delivery pipe and the submersible cable, which we connect with a watertight sleeve. Above the pump there is a non-return valve. At the top of the borehole, the pipe to the house leaves through an adapter or a caisson below frost depth. Replacing an old pump is a separate job: borehole pump replacement. All the borehole equipment: borehole equipment.
Pump station for a spike well
A spike well usually gets a pump station: a surface pump with a pressure tank, pressure switch and pressure gauge in one set. The most important part is the suction side. The pipe from the spike well to the pump must be airtight, with a non-return valve and as short as possible, because every air leak makes the pump lose its water. We place the station in a room that stays above zero all year. On the spike well itself: spike well.
Pressure tank installation: how big a pressure tank you need
A pressure tank is a vessel with a rubber membrane and compressed air. It stores a little water under pressure, so the pump does not switch on every time you open a tap. The size of the pressure tank decides how often the pump will switch on.
- The usable volume is only about a third of the nominal volume (depending on the switch settings): in a 100 l pressure tank there are about 30 l of water between the pump switching on and off.
- Pump manufacturers state how many times an hour the pump may switch on. The higher the pump's output, the bigger the pressure tank needed to stay within that limit.
- For a family house with an ordinary pump, a 50–100 l pressure tank is often chosen. With a variable frequency drive a smaller one is enough, because the pump adjusts its own speed.
- The pressure tank must be accessible: it has an air valve for checking the pre-charge pressure and a tap for draining water.
Pressure tank replacement and membrane replacement
A pressure tank is replaced if the vessel has rusted or leaks, or if its membrane cannot be replaced. In pressure tanks with a flanged membrane it can be replaced on its own, and that is cheaper than a new vessel. Before replacing anything, we check the pre-charge pressure: often the pressure tank is fine, it has just lost its air.
Pressure check: disconnect the pump from the power, open a tap until the pressure gauge reads zero, and measure the air pressure at the pressure tank valve with a tyre gauge. It should be about 0.2–0.3 bar lower than the pump's switch-on pressure. If water comes out of the valve, the membrane has burst. Signs and step-by-step checks: water pump switches on too often.
Water pressure switch
The pressure switch turns the pump on when the pressure drops to the lower limit and off when the upper limit is reached. From the factory they are often set to about 1.4–1.5 bar for switching on and 2.8–3 bar for switching off. Higher pressure gives a stronger shower, but puts more load on the pump and the joints, and the pump must be able to reach the upper limit.
If the pump does not switch off or the switch clicks non-stop, the contacts are usually worn or the switch inlet is clogged with deposits. The switch is connected to the 230 V mains, so it is adjusted and replaced only with the power off.
Variable frequency drive and dry-run protection
A variable frequency drive changes the pump's speed according to consumption and keeps the pressure almost constant. The benefit: even pressure when several taps are open, a soft start and fewer switch-ons. It costs more and is sensitive to voltage fluctuations, so it suits houses with higher consumption and several bathrooms.
Dry running is the pump running without water. It starts when the water level in a well or borehole drops or a spike well clogs, and it can quickly ruin the pump. Protection comes from a float switch, a pressure and flow switch or an electronic unit that switches the pump off if there is no flow. For wells and spike wells with a small amount of water, we always recommend it.
The pump in winter
What freezes most often is a surface station in an unheated room, the pipe at the top of the borehole and the entry into the house. The pump and pressure tank need a room where the temperature does not drop below zero, and the pipe from the source to the house must be in the ground below frost depth. If the house is not lived in during winter, the system is drained: winterising the water supply system.
Water pump not drawing water: the most common causes
- Air has got into the suction pipe of a surface pump: a joint or the non-return valve leaks, and the pump has to be primed again.
- The water level has dropped lower than the pump can draw from, for example at the end of a dry summer.
- The spike well filter or the pump's intake screen is clogged: the pump runs, but water comes weakly or not at all.
- The motor hums but does not turn: often the capacitor is to blame or the rotor is stuck. Do not leave the pump switched on in that state.
- The submersible pump runs, but there is no water: worn impellers, a damaged cable or a broken delivery pipe in the borehole.
If it is the spike well, not the pump, that gives no water, the spike well not giving water page will help. If the pump needs fixing: water pump repair.
How pump installation goes
- Request Give the source (spike well, well or borehole), the depth if you know it, and what is already in the house. After you submit the form, we contact you within 5 minutes.
- Measurements and choice On site we measure the water level and check how much water the source gives. Then we offer a pump, pressure tank and protection with a price.
- Installation We install the pump, connect the delivery pipe, pressure tank, switch and pressure gauge, and set the pressure and the pressure tank's pre-charge.
- Check We check that the joints are tight and that the pump does not switch on too often. We show you where the shut-off valve is and how to switch the system off.
We work all over Riga and the Riga region, including Mārupe, Ķekava and Salaspils, where many houses have their own spike well or borehole.
What water pump installation costs
Submersible pump installation costs from €200. The pump, pressure tank and pipes are not included: their price is set by the model and output, and we state it before the job. The price is also affected by the depth the pump has to be lowered to and whether the old pump has to be lifted out. It also depends on whether there is already an adapter or caisson at the top of the borehole, and the distance from the source to the house.
Outside the Riga region we add a travel charge. All prices: prices.
Other pump and system jobs
- Borehole pump replacement: lifting out the old pump, checking the borehole and a new pump.
- Water pump repair: when repair is worth it and when not.
- Water pump switches on too often: pressure tank, membrane, leak, non-return valve.
- Well pump: choice and installation in a dug well.
- Water supply system for a private house: from the source to the tap.