How long is the service life of a water pump?

An above-ground one line (shallow well) or two line (deep well) jet water pump often operates for a considerable range of years, as few as 4 years or as many as 15 or 20 years before needing replacement.

A typical well pump life expectancy (lumping both the electric pump motor and the pump assembly together) is about 10 years in the U.S. and Canada, and about 5 years in Mexico and Central America.

A submersible well pump, perhaps because the motor is kept cool by being immersed in well water, can also have a considerable range of life expectancies depending on the variables which we list below.

A submersible pump operating in low-sediment water may have a 15 year life while the same pump in high sediment water and without adequate sediment and check valve protection may fail in 5 or 6 years.

Factors Affecting the Expected Life of a Well Water Pump

Water Pump duty cycle: a water pump which is called-on to run just a few times a day will have a considerably longer life than the same pump under heavy or continuous use. One of the reasons that owners install a larger or captive-air bladder-type water pressure tank is to extend the water draw-down cycle and thus reduce the frequency of turning the water pump on and off.

Water Pump electric motor horsepower or motor size: for the same application and workload, a larger electrical motor, for example a 3/4 or 1 HP (horsepower, or CP, caballo podre in Latin America) motor will usually outlast a small fractional 1/8 or 1/4 hp electrical motor.

Water pump motor quality will affect how long the pump's electric motor (or any electric motor) will last. Variables include the type and quality of electric motor bearings and its lubrication requirements. The place where an electric motor is manufactured, even when it claims to be the same brand, can make a significant difference. For example according to our Mexican consultants, electric pump motors made in Mexico sometimes perform less durably than a similar motor manufactured to U.S. standards.

Water sediment is a major wear factor on the pump assembly itself (as opposed to the electric motor that drives the pump). Sediment in water acts as an abrasive that wears pump bearings and other moving parts.

Quality of Water Equipment Installation: can make a big difference in the life of the water supply equipment. Installers who simply hook up a pump and wiring, with no understanding of the importance of proper location of check valves, filters, proper electrical wiring, etc. are likely to be providing a shorter-lived water supply system.