How Long Can You Run Your Hose On A Well?

Well water isn’t an unlimited source that you can utilize for as long as you want. The water tank takes time to refill and can only be used for a limited period before it’s tapped out. This begs the question- how long can you run your hose on a well?

On average, you can run your hose on a well for 2 hours before the 500-gallon water supply is depleted. The most common type of water pump found in a residential backyard is a centrifugal pump. To attach your hose to this, you’ll need to find a receiving port and purchase the proper adaptor.

Keep reading to discover how long you can run your hose on a well, how exactly to do this, and how long it takes to fill your pool this way. Additionally, this article will cover what happens if you accidentally (or purposefully) run a hose on a well source overnight.

Let’s dive right in!

Like we mentioned above, well water is finite. So, how long will your hose last when attached to a well?

This depends on factors such as the size of your water tank, the type of pump you have, and the water pressure or flow rate it exerts. However, generally speaking, you will be able to run your hose on a well for about 2 hours before the source is empty. At this point, it will need time to refill.

Most wells have a capacity of around 500 gallons of water. Additionally, there are several different types of pumps that can be attached, including submersible pumps, jet pumps, and centrifugal pumps.

Submersible pumps are able to pull water from 25 feet underground, although they are most commonly found in industrial applications. This type of pump is able to hold more water and thus will run a hose for longer.

Jet pumps are the strongest. They can reach water up to 100 feet below the Earth’s surface.

Lastly, a centrifugal pump is what’s most likely in your backyard. The wells are about 25 feet deep and can only hold a certain amount of water. The run time for this pump is significantly less than the other types we mentioned.

There will be 1-3 ports located on the side of your water pump- this is where the hose will attach. We recommend selecting the port that’s closest to the site where you’ll be using the hose.

Oftentimes, the port requires an adaptor that allows you to directly attach the hose to the well system. It’s a threaded piece that costs $20 or less and can be found on Amazon or at a local hardware store.

Answering this question takes a little bit of math.

Because the average water well has the ability to hold 500 gallons (with 2 hours of pump run time), and the average pool needs 13,500 gallons to be full, it would take a whopping 54 hours using a single hose. This doesn’t even take into account the time required to refill the well reservoir.

Point blank- filling your pool with a hose on a well isn’t the best idea. Even with multiple hoses, it would take days and even weeks to complete the process.

So what really happens if you do something like this?

Ultimately, you will run out of water, and the pump will overheat. In the morning, you likely won’t be able to flush toilets or run faucets. To fix this, you need to turn off the hose and shut down the pump circuit for 2 days to allow it to replenish and cool down.

This should solve the problem! Reach out to a plumber if your water supply doesn’t return to normal after completing the above troubleshooting steps.

Related Questions

How long can a well pump run before burning out?

We touched on this lightly above, but this depends heavily on your pump.Generally speaking, most can run for 2 hours without any problems, while others need to cycle ‘Off’ after 30 minutes. Some of the most advanced systems can run continuously, although these are rare and require several system equipment add-ons.

How fast do wells refill?

Most wells are able to refill at a pace of 5 gallons per minute. If you fully deplete your 500-gallon well tank, it will take about an hour and a half to fill back up.