Jet Pump Repair in Gainesville and Across North Florida
FL Water Well Contractor License #5016 · FGWA · NGWA · NCFWA Member · Google 5.0 Rated · Wisetack Financing
If your jet pump is running but no water is reaching the house, losing prime every few hours, or pulling air through the suction line, you are in the right place. Perry-Pump Repair Service is a family-owned, state-licensed well pump shop based in Gainesville, serving 17 communities across Alachua, Union, Bradford, Columbia, Suwannee, Putnam, Clay, Baker, and Gilchrist counties. Eric Perry is a 3rd-generation water well specialist; the Perry family has been working North Florida wells for more than 50 years.
Jet pumps still cover a real share of older rural properties out here. Shallow wells with high water tables and a fair number of legacy deep-well jet rigs where a submersible swap was never made are both well-represented in our service area. They reward an experienced diagnostic eye: most "my jet pump is bad" calls are actually prime loss, a foot valve gone soft, or a worn ejector, not the pump motor itself. We tell you what is most likely wrong before we drive out, and we never charge for routine residential work.
Call(352) 320-2412 Mon–Fri 8 AM – 5 PM. After hours, leave a message, and we will return the call at our earliest availability.
FREE SERVICE CALL
$0 service call fee + $0 diagnostic on routine residential work.
Manufacturer-Authorized
Grundfos, Franklin Electric, Flint & Walling, Clack, Stenner.
1-Year Warranty
Parts AND labor on residential jet pump installs; longer terms on Pressure Package.
17 North Florida Cities
Gainesville HQ to Lake Butler, Starke, Newberry, Lake City, and beyond.
All Pump Types
Shallow well jet, deep well jet, plus submersible and booster.
FDEP-Licensed #5016
Fully state-licensed Water Well Contractor — public registry.
Three Things That Cause Most Jet Pump Failures, and Why Two of Them Are Not the Pump
Across 15+ years of personal experience and three Perry-family generations of wells, almost every jet pump that lands on our schedule traces back to one of three things. Two of them are below the pump, not in it.
Loss of prime/suction-side leak, the most common jet pump failure.
Jet pumps work by pulling water up the suction line; any air leak between the foot valve and the pump destroys the vacuum, and the pump cannot lift water. Symptoms: the motor runs normally, but no water reaches the house, or water sputters and stops. The source is usually a cracked PVC fitting, a loose union, or a slow leak at the foot valve seat. We pressure-test the suction line before we touch the pump itself.
Foot valve failure at the bottom of the suction line.
The foot valve is a check valve at the bottom of the well: it holds water in the suction line so the pump stays primed when it shuts off. When it stops sealing (debris, fatigue, mineral build-up), water drains back into the well after every cycle, and the pump cannot re-prime on its own. Symptom: pump runs fine for a few minutes, then cannot restart without a manual prime. Foot valve replacement is a few-hundred-dollar repair.
Worn or clogged jet ejector (deep well jets only).
Deep-well jet systems use an ejector body down in the well, a nozzle, and a venturi that creates the suction. Years of sediment and mineral content from North Florida water wear down the nozzle, widen the venturi, and the system can no longer generate the suction lift it was rated for. Symptom: pressure that used to be fine is now low; the pump runs constantly. Either the ejector is rebuilt, or the system gets a new jet assembly. Sometimes the right answer is a submersible retrofit.
Symptoms and Component Failures We See on Shallow and Deep-Well Jet Systems
If any of these sound like what you are dealing with, call us. Most diagnoses happen on the phone before we ever drive out.
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• Pump runs but no water reaches the house (loss of prime)
• Pump primes, runs a few minutes, then loses prime again
• Air sputtering at the faucet after the pump cycles
• Pump won't re-prime without manual water in the casing
• Suction-line PVC cracked at a union or coupling
• Foot valve drains back overnight (no water in the morning)
• Suction line pulled out of the foot valve seat
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• Pressure stops climbing at a low setting (worn ejector on deep well jet)
• Pump short-cycles (kicks on every 30–60 seconds)
• Pump runs constantly, never shuts off
• Low pressure throughout the house
• Pressure drops sharply when two or more fixtures run
• Pressure tank feels heavy/waterlogged when tapped
• Pressure switch points pitted or fouled by fire ants (rainy season peak)
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• Foot valve worn, debris-stuck, or mineral-fouled
• Suction-line check valve failing
• Jet ejector nozzle and venturi worn (deep well jets)
• Pressure switch contacts pitted, burned, or fouled
• Pressure tank bladder collapsed / waterlogged
• Pump motor capacitor failed (split-phase jet motors)
• Mechanical seal between pump and motor leaking
• Galvanized suction pipe corroded from the inside
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• Pump grinding or whining on startup
• Pump cavitating (rattling sound, irregular pressure)
• Motor running hot to the touch on long cycles
• Pump tripping breaker after several minutes of run-time
• Visible water leaking from the pump body (seal failure)
• Sediment in the first pour of the day
What Actually Happens When You Call Perry-Pump About a Jet Pump
From the phone call to the final invoice, here is how a jet pump repair walks through the shop. We do as much diagnostic work as we can before driving out, jet pumps in particular reward a phone screen, because two of the three most common failures are down the suction line and easy to confirm verbally.
Phone diagnostic on the call.
Call (352) 320-2412 Mon. - Fri. 8 AM - 5 PM. Three or four questions (any water at all? Does the pump run? Does it lose prime overnight? Any visible leaks?) usually narrow the cause to the suction line, foot valve, ejector, or controls. After hours, leave a message; we return at our earliest availability.
Schedule + en-route notification.
Most routine residential calls land within the same week, same day if we are already in your area. No-water emergencies move to the top. We will text or call en route.
On-site diagnostic: no service call fee, no diagnostic charge.
We arrive in a marked Perry-Pump truck and walk the wellhead, pump, tank, switch, and suction plumbing. Routine residential diagnostics are no charge. Pressure-test on the suction line; integrity check on the foot valve; ejector check on deep-well jets.
Written warranty + final paperwork.
Everything goes on the invoice before you sign. Residential jet pump install: 1 year parts and labor on jet pump + switch + down-well components if replaced at install. Pressure Package: 5 years parts + labor. Commercial pumps: 1 year. Some residential systems carry a shorter term due to system style, always in writing, explained up front. Wisetack terms shown before signing.
Follow-up, call us first if anything is off.
Pressure not right, recurring prime loss, warranty question after the visit, call us first. We answer warranty calls the same day on average; the worst thing for everyone is letting a small issue grow.
Plain-language quote on the spot.
No sales script, no push for the most expensive part. If a foot valve fixes it, that is the quote. Full system: jet pump system from $4,000; shallow-well jet pump at $3,200. Prices are subject to change: suppliers have been very volatile lately, and we are upfront about that.
Repair done by the same crew: most jobs same-day.
The crew that quoted the job does the job. Foot valve, suction-line repair, pressure switch, and most prime issues: same visit. Full jet pump replacement: typically single-day. We do not subcontract.
Jet Pump Repair Pricing: What Things Cost
Every jet pump is different, shallow vs deep, brand, age, well depth, and what is wrong all affect the number. The ranges below are accurate as of writing; we will quote the current number on the call. Routine residential diagnostic is free.
Diagnostic
$0 service call fee + $0 diagnostic charge on routine residential calls. Paid pump-pull diagnostic applies only to specific commercial situations; we tell you before we start.
Common jet pump repairs (the most frequent calls)
Foot valve replacement: few-hundred-dollar range parts + labor
Suction-line / prime repair (cracked PVC, leaking union, replumb section): typically same-visit, few-hundred-dollar range
Pressure switch replacement (FSG, Square D, Franklin): few-hundred-dollar range parts + labor
Pressure tank, standard residential (Amtrol, Wellmate, Flexcon): about $1,000 installed — sized to the pump for ~1 minute of run time per cycle, not to a fixed gallon count.
Jet ejector rebuild or replacement (deep well jets): scoped to the system on the call
Full system replacement
Shallow well jet pump: $3,200
Jet pump system (deep or shallow, pump + plumbing + install + reset pressure): starts at $4,000
Submersible retrofit on a deep well that was running a jet (better long-term): from $5,000
Wellhead extension + cap-and-seal sanitary repair: $1,600–$2,400
Wisetack financing on larger repairs and full system replacements (minutes to apply, terms before you sign). Military and first-responder discounts case-by-case and by scope; ask when you call.
Why homeowners choose Perry-Pump
Fully licensed and insured. Florida Water Well Contractor License #5016.
Experienced well repair specialists. Third generation, 50+ years working North Florida wells.
Quality workmanship and straightforward customer service.
Free service call and $0 diagnostic on routine residential work.
5-year parts and labor warranty on the Pressure Package and most residential submersibles, in writing on the invoice.
Our Reviews
Seven North Florida Conditions That Shape How We Diagnose Jet Pumps
Working jet pumps in North Central Florida means working around seven specific local conditions that do not apply the same way in other regions. Shallow wells and legacy rural systems concentrate on where these conditions are most severe.
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Shallow wells with high water tables still dot rural North Florida
Floridan Aquifer submersibles dominate the deeper market, but the surficial aquifer in lower Alachua, Bradford, Union, Gilchrist, and parts of Putnam counties still supports a meaningful number of shallow wells under 25 feet. That is exactly where jet pumps are the right answer, and where most of our jet pump work concentrates.
2
Hurricane and tropical storm season damage above-ground jet pumps
A spring annual inspection is a smart, low-cost way to catch a compromised cap or a debris-fouled vent before it becomes a bigger problem, whatever the eventual cause. We also do sanitary inspections after a storm or flood event when a customer asks for one.
3
Summer lightning peaks in July-August, and jet pump motors take direct hits
Direct lightning strikes are rare; nearby strikes that surge the power line can take out motor windings and capacitors on split-phase jet pumps, same as ordinary age and wear can. If your pump stopped working, the motor and capacitor are among the first things we test, storm or no storm.
4
Karst geology shifts the soil around shallow casings
North Florida sits on karst limestone. Subsidence and occasional sinkholes shift soil around shallow casings, opening cracks and joint separations. On jet systems, this usually shows up first as a slow suction-line leak below the slab, where it cannot be seen, exactly the kind of failure that pressure testing catches before a pump swap is recommended.
5
Iron, sulfide, and hardness wear jet ejectors fast
Most North Florida wells produce water with measurable iron (reddish staining), sulfide (rotten-egg smell), and hardness (white scaling). On deep-well jets, this chemistry chews through the ejector nozzle and venturi faster than the rest of the system, which is why a 12-year-old jet ejector is often the right place to start when pressure has been declining.
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Fire ants in the pressure switch are a real North Florida cause of failure
Jet pumps are above-ground, and the pressure switch sits right on the pump body, with easy access for the ant population. A lineman told Eric years ago that insects are attracted to the frequency in pump wiring, and we pull ant bodies out of jet pump switches all rainy season. We install pest-blocking foam in the conduit and silicone every opening.
7
Flood-zone properties need extra protection at the pump pad
Suwannee, Santa Fe, and St. Marys river basins, plus lower-elevation rural lots, sit in FEMA flood zones. Above-ground jet pumps can go underwater in surge events; the motor remains out of service until pulled, dried, and tested. Pump-pad elevation, wellhead extension, and weatherproof switch enclosures all matter: most are scheduled in spring before storm season.
Seven Technical Topics Most Shops Skip on Jet Pumps
Seven places where the easy answer isn't the right one. One-line take? Call us. The actual reasoning is here.
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Residential jet systems typically run 30/50 PSI or 40/60 PSI, cut-in pressure (pump starts), and cut-out pressure (pump stops). The switch is set with the tank pre-charge 2 PSI below cut-in. Wrong settings cause short-cycling (kills the motor) or chronic low pressure. We set the switch and verify pre-charge on every jet pump install, an easy step that a lot of shops skip.
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Galvanized was the historical default on deep-well jets, but corrodes from the inside in iron-heavy North Florida water, rust scale narrows the bore, restricts flow, and eventually perforates. Schedule 80 PVC handles the pressure cleanly and does not corrode, but needs careful joint work and tends to creep at the threads under thermal cycling. On most modern jet installs, we use schedule 80 PVC for replacement runs and polyethylene where the geometry allows.
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Jet pump nameplates show flow (GPM) at multiple suction depths and discharge pressures. A 1/2 HP shallow-well jet might deliver 11 GPM at a 5-foot lift but only 6 GPM at a 20-foot lift. The right pump for a property depends on the well's static level, dynamic drawdown, and the household's peak fixture demand. HP alone does not tell you what you need: the GPM-at-depth chart on the nameplate does.
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Atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7 PSI, which works out to about 34 vertical feet of water if you could pull a perfect vacuum. Real pumps do not pull perfect vacuums; friction losses, vapor pressure, and pump efficiency cap practical suction lift at roughly 25 feet for shallow-well jets. Beyond that depth, you need a deep-well jet (ejector in the well) or a submersible. We confirm the static water level before we recommend either.
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Shallow-well jets keep the pump and the jet assembly together at the surface, and water comes up a single suction line. Deep-well jets put the jet ejector down the well; the pump above ground pushes water down a pressure line, the ejector accelerates it through a nozzle, the venturi creates suction, and a second line returns water (plus well water) to the pump. The deep-well configuration extends jet pump reach to roughly 100-200 feet, but adds two more potential failure points.
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The foot valve at the bottom of the suction line is a check valve plus a strainer: it holds water in the line so the pump stays primed and screens out debris. Failure modes: seat fouled with sediment, spring fatigue, mineral scale on the disk. Install best practice: brass body (not plastic) on North Florida water, set 5-10 feet above the well bottom, paired with a sediment screen at the suction inlet. We replace a lot more foot valves than pumps.
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Priming is filling the suction line and pump volute with water before startup so the impeller can pull a vacuum. Methods: pour-prime through a plug on the pump body (most common), vacuum pump on the suction line (mechanical), self-priming pump designs (have a built-in air-separation chamber that re-primes automatically once initial fill is done). Self-priming designs cost more but are worth it on systems prone to losing prime overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Foot valve and suction-line repairs land in the few-hundred-dollar range, parts + labor. The pressure switch is similar. Pressure tank: about $1,000 for a standard residential size, sized to your pump's run time rather than a fixed gallon count. Full system replacement: shallow-well jet pump $3,200; jet pump system from $4,000. Prices subject to change: suppliers have been volatile lately.
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Shallow-well jets have everything at ground level; the pump, motor, and the jet assembly are all in one housing, with a single suction line dropping to the well. Deep-well jets have a separate ejector body down in the well and two pipes going down (a pressure line and a suction return). Tell us what you see at the wellhead on the phone, and we can usually confirm in 30 seconds.
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Loss of prime is the #1 jet pump failure. Almost always, there is an air leak between the foot valve and the pump, a cracked PVC fitting, a loose union, a slow leak at the foot valve seat, or a foot valve that is not sealing and lets water drain back into the well overnight. We pressure-test the suction line before we touch the pump itself.
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Most can be repaired. Foot valve, suction-line leak, pressure switch, capacitor, mechanical seal, and (on deep-well jets) jet ejector, all repairable. Pumps that have run dry on a bad foot valve for an extended period, or that took a direct lightning hit to the motor, are usually replacement candidates. We tell you which before we quote.
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The signature symptom: the pump works fine while running, but loses prime within minutes or overnight after it shuts off. Other signs: morning re-prime is needed every day, the suction line feels empty when you tap it, and there is low static water in the pump body. We can usually confirm by pressure-testing the suction line.
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The jet pump sits above ground and pulls water up the suction line, limited to about 25 feet lift on shallow wells or 100-200 feet on deep-well-jet configurations. A submersible sits down in the well and pushes water up, working at 100-400+ feet routinely. Most Floridan Aquifer wells in North Florida use submersibles; jet pumps cover the shallow-well and legacy deep-well-jet markets.
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No on routine residential work: $0 service call, $0 diagnostic. The exception is a paid pump-pull diagnostic on specific commercial situations (multiple pump types, complex troubleshooting); we tell you that before we start.
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Residential jet pump installs: 1 year parts and labor on the jet pump, switch, and any down-well components replaced at install. Pressure Package (tank + switch): 5 years parts + labor. Commercial pumps: 1 year. Some residential systems carry a shorter term due to system style, always in writing, explained up front.
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Likely yes. Service area: Gainesville (HQ), Lake Butler, Lake City, Alachua, Newberry, High Springs, Starke, Keystone Heights, Branford, Trenton, Waldo, Hawthorne, Glen Saint Mary, Bell, Brooker, Raiford, and Melrose. Not sure if we cover your community? Call (352) 320-2412: we will tell you straight.
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Yes, through Wisetack. Application takes minutes, terms shown before you sign. We do not push financing on small repairs; for full pump replacements, it is a real option.
Ready to Fix Your Jet Pump? Call Perry-Pump Today.
Whether your jet pump is losing prime, running constantly, or just refusing to build pressure, call (352) 320-2412 and we will get you on the schedule. Routine residential work has no service call fee, no diagnostic charge, and the warranty goes on the invoice before you sign.