Who Makes Harbor Freight's Well Pumps & How Much Do They Cost?
If you happen to have access to a well on your property, you're quite lucky. A personal well means you'll always have access to water, which can help save you some money on your water-centric utility bills. You might still have to get it filtered, since drinking raw, untreated water isn't a good idea, but that's a separate concern. The first thing you need to figure out is how to actually get the water up out of the well. We're past the days of lowering a wooden bucket on a rope into a stone cistern – you need a reliable, powerful way to draw up water on a consistent basis. In other words, you need a powered well pump.
If your home doesn't already have a well pump installed, you can purchase a standalone one to integrate into your utilities. As it happens, in addition to its array of handy everyday tools, hardware retail chain Harbor Freight actually sells a couple of different models of well pumps. Both are produced by Drummond, a brand that specializes in various forms of water pumps for sewage, sump, utility, and of course, wells. As standalone pieces of hardware, Drummond's pumps aren't exactly cheap, with prices ranging from $169.99 to $209.99, but with two options, you can at least save a few bucks if you don't need as much power.
How do the two Drummond pumps compare?
The cheaper Drummond well pump available at Harbor Freight is the 1 HP Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump, costing $169.99. This hard worker features a 5 gallon tank composed of hardened steel alloy, perfect for handling most residential well pumping jobs. Using the pressure toggle switch, you can swap the pump power between 30 and 50 PSI, getting you a maximum of 950 gallons per hour with 26 feet of suction lift. The fittings are lead-free and made of water-safe rubber, so it's perfectly safe for pumping up water you intend to drink.
If you need a little more muscle in your well pump and don't mind laying down some extra cash, you can move up to the higher-end Drummond model, the 1 HP Cast Iron Shallow Well Pump, for $209.99. This pump features most of the same features as its smaller sibling, including the pressure toggle switch with the same PSI levels and potable water-safe fittings. The differences, and the main reasons for the price increase, are the housing and motor. The housing is made of heavy-duty cast iron, making it even more resilient against the elements. The motor, meanwhile, is rated to suck up a healthy 1,100 gallons of water per hour. This pump might be better if your house is a little bit larger and has more thirsty mouths to slake.