A jet pump lifts by suction and tops out at about 25 ft, with 34 ft the theoretical ceiling at sea level. No amount of horsepower moves that line. Past it, a submersible is the only machine that works.
Within that range a jet pump is genuinely the better buy, and Fayetteville Well Pump Repair says so rather than selling depth nobody needs. It sits above ground where a person can reach it, so a seal or an impeller is an afternoon's work instead of a pull. That convenience compounds over a system's life, which is why jet pump repair is often the right recommendation on a shallow well.
The trade is that everything on the suction side has to hold a vacuum. A joint showing nothing at all under pressure will draw air steadily in that condition, which is why losing prime is the characteristic complaint on these systems and why a vacuum-hold test rather than another refill is the right response.
A submersible sits below the water line and pushes rather than pulls, so the suction ceiling disappears entirely and it cannot lose prime. That is why almost every well past shallow depth in this county runs one. The cost is access: servicing it means lifting the pump, the pipe and the water inside the pipe back to the surface, and the depth surcharge of $500 to $1,000 per additional 100 ft is what that lift is worth.
The static level on the well record is what decides which machine applies, and it is free to pull. Where a jet has simply been outrun by a falling water level, no repair helps and the answer is a conversion. Submersible replacement covers what that involves, including the pitless adapter through the casing wall.
Related questions
Can a bigger jet pump reach deeper water?
No. 25 ft is a suction limit set by atmospheric pressure, not by the motor, so more horsepower reaches the same depth faster and still will not hold prime past it.
Which is cheaper to run and service?
A jet pump, comfortably, where the well is shallow enough to use one. It is reachable without a hoist, so the labor on any repair is a fraction of the same job at depth.
Do submersible pumps need priming?
No. A submersible is always flooded because it sits below the water line, so a priming complaint always means a surface pump and never means the expensive kind of repair.