Well pump brands: who makes yours?

What each of the four names you'll see at the pump counter or on the nameplate actually is, who owns it and how long it's made pumps, using only each manufacturer's own site.

Are Goulds, Sta-Rite, Flotec and Grundfos different companies?

No, not entirely. Only three companies stand behind these four names. Pentair's own brand directory lists two of them together: "Pentair Flotec is one of the most widely available retail pump brands in the United States," and "Founded in 1934, Pentair Sta-Rite serves more than 100 countries globally." Goulds Water Technology is a separate brand, owned by Xylem, and Grundfos is a separate company again. Each is covered below with what its own site says about it.

Source: Pentair, "Brands" (official brand directory)

Sta-Rite: founded 1934, now part of Pentair

Pentair's own Sta-Rite page states: "Sta-Rite was founded in 1934 in Delavan, Wisconsin (USA) by William C Heath, then President of the A.O. Smith Corporation." The same page's company timeline shows how Flotec entered the picture: "In 1985, purchases Flotec, a retail pump line, in order to gain entry into the DIY market." Pentair itself came later: "In 2004, acquired by water industry leader Pentair, Inc. to form a global water technology business to serve multiple industries worldwide."

Source: Pentair, "Sta-Rite"

Flotec: a Pentair brand sold through retail stores

Sta-Rite bought Flotec in 1985 to get into the DIY retail market. Flotec's own page describes itself this way: "Flotec has been the leader in residential water management products at retail locations for over 30 years." And: "The Flotec brand is the most widely available retail pump brand in America - from large home improvement stores to smaller local hardware retailers."

Source: Pentair, "Flotec"

Is Goulds the same as Xylem?

Goulds is not a Pentair brand. It belongs to Xylem: "Xylem's Goulds Water Technology is one of the world's leading brands in residential and commercial water products. The brand began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, NY, (USA) when Seabury S. Gould purchased a pump making business."

Source: Xylem, "Goulds Water Technology"

Goulds' online-purchase warranty rule

Goulds publishes this purchase-channel rule directly: "No warranty is offered on Goulds Water Technology equipment purchased over the Internet, including web-based options from authorized retailers."

Source: Xylem, Goulds Water Technology "Consumer Online Purchase Policy"

Who owns Grundfos?

Grundfos isn't a Pentair or Xylem brand. Its own site describes a different kind of ownership: "A foundation-owned company organised into four divisions." It states it was "Founded in 1945," and its site footer lists Grundfos Holding A/S, headquartered at "8850 Bjerringbro, Denmark."

Source: Grundfos, "About us"

Grundfos's U.S. site frames the company's scope as running "from residential water systems to large-scale industrial applications." The same site carries a case study titled "How the 3-inch Grundfos SQ saved another old water well," naming the SQ submersible line in the context of a water well.

Source: Grundfos, U.S. site

Does the brand behind the pump matter when you're choosing one?

Ownership history doesn't decide which pump a given well actually needs. Depth, flow rate and horsepower do that: see submersible vs. jet pump depth for the published ranges by pump type, and well pump replacement cost for what a new pump runs once you know which type fits.

Once you've settled on a type, how well pump replacement works covers what the job itself involves, from pulling the old pump through disinfecting the well afterward.

Page reviewed October 2026: the ownership, founding and acquisition facts above were re-checked against each manufacturer's own site and are unchanged.