Booster pump vs submersible well pump

[Yuba]

Hello. New to the forum.
What benefits do booster pumps have over submersable well pumps for pumping out of storage tanks?
I have a small farm. I have to move water a pretty long distance to 3 areas for irrigation. Imagine a 20 acre square. The well and storage is in one corner and the 3 gardens are in the others. The well pumps into tanks and then from there I pump it to the gardens. Right now I have a 1hp booster pump doing everything. I have very limited electricity and the pump uses to much power. 2 of the garden spots are below my pump in elevation. It will gravity feed but not enough pressure. With the pump, my pressure and flow is much more then I need in 2 spots. The third spot is above the pump and needs the full hp booster.
I was thinking I would remove the 1 hp booster and put in a 1/2 hp submersible well pump. What do y'all think?

 

[Reach4]

Booster pumps can be jet pumps, which is what you have. The 1/2 HP submersible can pump roughly the same as a 1/2 HP jet pump. Submersible pumps are available with various numbers of stages, with more stages giving more pressure. Jet pumps don't have that big of range of available pressures.

There are also multi-stage booster pumps. Those will work similarly to a submersible. They seem to sell at a premium to submersibles. I don't know if that is a manufacturing volume thing or if they cost much more to make.

What GPM and pressure are you looking for?

If you put the submersible in a cistern or tank, you would usually use a flow inducer AKA shroud to enhance cooling.

 

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[Valveman]

You might be able to install a smaller pump, but if that one zone needs the "full HP of the booster", a smaller pump is not a good idea. What you can do is use a Cycle Stop Valve on the 1HP pump and it will make it work like a 1/2 HP when needed. The Cycle Stop Valve will even lower the power consumed for the smaller jobs, but it will still pull full amps on that largest zone.