Well Pump Priming Procedure FAQs-3

No priming plug found on water pump Q&A
Pump primes itself every time we run water Q&A
Pump quit while drawing a lot of water FAQs
Pump type identification FAQs

Water Pump Stops Working While Taking a Lot of Water

Pump Quit Delivering Water While filling a Swimming Pool

My family and I live in a century old farmhouse served by a well and pump system. We have had a particularly hot and dry summer so far. I bought a swimming pool and while attempting to fill it the water quit working, not a drop coming through at all.

We do not have another water source in which to prime the system so what else can we do? We really can't afford to have someone come to diagnose and repair the system, please help - thanks On 2016-08-16 by susan

Explanation & Warnings by (mod) -

1. Watch out: SHUT OFF the PUMP IMMEDIATELY  if you haven't already done that, so as not to burn up the motor or its impeller
2. Wait. Wait 3 hours or longer for the well to recover.
3. Then turn the pump back on.
4. If the pump runs but does not deliver water, then you may have to re-prime the pump. If so see PRIME the PUMP, HOW TO
   
   But
   
   Watch out: running the pump with no water in the pumping chamber can damage the pump's impeller assembly so that it may not deliver water or may only deliver water up to a low pressure.
5. If the pump runs and delivers water:
   
   dont run it for more than say 10 minutes as your problem description suggests to me that your well has a limited flow rate and when you tried to fill the swimming pool you took out water faster than the well can recover.
   
   Don't expect to be able to fill a swimming pool in one shot, other than maybe a 50-100 gallon kiddie pool, from your well
   
   Detailed diagnostic and repair suggestions can be found at NO WATER PRESSURE

Water Pump Keeps Self-Priming

Our water pump "primes" for 5-10 seconds then is quiet but keeps delivering water

When switching on the pump it primes for about 5-10 seconds max, after that its quiet.

Now usually when I use water in any means, flushing the toilet, bathing, washing etc. the pump will prime itself after every time, but today no such thing, it stays quiet. Any suggestions? On 2016-01-19 by Justin

Explanation & Advice by (mod) -

I suspect a failing check valve or foot valve.

When the pump impeller chamber is filled with water it's pretty quiet.

When the pump impeller chamber is filled with air or part air and part water, that is, it's not fully primed, the pump will be much noisier.

Watch out: if your pump is really losing prime every time it's used then typically that's a bad foot valve or bad check valve, sometimes it's a leak in the well piping or even an air leak into the pump right at a mating surface or bad gasket at the pump housing itself.

Start by tightening all the well piping connections you can access, adding a hose clamp if needed.

Now there are some water pumps that can "self prime" as we describe at SELF-PRIMING WATER PUMPS but more likely your well foot valve needs replacement.

See details at WELL PIPING FOOT VALVES

and at PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS

No Priming Plug on Water Pump FAQs

Also see these PUMP PRIMING PLUG Q&A

Don't know where to add water to prime a Goulds jet pump - no pump priming plug

Don't know where to add water to a Goulds jet pump have no water pump keeps runningOn 2016-09-10 by Kevin

Solution by (mod) -

Kevin,

Watch out: I hope that you shut off your pump before running dry caused it to become damaged.

If there is no removable primer plug on the water pump

There are several common solutions

1. You may be able to force priming water into the system from a hose fitting located nearby, such by back feeding water at the water tank drain valve
2. If you have a close neighbor who has working water you can PRIME the PUMP using a GARDEN HOSE
3. The best solution is to add a pipe tee at the water outlet tapping on your pump so that you can then prime through the top of the tee.
   
   I've illustrated that change in the photo above using a pump setup photo provided couretsy of our reader DawayneC

To download a free PDF copy our a manual for your pump see

GOULDS PUMP MANUALS & GUIDES

For the Goulds 3299 well pump the company's instructions for priming include:

If the pump is installed with a positive head on the suction, it can be primed by opening the suction and vent valve and allowing the liquid to enter the casing. For hazardous liquids the vent valve should be piped back to the suction source. If the pump is installed with a static suction lift, priming must be done by other methods such as foot valves or ejectors.

Warnings about Other Causes of Loss of Well Pump Prime from Goulds

Gould's Jet Pump manuals also give these tips about pump priming:

• The closer the check valve is to the well the easier the system will prime.
• On long offsets it is easier to prime the system if you fill the pipes with water before connecting the pipes to the pump. Go to Deep Well Discharge Piping.
• When priming a shallow well the company emphasizes:
  
  Priming means filling the pump and suction pipe with water. Most shallow well jet pumps handle air well and will evacuate air from the suction line but it may take several minutes to prime depending on depth to water, and pipe size and length.
• Regarding deep well packer suction piping systems Gould notes that
  
  The 2" or 3" well casing must be smooth and clean to insure a good seal with the packer leathers or the system will leak and not hold prime and adds that if the right sized packer isn't used the pump will easily lose prime while pumping due to an improper size restriction
  
  And this interesting warning about deep well discharge piping:
  
  Watch out: All deep well jet pumps require back pressure to operate the jet assembly. To insure we have the required back pressure or drive water pressure we must use a pressure control valve or some type of flow restrictor in the discharge line.
  
  The valve must be located between the pump and the first discharge port. It is best to locate it as close to the pump as possible. Failure to install and adjust a pressure control valve will result in loss of prime during peak usage such as filling a washing machine, bathtub or using outside hose bibs.
  
  Source: Goulds Pumps JET PUMPS INSTALLATION OPERATION TROUBLESHOOTING MANUAL [PDF]
  
  Also see AIR BLEEDER / VENT USE in JET PUMP PRIMING - priming a 1-line shallow well jet pump is eased if there's an air vent or bleeder

There is no plug to open to prime the pump - can I fill the water tank to prime the pump?

My pump is small with no primer plug. It's a shallow well. Can i prime it by filling the tank? It's the only thing with a plug. (Feb 13, 2016) buster

Reply: yes if the tank is above the pump

IF water from the pressure tank can back-drain into the pump (that depends on where the pump is located) you can probably make that work. Take care not to run the pump dry or it may be damaged.

Or connect a garden hose to the tank drain and back-prime the tank and pump from a nearby source that has water pressure.

If there's no priming plug, try priming through the pressure gauge mounting port on the pump

Tk u your article helped. If there is no place to prime remove gauge and prime from there. On 2017-09-26 by Anonymous

by (mod) -

You could do that, Anon but the opening is quite small so priming can be tedious.

I might check the pump body again for a priming port. Or tell me the pump brand and model and I'll take a look at it.

Where is the opening I use to prime a water pump?

My water pump to my house was running all the time so I turned it off now I think it has lost water pressure and so I tried to prime it, but I can't find the hole that the water goes into to the tank to prime it.

Where are the holes that go into the tall tanks? I don't see a priming hole on the top of the tank anywhere and I don't know where to put the water. On 2017-04-18 by Wendy

by (mod) - look at the water pump itself, not the pressure tank, for a pump priming port or plug.

Wendy

The clues you give sound consistent with a failed foot valve and lost well prime. The priming port is on the pump not on the water tank. See the photos in the article above. Keep me posted.

Well Water Pump Type Identification Q&A

Is this a shallow well jet pump or is it a deep well jet pump?

I have a jet pump that is old needs to replaced. it has two black lines coming from the floor to the end of the pump.

One is the suction or fill line. The other one is the drain or discharge line.

Then there is one hole on top of the pump which has to be shared to prime and hook up to the bladder tank.

My question is, is this a shallow well jet pump or is it a deep well jet pump please help. On 2016-01-09 by brent

by (mod) - a two line jet pump can pump from a deep well

If the jet pump is using 2 lines, a pressure and a suction line, that's a deep well set-up

A two-line jet pump is shown in my photo.

The larger line is what you're calling the "suction" pipe, but this pump doesn't really create "suction" to draw water up from the well.

Rather, the pump sends water DOWN the smaller pressure line to a venturi device located at the bottom of the well piping.

Water squirting through that venturi causes a greater volume of water to be "pushed" back up the larger diameter "suction line" shown in our photo and into the pump from which water is discharged to the building and to the water pressure tank.

See details at WHAT TYPE OF PUMP DO I HAVE? - type of pump affects whether or not it may need priming as well as how to prime the pump