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Foot valve on well piping (C) Daniel Friedman Foot Valves on Well Piping
Water well foot valve troubleshooting & repair

Well Foot Valves & check valves on well piping:

This article describes the foot valve used on well piping for water well Pumps & Water Wells: we explain what a foot valve is, how they work, why they are used, and how to diagnose troubles with this special in-well check valve found at the bottom of well piping in some wells.

What's the difference between a foot valve and a check valve?

Where do we find the foot valve (if any) and why are foot valves used on pump and well systems? Is it a good idea to use more than both a check valve on a pump and a foot valve on the well piping? Causes of well & pump foot valve failure.

Here we explain How to diagnose a bad or leaky well piping foot valve - a cause of lost well pump prime.

We provide advice about loss of well pump prime due to bad foot valves and what to do when things go wrong with the check valve.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

What is a Foot Valve and Why do we need one on well piping?

Schematic of a shallow well single line jet pump water system (C) Carson Dunlop AssociatesDefinition of Well Piping Foot Valve - what is it, what does it do?

Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch (left) shows the main parts of a one-line jet pump well installation. Nearly all well pumping systems, one line jet pump, two line jet pump, or submersible well pump, require a foot valve installed at the bottom of the well piping.

A Well Piping Foot Valve is a one way or anti-siphon valve which is installed on the pick-up end of the water pipe near the bottom of the well.

A foot valve is a type of check valve that closes when the pump is not running.

The foot valve prevents water from flowing backwards out of the jet pump and well piping back into the well when the jet pump stops operating. You can see Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch of a foot valve here.

Foot valves are also used on deep well installations to help protect against loss of prime in the well piping system.

Foot valves and check valves in water piping system can also help reduce water hammer noise.

Since you won't normally see the foot valve on well piping (it's down in the well) we have included a photograph of a well piping foot valve at the top of This article .

Watch out: without a working foot valve, a shallow well jet pump is likely to lose prime and will stop working properly, risking loss of water supply to the building and even damage to the pump itself.

Our photo (left) shows the outlet end of a well piping foot valve.

As you may guess, a foot valve is basically a check valve combined with an inlet strainer (visible in our page top photograph). The strainer prevents picking up large debris that could clog or jam the foot valve in its open position (or that might damage the water pump itself).

The check valve is a one-way valve that lets water flow up from the well and into the well piping. The spring loaded check valve closes when the well pump stops pumping.

Foot valve check valve portion (C) Daniel FriedmanClosing the check valve prevents water in the well piping from falling backwards into the well when the pump has stopped running. We need this function to keep the well piping and water pump filled with water - otherwise the well pump may lose prime, leading to loss of water in the building.

If the well piping foot valve is leaky and water runs back into the well we increase the wear on the water pump as it has to run more often, and pretty soon the water pump will lose its prime (water inside the pump mechanism) and it may be unable to retrieve any more water from the well whatsoever.

When a shallow well appears to have "run dry" one of the first things to check is whether or not the foot valve needs to be replaced.

Foot Valve Clearance from Bottom shows that the well piping and foot valve are inserted into the well some distance from the very bottom of the well (inches to a few feet). We need this clearance to reduce the tendency of the well pump to pick up mud and debris from the bottom of the well.

Reader Question: do jet pumps come with a built in check valve or do I need a foot valve or both?

I have model pkg 1-54AP 2" single pipe jet kit for a sta-rite sld-l 3/4hp jet pump. Does the jet package come with a built-in check valve and if it does, do I need a foot valve? Thanks! - David

Reply:

David take a look at the page top photo - if your kit didn't include something that looks like that, you don't yet have a foot valve.

The foot valve is placed at the bottom of the intake water line in the well; since your jet pump is above ground, it's a physically separate component.

Yes some jet pumps include a built-in check valve.

It's true that some jet pumps include a check valve in the nose of the pump; and it's also true that some experts recommend only using a single check valve. If your well is quite shallow, say less than 27 ft. you might get away without a foot valve. But if I were installing new equipment including piping into the well, I'd put in a foot valve - as the most reliable component, and because it's easy to do now and more trouble to add later.

Also see our discussion of the WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE that protects well pumps from damage in a low-flow poor recovery rate well.

Other things to check when losing well prime

If you are having trouble losing well prime and suspect a bad foot valve or check valve, also see

Other causes of loss of well pump prime are at

Types of Foot Valves or Non-Return Valves

Ball Type Foot Valves - Check Valves

A ball type check valve or foot valve uses a spherical steel ball or ball + spring to close the valve.

The pressure difference necessary to open a foot valve or check valve is defined as its "cracking pressure" the pressure necessary to overcome the spring or the weight of water used to keep the valve closed when the pump is off.

Ball type check valves are used most-often on pumping systems that include either thick liquids or sewage, as the valve design, a full-ported valve seat, resists partial blockages that prevent the valve from closing when it should.

See also BACKWATER VALVES, SEWER LINE

Flapper Type Foot Valves

A flapper type foot valve uses a hinged rubber (or in older valves leather) flapper, a flat bit of material that is hinged on one side, usually the top of the valve. The weight of water against the flapper closes the valve when the pump is off. When the pump is on, suction and thus reduced pressure on the inlet side opens the flapper to allow water to flow.

Watch out: flapper valves may not work in all positions.

Spring Type Foot Valves

Spring type foot valves use a spring to close a round "poppet" or closure stopper when the pump is not running. When the pump runs suction on the inlet side (reduced pressure) opens the valve against spring pressure. When the pump stops the spring pushes the valve closed.

Spring type foot valves can be installed in any position.

What's the difference between a check valve and a foot valve?

Both foot valves and "check valves" are similar in that they include a mechanism that closes the valve when the pump is not running - a necessary function to avoid loss of pump prime.

But a check valve will be threaded on both ends so that it can be installed at any necessary location in the piping system. A check valve is shown below.

Water piping check valve (C) Daniel Friedman

A foot valve is threaded only on one end, for connection to the inlet end of a well water pick-up pipe or line. The other end of the foot valve provides a screened opening to allow water to enter the system.

A foot valve is shown below.

Foot valve on well piping (C) Daniel Friedman

Foot Valve Installation

Reader Question: 10 Feb 2015 question: foot valve for deep well? said:
I have a new 200 foot deep 4" diameter well; is it possibly to use a foot valve and pvc piping instead of a submersible pump? Any rish of the foot valve damaging the pvc? Will a foot valve work at 200 foot depth? Thanks.

Reply:

In reverse order,

A foot valve doesn't damage the piping to which it's attached.

A foot valve will work at 200 ft if properly installed. Here is an excerpt from Flomatic's foot valve installation instructions

In general Flomatic valves are pressure rated 400 psi or 920 feet of water pressure. This does not mean that a valve can be set at a well depth of 920 feet. To alleviate and reduce
the hydraulic shocks in the riser pipe it is recommended that a check valve be installed every 200 feet in the riser pipe. - source: "Foot Valves Installation Instructions", Flomatic Corporation, 15 Pruyn's Island, Glens Falls NY 12801, Website: flomatic.com, - retrieved 2/10/14, original source: www.flomatic.com/assets/pdf_files/oem/16048.pdf

Foot Valve Troubleshooting

Pump runs but is not pulling any water

(Apr 9, 2014) ashok said:

I have 2 water lines connected to an above ground water pump which is attached to a tank. last winter i could not get water and i checked the pump and found it had a crack at the impeller housing. I got a used pump and attached the lines to it. The pump works fine but is not pulling any water.

Also there is no place to pour water to prime the pump so i installed a T with a shut off nut. I did pour plenty of water in this T at times i get some pressure , maybe for a second and then nothing. I am wondering if i may have switched the pipes supply to discharge or vice versa. please advice

Reply:

Ashok, you might have switched lines, or the same freezing that cracked the pump may have cracked a well line leading to leaks or loss of prime. Check out our alternative methods for how to prime the well pump by starting at

WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

Also see the foot valve or non-return valve installation instructions manuals listed below.

Foot Valve & Non-Return Valve Installation Instructions

Watch out: be sure you install the foot valve in the proper orientation: with the arrow pointing in the direction of the water flow.

 

Possible well piping leaks vs foot valve malfunction

(Apr 3, 2014) keith watkins said:

I installed a new deep well pump,which came with a new pressure switch,a new pressure tank & a new foot valve.The switch is a 20/40 and I dropped 2psi on the tank which made it at 18psi,and this was 18psi BEFORE I installed the tank.My water looses its prime,but by only a glass of water or so.It quits flowing water after a couple minutes,and then I have to prime again.

The foot valve is off the bottom.The foot valve is below water level.My well is about 25ft deep until it comes to water level and the the foot valve is below water about 15ft.The only thing that is not new is the long pipes going down the well.Can you help?

Reply:

Keith,

Given all the new stuff this sounds to me as if there is a leak somewhere or the foot valve is sticking or leaking a bit before it closes.

Foot valve to pick-up for lake water

(Mar 30, 2014) William said:

I have a shallow well jet pump 1.5 hp with a sealed supply line to a lake. It was cycling too frequently and going on and off every few seconds with poor flow to house. I have replaced the pressure control unit (set to kick in at 30 psi and out at 52 psi, and does) and replaced the filters between the pump and the storage pressure tank (80 liters/pressure is fine in the tank at 28 psi empty) with success in that the cycling is gone.

But, when I run water (hot or cold), the system only gives about 3-4 gallons of water (rated to give 7-8 gallons at least) and, after the pump kicks in at 30 psi (appropriately), the pump just does not seem to be able to keep up the water flow.

The flow in all house taps slows by half and the pump keeps running until the tap is turned off. It then takes the pump twice or more as long as it should or 10-15 minutes to fill the pressure tank again, (the motor gets hot, though it shuts off appropriately at 52 psi)

. I suspect I have a problem with the pump. such as needing to replace the impeller. But, would like some advice before I get a new impeller, seals, etc. and take the pump apart. Thanks for your advice!!

I should add, I am in an isolated location 2 hours+ from any plumber or city. The pump is 10 years old.

If I do replace the pump parts, such as the impeller, I wonder if I should install a filter of some kind (though I can't find one recommended for this purpose) between the pump and the lake supply line (before or after the check valve?) to prevent sediment, etc. from fouling the pump again.

Reply:

William, usually the foot valve installed at the end of a lake pick-up is the screen against picking up debris into the pump system; ou'll want to investigate where the pick-up is in the lake and whether it's sitting in muck or algae or weeds.

Follow-up:

Thanks, DanJoe.
Presently, the foot valve is under 4 ft of ice, usually suspended 2 ft from the bottom in 10 ft of water (or 14 ft, if you count the ice). I will assess it after spring break-up in 6-8 weeks. (I am in northern Canada.)

I did not check it last year, but the year before, it did have some build-up of crud and algae, so I made sure it was repositioned up off the bottom held by a cement block. There are no weeds and the bottom is generally open sand mixed with a bit of mud.

Do you mean that the lack of water flow could be just the pump is unable to draw water due to foot valve blockage, even with such a strong motor? If so, I will postpone taking the pump apart until I can check and clean the foot valve. (It does have a coarse mesh cover.)

Reply:

Yes William, on occasion we have to scrape the crud off of the foot valve and check that it's up a bit off the bottom - I've done the same thing with a friend who had this system at Lake George in NY. He also invented and we installed a typical over-engineered system that pumped air back down the water line in winter so that he could turn water on and off into his home during times when the lake was freezing.

...


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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2021-06-03 by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod) - sprinkler pump system runs dry on some zones

@Doy Ogden,

When a sprinkler system runs dry just on certain zones but works on others I see these likely possibilities

Depending on the timing of your sprinkler system on-cycles for some zones, you may have exhausted the water in your well - by total water usage just prior to that time

A control routing water among your sprinkler zones is not working

The sprinkler heads or outlets for the "dry zones" are blocked, jammed, not working

If your sprinkler system pumping system "ran dry" on all sprinkler zones I would guess that either you need a foot valve because you're losing Prime and or the impeller of your pump is clogged or damaged. There are other possibilities that are less common such as a leak in well piping.

On 2021-06-03 by Doy Ogden

I am at a total loss. My original sprinkler pump was running dry on certain zones. First I replace the indexing valve thinking that that was the problem, it was not. Then I put in a new Shut off valve between the indexing valve and the pump with all new piping. Then I replaced the pump itself put in a new pressure gauge at the discharge.

I primed the pump several times to no avail. Every time I prime the pump as soon as I open the shut off valve I lose all pressure and it’s not pulling water from the well. I have a shallow well I replaced the check valve between the pump and the wellhead.

After reading different articles it suggested that having more than one check valve was not a good idea because it can cause negative pressure. So I removed the leaky check valve that was above the well leaving only one check valve 2 feet from the pump on the inlet line.

Where the check valve was above the well I re-piped it with no check valve. Before I did that I pulled the pipe that goes down to the Well and it has no foot valve on the end of the pipe so I left it as is because the sprinklers we’re working fine when I first moved in. I have no idea what to do next I don’t know if I should go ahead and put a foot valve on the end of the well pipe? And before I reassembled everything that went down to the well I filled all of those pipes with water to help the pump prime easier and it didn’t work.

Also when I tried to fill the pipe that goes down to the well With water it would not fill up I left the hose in that pipe for about 10 minutes and nothing does this mean that my well is dry? I am at a total loss I would appreciate any help you can give me thank you in advance.

On 2021-05-18 by (mod)

@Joyce Miller,

Yes, foot valves can fail, and the symptoms will be loss of prime.

But you certainly wouldn't dig a new well to fix the problem, you would replace the foot valve.

Most people wait until the foot valve falls before replacing it.

On 2021-05-17 by Joyce Miller

I have a deep well 365'. I have been told to replace it because the foot value may go. It is over 53 yrs old. Have never had a problem , did replace a motor. Do foot values go bad? I don't want to dig it up, but friends say it is old and what happens if it goes in the winter. I have 40gals A min.

On 2021-04-24 by (mod)

@Kris,

some wells become "artesian" seasonally when a local water table rises; if that's what's going on at your well you'll need to install a well spool to keep water in the well, or a relief outlet to safely drain excess water away.

See ARTESIAN WELLS, WELL SPOOLS https://inspectapedia.com/water/Artesian_Well_Spools.php

On 2021-04-24 4 by Kris

I have a goulds shallow well jet pump one horsepower it's a year old I have a brand new bladder tank not even a day old brand new pressure gauge switch came with the pump.

But all this sudden I was outside in the yard a couple days ago and noticed my pump just kicking on and off and staying on for a really long time I thought a couple different things bladder tank ended up being bad surprisingly but now it's just strange where my drop pipe goes into the well in the casing when the pump shuts off like it's supposed to when it's primed up to the set pressure all of the sudden water is literally coming up out of the casing around my drop pipe!

I've never seen this before and I've been dealing with this one for over 15 years a couple different things came to mind at first there was a leak of maybe it needed a pressure switch the points were sticking maybe the gauge was bad I end up having a buy a new bladder tank cuz there was a small leak on the outside of it but I did that yesterday

and now it's being weird the only thing I can think of is the football because I can literally hear my bladder tank burp after the pump shut off it'll take a minute or so and then it will literally hear a big old bubble go up into it and then that's when I'll look down and see the water coming up out of the casing! I think it's the sit down but I'm not for sure does anybody know how or if I can test the foot valve! And if the football is good anybody got any ideas what else it could be causing that

On 2021-03-08 by (mod) - OK to use "sand point" in drilled shallow well?

Driven sand point well components (C) InspectApedia.com Allen R@Allen R.,

If your well were a normal driven-point sand well then your piping arrangement is fine, and is often used.

You would still have to deal with sediment problems.

Maybe add a filter.

A one line jet pump normally has no trouble lifting water from depths to about 25-27 ft. (of TOTAL lift) - that's why your pump worked with no foot valve.

But your "sand point" is dropped into a drilled well.

That suggests to me that your water supply may be heavy in sand or sediment, clogging or jamming a foot valve as well as possibly clogging your pump impeller; You may need to add improved filtering.

Also be sure to take a look at

On 2021-03-08 by Allen R.

Attached is a diagram of how my well is plumbed to my pump. My well is a drilled well and not a driven well even though it’s plumbed like a driven well.

Illustration [above] adapted and edited by InspectApedia

I just pulled the pvc pipe up out of my shallow well to check the foot valve. As suspected it was bad. I replaced it with a 3’ pvc wellpoint strainer and in turn installed a pvc check valve horizontal above ground between the well and the pump

The pump primed right up and seems to be working great. Is this setup ok or should I revert back to a foot valve?

I had problems getting particles of sediment in my faucet aerators but now I don’t. Thanks in advance!

On 2020-12-16 by (mod) - do not use a well piping foot valve on an oil pumping or fuel tank system

Mis

Sorry but I don't understand the situation. It sounds to me as if you were describing a fuel unit pumping system and a foot valve used on well water systems.

On 2020-12-15 by MISHECK MATOPE

If my petrol pump from only 8m depth, if I use a foot valve in a 20m deep well, will it help?

On 2020-08-25 by Lee

I have a cottage well/pump that is frustrating me. The dug well, 4' tile shallow well located next to the lake is approx 120' from the pump and the the water level inside the well is about 15' below the pump. the pump cracked last winter because it is next to the outside wall and i guess i never winterized it properly.

I have been using a "guzzler" hand pump to draw water up from the well to inside the cottage to fill buckets until i bought a replacement pump which i did last weekend. There is a foot valve in the well which was replaced a couple years ago and a check valve ahead of the pump inside the cottage. A new pressure tank was installed last year.

When I was using the hand pump I had no issues with loss of water. when i put the new pump, after it ran and shut off the water would rush back to the well, past both the check and foot valve. This would cause the pump to recognize a low pressure and jump from switching on to off to on etc until it tripped the breaker.

When all said and done I had no prime left in the line. What could cause the difference between a hand pump and a power pump to cause this back flow. I am hoping it is not a problem with the supply line as it is under the poured concrete basement floor, single lane road and underground to the well (all 6' except under the cottage. My questions are, 1. could this be a faulty foot valve. 2. Should I have two check valves (foot valve and check valve) 3. how can I check if there is a leak in the supply line.

On 2020-06-14 - by (mod) -

50 mm submersible pump at InspectApedia.comTodd

Quite right, thanks for the comment;

you'd need either a 2-line jet pump (the pair of pipes for a 2-line jet pump typicallyt won't fit in a 2-inch bore) or you'd need a very small-diameter submersible well pump.

Below is an example of a 50mm (just under 2-inch) diameter submersible pump used on some solar powered pump systems and available from alexnld.com (who don't give the manufacturer)

On 2020-06-14 by Todd Havlik

@Dan Tarno,
what are you using for a pump and set up to get to 48' if you only have a 2" water well. It seems as if all the deep water wells that are beyond 25' require an injection line also?
Thanks

On 2020-06-06 - by (mod) -

Possibly, depending on how it's connected, such as a bent out end of a hose clamp.

Try lowering it and turning 180 degrees

On 2020-06-06 by Dan Tarno

Im trying to pull the 1 1/2 suction pipe from my 2 inch 48ft water well. I got the first 20 ft section of pipe out of the hole but the rest of the pipe, (about another 20 ft) seems to be hanging or stuck on something and doesnt want to come out. Is there anything on the foot valve that should be hanging on something??

On 2019-12-19 by Melvin

I have 1hp water pump my foot valve has leak so I decided to put check valve 10 ft. from the ground, what will be the effect of suction? would it slow down the suction?

On 2019-12-17 - by (mod) -

Jas

I don't have a winter-tip for pulling well piping except to dress warmly; winter or summer you still need to open the well head and pull the well pipe; if the pipe is long, heavy, steel, be sure to use a suitable tripod, winch, and well pipe grabber so as not to drop the whole shebang down the well.

On 2019-12-17 by Jasmine

any tips on fetching the foot valve from the well during winter? I've done it at the end of August and froze my butt off, and so I need some tips

Question: Water pressure loss after electrical power outage - lightning strike & lost well water

Hi,after a power outage that lasted the entire day, I now have no water at all. I'm new to all of this, so please bear with me. Although, thanks to your very informative site I'm learning. I have a single line jet pump and am not sure what the depth of the well is.

I tried to re prime with no success, so had a well person check it out. He spent over an hour adding water, turning the pump on and off, gradually bringing the water and pressure back up to the top. Right as he was ready to give up it worked, and water was flowing strong out of the faucet. It didn't last long though, and he said there must be a crack or hole in the piping of the well, which is letting air in.

What I don't understand is I had water before the power outage with a supposed cracked or damaged pipe. So since he got the water back up to the top and flowing, why wouldn't it continue and keep the prime since it was before?

He advised that since the well is older (25 years) and the cost to find out what is wrong with it would be $1500 plus the cost of repair, that I would be better off having a new well dug, which is $3800.

I looked into claiming it on my insurance, but was told it had to be caused from a lightning strike, not just a power outage. Is it a possibility that whatever is wrong could have been caused by lightning, and if so, how could it be confirmed? - Valora

Reply: check for bad foot valve and replace it; refer to details of well pump priming procedure, check valves, foot valves

Indeed, Valora, a lightning hit can burn up electrical wiring, controls, pumps, and can even damage plumbing pipes. But your description sounds as if there was a loss of prime and difficulty re-priming the pump.

If the water system has a bad foot valve (located on the bottom of well piping) and power stays off for some time, you are more likely to lose well prime. The proper repair is to pull the well piping and replace the foot valve.

The reason this problem shows up after a power loss is that even though the foot valve may have been leaking for some time, as long as you had electrical power, when the foot valve leaked the dropping pressure at the water tank caused the pump to turn on by itself, restoring water, pressure in the water tank, and prime before so much water was lost that the pump couldn't recover by itself.

But when power was lost for hours, so much water drained back into the well that the well could not re-prime itself when it started again.

See WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

Question: how do I get the well piping, pump, foot valve out of the well? Pulling well piping.

(Jan 30, 2012) Mike said:

How do I pull the deep well piping as I suspect the foot valve is leaking? I can pressurize the system through an external water supply and the system will loose pressure and priming. It has (2) 3/4"PVC pipes at the pump that are separate and going into the ground. I have dug down about a foot and seems as though there is no well casing.

(Jan 23, 2013) Sandy said:

Our well is about 20 feet deep. We're trying to get the pvc pipe out of the casing. Can only pull about 8 ft out then it gets stuck. Any ideas?

(May 10, 2014) pete said:

how to replace piping , check valve and foot valve?

Reply:

Everyone: you need a crane or a winch and hoist assembly to pull deep well piping.

Short lengths of shallow well piping an often be pulled by hand.

I agree that the symptoms you describe could be a bad foot valve. In fact if I pulled a well pipe I'd put on a new foot valve out of principle anyway, having gone to the cost and trouble of disturbing everything.

For stuck components or stuff dropped into the well, also see WELL RETRIEVAL TOOLS


...

Continue reading at WATER PUMP INTERMITTENT CYCLING, or select a topic from closely-related articles below, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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FOOT VALVES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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