Foot Valves on Well Piping

Definition of Well Piping Foot Valve: what is it, where is it? what does it do?

What is a Foot Valve?

A Well Piping Foot Valve is a type of check valve located at the bottom end of the water pick-up pipe in the well. The foot valve closes when the pump is not running.

This prevent loss of well pump prime that would occur if water drained back down the well pipe and back into the well when the well pump stops.

Foot valves are used with above-ground jet pump well systems and work in both shallow wells (one-line jet pumps) and deep wells (two-line jet pumps).

On many well systems loss of pump prime can lead to loss of water to the building and can ultimately lead to pump damage if the well pump runs "dry".

Also, by avoiding loss of prime on the jet pump suction line, a foot valve helps prevent the water hammer noise or bang! sound that would occur when the pump turned on and when the top of the lifting water column (in the air-filled vertical well pipe) bangs into the pump impeller assembly.

Since you won't normally see the foot valve on well piping (it's at the bottom of the pipe in the well) we have included a photograph of a well piping foot valve at the top of this page.

How Does a Foot Valve Work?

Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch of a foot valve shown here explains that when the jet pump begins to draw water, suction in the reutrn line to the pump opoens the foot valve. When the pump stops, a spring inside the foot valve pushes the valve closed again to hold water inside the vertical well line.

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 shows the interior view of the outlet end of a well piping foot valve.

As you can see from the sketch above and from our photo, 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.

Closing 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.

What Happens if the Foot Valve Fails or Leaks?

When the well pump stops water in the well pipe leaks back down into the well, leaving the pipe filled with air, not water.

When water is run and pressure drops in the system the pump turns on again.

Then, even if the well pump has sufficient suction power to lift water back through the pump and into the building, running the pump impeller "dry" for a time can damage the pump, ultimately leading to its failure. (Some pumps are designed to withstand running "dry" but many are not.)

And if the pump does not have sufficient power to lift water through the air-filled pipe the pump has "lost prime" and the building occupants will have no water.

That's why when a well system using an above-ground jet pump 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 Well Bottom

Our annotations on Carson Dunlop's sketches above show 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.

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?

A foot valve is in fact a type of check valve that is found at the bottom end of well piping in the well. Its job is to prevent water in the well pipe from flowing backwards from the water tank or water system down into the well or other water source when the pump is off. Such a back-flow would cause the pump to lose prime and could prevent the pump from delivering water when it's next turned on.

More generally, check valves are devices used to stop un-wanted water flow in a water or well system, may be found in more than one location and may of several designs.

What's a "check valve"? A check valve used anywhere in a piping run is a solid bodied valve with one or more "doors" or openings that open only in the direction of water flow and that close and seal when water flow (say from a pump) stops.

Both foot valves and other check valves are both performing the same task: allowing water to pass only in one direction.

But a foot valve is by definition located at the end or "foot" of a water pick-up line in a well or other water source such as a spring or lake.

So a foot valve is also a check valve but typically includes an open strainer or basket to allow water to enter the piping as this valve is found at the bottom end of the well pipe.

The plastic foot valve shown here is a "4-in-one" foot valve provided by Water Source, a company producing both metal and plastic foot valves as well as other well and plumbing system parts and equipment.

The blue arrows show the direction of water flow from the well or water source up through the foot valve and into well piping.

This foot valve sells for less than $20. U.S.D.

Physical or Mechanical Differences 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.

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.

Do jet pumps come with a built in check valve and is a foot valve still needed?

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.

Some jet pumps include a check valve built right in the nose of the pump; other jet pumps like the one in our photo below may use an external check valve installed right at the pump.

If your well is quite shallow, say less than 27 ft. you might get away without a foot valve, relying only on the check valve built into the pump or on a check valve installed on the well line above ground and near the pump.

But generally a foot valve is used on a drilled or dug shallow well with a one-line jet pump while single line jet pumps serving a driven point well will always use an external check valve because the driven point well pipe does not itself include a foot valve - as we illustrate below with our drawing annotated and adapted from a Water Ace 1-line jet pump manual that we cite further below.

Watch out: check the installation manual for your jet pump. Some pump models specifically state that only a single check valve should be used.

Other jet pump manuals may specifically call for use of an external above-ground check valve. Here are some examples:

• Water Ace JET PUMP INSTALLATION MANUAL #2 Water Ace Pump Co., web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.waterace.com/pdf/RTS5%20RTS7%20RTS10%20RC5%20and%20RC10%20Jet%20Pumps%20Manual.pdf
  
  Water Ace Shallow Well 1-line Jet Pump Models RTS5 (1/2HP), Model RTS7 (3/4 HP) and RTS10 (1HP)
  
  Illlustrated in our annotated drawing above, adapted from this manual, you can see that an external "1-1/4" check valve RCV-12" is required when the pump is used on a driven point well but on a drilled well or dug well using a foot valve there is no additional check valve at the pump.
  

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

Well Ejectors / Venturi Devices are Not & Don't Include Required Check Valves

Below, from Flint and Walling's CPJ Series Jet Pump Installation Instructions [PDF] (F&W Website) we illustrate the three basic types of water well ejectors. (Local backup saved as Flint-Walling-CPJ-Jet-Pump-Instructions.pdf)

Found on the bottom of two pipe and convertible one-pipe well and pump systems aer the two ejectors shown at left in F&W's illustration below. These devices are what bring water up from the well to the above ground jet pump. A foot valve or check valve may be used in addition or may be incorporated in some devices of this type.

At right in the illustration is a deep well ejector/foot valve used in one-pipe deep well installations, possibly including ONE LINE JET DEEP WELL WATER PUMPS - that can lift from over 300 feet

Foot Valve Locations for Each Well Type

Foot Valve Location on a 1-Line Jet Pump Installation

Below are typical installation details for a 1-line jet pump showing the foot valve at the bottom of the suction line.

These illustrations are all found in and explained further in

Flint and Walling's CPJ Series Jet Pump Installation Instructions [PDF] (F&W Website) we illustrate the three basic types of water well ejectors. (Local backup saved as Flint-Walling-CPJ-Jet-Pump-Instructions.pdf)

Foot Valve Location on a 2-Line Jet Pump Installation

A check valve properly called "foot valve" since it's at the "foot" or bottom end of the well pipe, is installed below the ejector as we show in the drawing below.

Between the bottom of the ejector and the foot valve is a length of pipe, a "tailpiece" fastened to the bottom of the ejector, as you can see in F&W's illustration below.

See the foot valve attached to the under-side of the ejector in this 2-pipe jet pump installation.

The length of the tailpiece will vary but almost always the foot valve, there to prevent loss of prime in the piping above, will be at the bottom end of the vertical well pipe or tailpiece.

Check Valve Location for a 1-Line Jet Pump Driven Point Well

Different from all three of the above well pump types described in detail at WATER PUMP TYPES are one-line jet pumps used to draw water from (shallow) driven point wells.

A driven point well piping system will require an above-ground check valve installed in the water line usually near the pump or incorporated into the jet pump itself.

More information about: DRIVEN POINT WELLS

Foot Valve Installation

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. Reader Question: 10 Feb 2015 question: foot valve for deep well?

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 Location & Retrieval

How do I get the well piping, pump, foot valve out of the well? Pulling well piping.

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 30, 2012) Mike 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? - (Jan 23, 2013) Sandy said:

Tell me how to replace piping , check valve and foot valve? - (May 10, 2014) pete 

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

Where & How to Find the Foot Valve on a Water System

Several readers have asked us how to find the foot valve in their well, spring, or lake-water pick-up.

The foot valve is always located at the very end of the water pick-up pipe.

From the shoreline at a pond, lake or spring, we observe where the water line enters the water and we follow that pipe to the end.

On a lake that might mean using a boat to get to the end of the water line. We might attach a line under the water pipe and pull it up to the lake surface as we paddle or out to the end of the line.

Pulling up the end of the water line lets us inspect or replace the foot valve without having to pull the whole line completely out of the water and back onto the shore.

Over at our FOOT VALVE DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR FAQs page, reader Andrew S. came up with a nice suggestion for finding the foot valve when the water is murky and he couldn't easily simply follow the water pipe. Andrew

We finally found [the foot valve] by attaching an air compressor to our drive line via an irrigation blow-out fitting, capping the draw line, and turning on the compressor.

Wow! Right away we got a stream of bubbles in the spring that led us straight to the foot valve

Well pipe is stuck - can't get pipe, pump & foot valve out of the well

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 2020-06-06 by Dan Tarno -

Suggestion - 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

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? On 2020-06-14

by (mod) -

Todd

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 typically 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)

Tips on retrieving a foot valve from the well in winter?

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 On 2019-12-17 by Jasmine -

Answer by (mod) -

Jas

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.

Watch out: don't go wandering out over an ice-covered pond, spring, or lake to look for your footvalve; the risk is that you fall through the ice, risking drowning under the ice cover. Expert help and working with at least one other person is essential in those conditions.

Foot Valve Troubleshooting Procedure

Pump runs but doesn't deliver water: Is it a bad foot valve?

Our reader asked: I have been trying to get my mother-n-law's water running. The will run but will not pump water.

We have tried priming several times and it still don't pump water. We even hooked up a different pump motor to see if that would solve the problem.

My question is, does that sound like the foot valve/check valve?, and if so then how can we check the valve? If it sounds like a different problem then can you please explain as I am stumped. On 2017-09-28 by Larry

Photo: The interior of a well foot valve showing the check valve in closed position.

by (mod) - diagnostic tips to figure out if the problem is the foot valve or the pump or the well

Larry,

Indeed, if you are talking about a single line jet pump, and if the foot valve is leaking, or if there is a leak anywhere in the well piping between the foot valve in the pump, and it may be difficult or impossible to successfully prime the pump and get it running.

But you also could have a well that's out of water or a bad pump.

1. Determine if the foot valve is leaking:
   
   If when you try to prime the pump you can pour an endless amount of water into the prime opening without ever feeling the pipe and pumping chamber than there is probably a leak in the well pipe or at the foot valve.
   
   If when you prime the pump you see that water stops going down in the pipe then you've filled the pipe and the foot valve is not leaking.
2. If the foot valve isn't leaking
   
   If the pumping chamber and well pipe are filled with water but the pump doesn't move water but its motor runs, then I suspect that the pump's mpeller is damaged or broken.
   
   OR
3. The well may be out of water or the foot valve above the present water line in the well.
   
   At this point it would be helpful to measaure down from the surface to the top of water in the well (if any) and to compare that with the depth of the foot valve in the well.
   
   See DEPTH of a WELL, HOW TO MEASUR
   
   and STATIC HEAD OF WATER IN THE WELL
4. More diagnostics are at FOOT VALVE TROUBLESHOOTING
   
   And at WATER PRESSURE TABLE 3: PUMP RUNS, NO WATER or INSUFFICIENT WATER
   

Foot valve problem diagnosis discussion

Another reader asked for help diagnosing a foot valve and pump problem.

I have J7 Goulds 2 pipe pump located in my basement. the shut off valve between the pump output and the pressure tank developed a leak, I replaced the valve and the surrounding piping, (T out of pump with new pressure gauge on top and a bit of fittings added to put in new shut-off)

I primed the pump and got it running at which time the pump would not hit the 50psi shut off pressure, I removed the pressure switch piping to check if it was clogged which it was not however the copper tubing had a small pin hole leak so I replaced and it still wouldn't hit the 50psi shut off.

When I replace the shut off I had drained the pressure tank and pumped up the tank to 28psi, it was down to about 18 or so when it was empty.

I called in a plumber to check out my issue and they determined that the pressure tank was bad and also suggested a new pump as they felt it was running hot. So I replaced the pump which was 25 years old and the pressure tank which was 13 years old.

After priming the pump and getting the entire house purged of air it would still not hit the 50psi stop point, only reaching about 27 -30psi.

I then shut the valve between the pump and the pressure tank and stopped the pump to check for leaks in the piping or foot valve, to no avail the pressure holds and does not drop over 1+ hours. My question is does this test confirm that the foot valve is good?

Could it be possible that the pressure side of the system is good however the vacuum side has a leak which would explain why the pump won't meet full pressure as a leak in the vacuum side would be letting water exit at the leak and not hit be delivered to the pressure tank?

I've lowered the pressure switch to cut off at roughly 28psi and the pressure tank to 20psi to provide water in the house and it's working most of the time, however sometimes the pressure doesn't build up quite enough to shut off the pump so I turn it off manually. HELP PLEASE - (July 23, 2015) David

Reply:

So sorry, David,

For problem in which the pump cannot reach the cut-out pressure, I cannot think of *any* pressure tank problem that would explain that failure, so I'm unclear why the plumber would replace the pressure tank. But perhaps the plumber saw or understood something that we don't.

When a pump can't reach cut-out pressure the typical reasons are

- pump impeller damaged worn debris-clogged

- low line voltage

- leak in well piping between well and building piping or pressure tank

- low well flow rate

at WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Runs_On.php

we give a more complete list of diagnostic suggestions.

I agree that if you don't see a pressure drop with pump off and no water running then the check valve or foot valve is probably fine, and it also looks as if there is no leak in the well piping (unless there is a configuration of check valves that would keep pressure in the upper part of the system where the gauge is located but would let water leak back into the well or ground on the other side of such a check valve - a situation that can occur in a multiple-check valve installation).

Your description of pressure side and vacuum side suggest you're discussing 2-line jet pump in which case I expect there to be only one foot valve and no other check valves (right?)

The fact that the system works and holds pressure with a lower cutout setting suggests that the problem may be the pump itself.

Check the pump line voltage.

Check (or have a qualified person do so to avoid being killed by electrocution) the current draw when the pump is running.

An experienced pump diagnostician may be able to tell whether a submersible pump is running under load or not from the amps drawn by the pump when it's "on".

Other things to check besides the Foot Valve when losing well prime

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

• CHECK VALVES, WATER SUPPLY, DRAINS, PUMPS about above-ground check valves in the water system
• PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS of
• WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
• WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

Other causes of loss of well pump prime are at

• WATER PUMP DIAGNOSTIC TABLE.

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.

• BRADY FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Simmons Manufacturing P.O. Box 1509 McDonough, GA. 30253 1608 Highway 20 East McDonough, GA. 30252 USA, Tel: (800) 241-1935
• Burcam WATER PUMP INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Model 506518SS [PDF] 2190 Dagenais Blvd. West Laval (Quebec) Canada H7L 5X9 Tel. : 514.337.4415 Fax : 514.337.4029 info@burcam.com see us at www.burcam.com
  Includes instructions for installing the foot valve for use with this jet pump.
• Colton Industries FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION & OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] FVF series, P.O. Box 248 Buffalo, NY 14225-0248 Tel: 1-888-300-9155 Fax: 1-888-300-9160 www.coltonind.com info@coltonind.com, retrieved 2022/03/23 original source: http://products.coltonind.com/Asset/84_IOM-Foot-Valves.pdf
• Dikkan FOOT VALVE USER'S MANUAL [PDF] (2021) Dikkan, Web: https://www.dikkanvana.com/, retrieved 2022/03/23 original source: https://www.dikkanvana.com/upload/media_center/foot-valve.pdf
• DuroJet DDJ PUMP OPERATING & INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] (2009) WaterGroup Inc. Fridley, MN, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Cambridge, ON, Regina SK, Tel: 1-877-299-5999 Web: www.watergroup.com 1-800-354-7867, Includes foot valve installation instructions for Duro Jet Pumps
• EFLS PUMP & FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] , ECO-FLO Customer Service Tel: 1-877-326-3561 includes instructions for driven point well installation of EFLS Pump and use with lawn sprinkler installations.
• FLOMATIC FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Sizes 1/2" through 24", Flomatic Valves, 15 Pruyn’s Island, Glens Falls, New York 12801 Phone: 518-761-9797 Fax: 518-761-9798 www.flomatic.com retrieved 2022/03/23, original source: https://www.flomatic.com/assets/pdf_files/oem/16048.pdf
  
  Note: these instructions have a helpful discussion of water hammer
  
  - see also WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE
• FLOMATIC FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Flomatic Valves, 15 Pruyn’s Island, Glens Falls, New York 12801 Phone: 518-761-9797 Fax: 518-761-9798 www.flomatic.com retrieved 2022/03/23, original source: https://www.flomatic.com/assets/pdf_files/oem/16048.pdf
  
  Note: these instructions have a helpful discussion of water hammer -
• FLOMATIC NO. 302 FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Op. Cit.
  Excerpt:
  
  Foot Valve installations are sometimes overlooked and misunderstood. Most important, the foot valve shall be installed a maximum of 25 feet vertical distance below the suction pipe of the pump inlet.
  
  Flomatic recommends for vertical installation of Foot Valve Model 302 the design flow velocity at 5.5 Feet/sec or below for best hydraulic efficiencies. Also, installed with an intake screen submergence (see “A”) according to the chart below (based on ANSI/HI 9.8-1998).
  
  It is important the foot valve have a bottom intake screen clearance (see “B”) and is not supported by the intake screen.
  
  The pumps performance is dependent on hydraulic conditions that exist at the pump intake. The proper installation of a Foot Valve will minimize the following conditions:
  
  - Excessive swirling in the pump intake piping
  
  - Air entrainment in the pumped flow
  
  - Inadequate or poor NPSHA at the pump inlet
  
  - Pump Cavitation and pipe system vibration that can result in costly repairs
• Henderson FOOT VALVE / FLUSH FITTING INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Website: https://www.heanderson.com/
  
  Excerpt: This kit includes a garden hose thread adaptor for the chemical suction hose making it easy to flush the chemical liquid end of the injector to clear it of any chemical deposits or trash that may have accumulated during normal use.
• Jooste Cylinder ADAPTEOR FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Jooste Suier & Pomp Co., 8 Van Zyl St, Gants Plaza, Strand, 7140, South Africa, Tel: +27 (0) 21 854 6518, Email: info@joostecylinders.com , - retrieved 2022/03/23 original source: https://www.joostecylinders.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/417/2020/04/Assembly-Instructions-Adaptor-Foot-Valves.pdf
• Philmac FOOT & NON-RETURN VALVE OPERATION & INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Philmac, Australia,NORTHERN TERRITORY Cnr Hidden Valley & Beaton Roads Berrimah 0828 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 47 Deeds Road North Plympton 5037 - other locations in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia, https://www.philmac.com.au/contact/, retrieved 2022/03/23 original source: https://www.philmac.com.au/app/uploads/2017/12/Non-return_valve_and_foot_valve_installation_instructions.pdf
  Excerpt:
  
  Philmac’s foot and non-return valves have been designed to allow water to flow in one direction only.
  
  The direction of water flow is clearly marked by an arrow on the body of the valve. Under no flow conditions the spring assisted piston sits in the closed position.
• Sera FOOT VALVE CATALOG & INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] (2016) Offices in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Web: www,sera-web.com, retrieved 2022/03/23 original source: https://www.sera-web.com/-archiv/pdf_en/armaturen/ventile/betriebsanleitungen/ta473_02_foot_valves_en.pdf
• Wayne FOOT VALVE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] Wayne Pumps, Web: www.waynepumps.com for use with single lien or two pipe jet pump well systems.
• Zoeller Pump Col 330-Series CENTRIFUGAL LAWN SPRINKLER PUMP INSTRUCTIONS [PDF] (2014) retrieved 2022/03/23 original source: https://www.zoellerpumps.com/content/literature/fm2101.pdf
  Includes foot valve installation specifications for use with Zoeller pumps.
  Excerpt:
  
  A foot valve located in the water or a check valve located as close to the water as possible will reduce priming time of the pump and help maintain prime. A s
  
  trainer must be used on the suction line to filter out dirt and debris.