Diagnostic FAQs on how to prime a water well pump:

Questions & answers on how to prime a water pump using a garden hose and a remote water source (from a neighbor). This article provides diagnostic questions & answers that can help you if you're having trouble priming the pump.

This article series describes how to prime a water pump to restore water pressure to a building by priming the well pump to restore the pump to operation after it has lost prime.

Q&A on Well Pump Priming Method Using a Garden Hose

Recently-posted questions & answers about priming a well pump using water from an outside source: a hose from a neighbour

These questions and answers were posted originally either at PRIME the PUMP, HOW TO

Page top Illustration: my pen points to the priming plug on a jet pump.

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2020-04-17 17:06:23.761132 - by (mod) -

Dawayne

Well don't feel too bad, there's no foul-up that somebody (usually me) hasn't done before you, so you've got company and also that means there's almost always a solution.

In your photo, that I've edited and post below this note

I don't see a pump priming fitting so if that's the case I suggest

- add a priming Tee where we see that elbow on the water inlet line at the top of the pump

- add a strain relief so your pump doesn't cut that electrical wire and kill someone

and of course you've found and fixed the accidentally-cut water pipe already, right?

Finally, in your original photo below, what's that cover below the coil of orange-red extension cord?

On 2020-04-17 by Dawayne

I have an older 1.5 hsp that runs my irrigation system. Accidentally cut line going to system and pump lost prime, lots of air

On 2019-11-19 21:30:18.530426 - by (mod) -

Jeffrey

I don't think so. The pressure tank is on the outlet side of your jet pump. When you open the priming plug to pour water into the jet pump you're pouring water into the inlet side.

On 2019-11-19 21:22:41.069259 by Jeffrey Giamario

Do l need to shut valve to pressure tank before priming my jet pump?

On 2019-02-11 15:27:42.608198 - by (mod) -

It could Neville.

Consider a submersible pump (in the well) sending water up towards the building. IF there is a leak in well piping between well and building, including the riser pipe in the well or the (presumably) underground pipe between well and building, some of that water sent up by the pump never reaches the building it just leaks out enroute.

If we have the same leak on a 1 or 2 line jet pump the symptom may be similar with the addition that we may lose pump prime in the aboveground pump as when the pump turns off water can leak backwards from the building and out the same leak point.

On 2019-02-11 by neville..

would a leak in the piping cause low volum of surface water delivey

Question: jet pump ran constantly after an electrical power outage

(Jan 8, 2013) Billy Ray said:

After loss of power during a short blackout the Jet pump constantly ran and no water as coming into the house. I attempted to prime the line via an opening on top of the jet pump which house a pressure gauge.

The water would come to the top and blow out of the opening. i continued on with this for days, adding water till it gets tot he top and re screwing the gauge back on then tuning the pump on to no success. I finally decided to check the foot valve and found that it was broken; so I replaced the foot valve; still no water.

found a crack on the larger pipe where it was connected to the jet pump; so I cut the length of the crack off, then purchased new pipe and cut it to length and attached with a connector. still no water is coming into the house whatsoever and I'm not sure what to do at this point.

I do however hear water coming into the larger pipe when I'm in the man hole that the well originates from and can hear water running back down the well when the pump is shutoff. it's almost like the water is coming up to the pump, but stopping there and not entering the house.

Reply:

Billy Ray,

Often a bad check valve or foot valve is slowly leaking water from the pump back into the well, but because we have electical power, when pressure drops the pump comes back on and restores pressure and water to the water tank often enough that the system never loses prime.

We describe this process as one of th causes

of WATER PUMP INTERMITTENT CYCLING

But when we lose electricity the pump can't keep re-priming itself so we lose prime and lose water.

You may need to prime the system.

If that doesn't work and if we are sure there are no other well piping leaks (check in the well too), then possibly that long run-time on the pump ran the pump dry and damged the motor, bearings, or pump impeller.

Then see - WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE

Question: trouble with pump drawing water from a below-ground cistern or tank

(Mar 1, 2013) Dan said:

Hello, I'm trying to troubleshoot a problem with the water system in my home. The information at this site has been a big help thinking the problem through, but I haven't figured it out yet. I'm hoping you may be able to help.

My home has a pump and pressure tank that draws water from a buried 1500 gallon water tank in the yard.

The buried tank is filled from a well with a well pump which is triggered by a float switch in the tank.

Recently the pump to the pressure tank in the house started to run continuously without increasing pressure in the tank.

I shut the pump off via the circuit breaker and found the water line into the house from the buried tank was empty (that pipe has heat trace to prevent freezing and so was hot to the touch, indicating it was empty).

I checked the buried tank through the stand pipe and found it was over 1/2 full and so that was not the problem.

I then reset the circuit breaker to the pressure tank pump and after about 30s of running it began building pressure to 50 and shut off and there was water in the waterline to the pump again.

However, a day later the problem reappeared: pressure tank pump was running without building pressure and water pipe into the house was empty despite the buried tank having water in it. Again, I tripped and reset the circuit breaker and the pump ran and built pressure and all was well.

This problem seems to reoccur every day or so.

The only change I've made to the water system in my house recently was replacing the hot water heater last month. When I replaced it, I added 2 ball valves to the waterline upstream from the pump. All the soldered connections seem good.

It seems there might be a problem with the line between the tank and the house, but I don't understand why resetting the the pump solves the problem for a day or 2. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Question: pump doesn't lose prime or I primed it but still have no water. How do I diagnose & fix the problem?

Jan 25, 2014) Anonymous said:

my pump doesn't loose prime, but it still will not bring water into the basement--why?

(Mar 7, 2014) Kevin Airheart said:

My pump came on and pumped water for about 10 mins then shut off...Now when U turn it on U can hear the pump running but no water...

Reply:

Anon, if you get no water into the building and the pump has prime there may be loss of water in the well, a well piping leak, or a frozen pipe.
Search InspectAPedia for

Diagnose loss of water pressure

To see a list of things to check

Kevin,

Since you had water for a time, if you lost water while the pump was still running that suggests that either the well has run out or there has been a leak in well piping, or the pump itself is damaged;

If you lost water after the pump shut off, then turned back on, the well may have lost prime, perhaps from a bad foot valve or check valve.

See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

Question: I have water pressure but the pump is running a long time

(Mar 11, 2014) connie said:

A friend came this afternoon and primed the pump . He also added air to the blue tank.

So I have water pressure in the house but the pump is running a long time...is it refilling the water heater?

I now, have turned the pump off ..it was hot. The pressure wouldn't go above 20 even though we were at 45 or so when he left.

Reply:

Connie,

We can't tell without further diagnosis, but the problem could be

- a leak in the well piping

- low water in the well

- a damaged pump that can't reach full water pressure

- low voltage to the pump

- or water running in the building that you didn't notice

If you turn off water into the building and the pump still can't bring the pressure tank up to pressure high enough to turn off the pump, then the problem has been narrowed down somewhat.

For a diagnostic procedure

see WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING

Question: primed the pump but still get no water. What might be wrong?

5/27/14 George McVey said:

Shallow well is 15 meters deep, 5+ meters of water. A 1hp jet water pump is rated for 22 meters head pressure, but NO water comes out.

Foot valve was checked and working properly. Primed pump using prime hole, after filled with water, water level stayed up. Returned prime screw, turned on pump...and still very little water for a few seconds, then nothing. Is pump worn out? What does it take to repair pump?

Reply:

George the pump impeller could be damaged, but before replacing the pump I'd try a more thorough priming.

Often if you are filling the pump cavity with water (priming the pump) but the whole line to the well is air-filled, that single water dose isn't enough. The pump quickly draws air into the pumping chamber and is air bound again.

The solution is repeated priming through the pump prime opening, or easier is to use the garden hose hookup for priming as described in the article above.

If that still doesn't work see See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

Keep me posted

Question: submersible pump + jet pump installed at the same building: keep losing prime

(July 13, 2014) Ray said:

We live in a rural wooded area. with a submersible well pump out side and a jet pump sitting on top of a pressure tank in the basement. Cycles between 30-50 psi. Everytime we lose power, I have to prime it again and it takes about 10 gal into the jet pump than I'm good again.

Doesn't matter if I use no water and the power is only out for an hour, I still need to prime it.

When we do have power, the jet pump gauge drops slowly and will cycle on and rebuild pressure also if don't use any water. I have turned off the water line coming off of the jet pump when the power goes out to avoid losing prime, but that still doesn't work. Im just starting to get annoyed with priming everytime the power goes out.

Do I need to replace the pressure tank? or something in the outside well?

Reply:

Ray

Surely you don't have two pumps,ma submersible in the well and an above ground jet pump. I'm unclearmhowmthat system would work. The rest of your query suggests a leaky foot valve in the well.

See PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS of if you can't keep the pump primed

Question: well pump runs hot

(Aug 6, 2014) Pump is runing hot said:
Pump is runing hot

Reply:

Hot pump

Check for:

• long pump on times because well water flow rate is poor or lost completely, or because of a leak or excessive use
• worn pump bearings
• low voltage

keep us posted -

Question: franklin j-class series v pump that is constantly running and not pumping any water

(Aug 14, 2014) Barry said:
I have a franklin j-class series v pump that is constantly running and not pumping any water.

The pump is only three months old. It is installed in a large holding tank that is part of my water treatment system. The problem started after I drained the tank to clean it. when I fillled the tank back up, I turned on the power, and the pump ran constanty without pumping any water.

I believe this pump has a check valve...but not sure how to get it to start pumping water. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Reply:

Barry,

Some pumps, run for a time dry, can suffer a damaged bearing or impeller. I'd pull the pump and inspect it.

Look for a damaged impeller.

Question: lost prime after broken PVC well pipe

(July 15, 2015) William F. said:
My lawn tractor recently broke a PVC pipe coming out of my well pipe. The PVC pipe contained a check valve. I replaced the PVC pipes and check valve, but cannot figure out how to prime this lawn sprinkler system. I removed the cap in a tee at the top of the well and ran water from a hose into the well for some time without noting any difference.

Should the well fill? It has been dry lately. I could and may prime the pump itself, but I imagine that if I haven't primed the well, the pump will not pull water with an air pocket in the well pipe. Any advice?

I called a pump person to come out to prime the system. It was not as hard as I imagined.

We put water in the pump and turned it on. It eventually pulled water up into the sytem. The pump person had a hand held pump that was attached and used it though I doubt that it was doing that much since the pipes going out of the pump were left open.

So apparently the pump pulls air as well as water. Next time I'll know what to do.

Reply: how the water pump sound changesd when the pump and pipes are successfully primed

William:

Thanks for the comments. In fact some pumps can pull a limited amount of air out of well supply piping and can re-prime themselves with a little help.

When water enters the pump the sound it emits changes significantly - usually to a quieter hum.

If I don't hear that sound and don't see water being delivered after a minute or two I turn OFF the pump and prime further.

WATCH OUT: running a pump dry can destroy the impeller assembly or bearings.

Question: how much water to prime a pump?

Oct 5, 2015) wilsq36 said:
How much water should it take to prime a deep well jet pump? My well is 60'.

I have a two-line Gould J05 jet pump mounted to my tank. I have lost all water pressure and I tried to prime through the plug on top of the pump.

I don't have a close enough water source to use the garden hose method, so I will need to prime it manually.

Reply:

Wil

You may need enough water to fill the volume of the pipe from pump to foot valve in the well as well as the pump body itself.

If you need to actually calculate that volume you need only to know the length and internal diameter of the piping that you need to fill, plus allowing a few quarts of water to fill the pump body.

See WELL DYNAMIC HEAD & STATIC HEAD DEFINITION for calculation details that will let you compute the volume of water needed to fill a pipe.

Question: prime not lost but pump stops

(Jan 15, 2016) Tracie said:
Well isnt losing prime but water flow stops after bout ten minutes. When i check the pump is running and its still primed. Checked for leaks. None. Now what do i try?

Reply:

Tracy, turn off your well pump for half an hour.

If water pressure returns then you know the problem is not your pump so that you're well flow rate is very poor and you are running out of water.

Question: prime lost after we primed the pump

(Jan 18, 2016) Lora said:
After priming pump it builds pressure kick pump out then when you open the valve the pressure drops and pump kicks back on but then you lose prime

Reply:

Maybe a bad foot valve or check valve

Question: no plug to open to prime the pump

(Feb 13, 2016) buster said:
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.

Reply:

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.

Question: pump can't lift water the required distance even after priming

(May 18, 2016) Anonymous said:
we have motor pump now we use priming proper also but the motor pump cant pump water up from the sea, the distance of our pipe going to sea is 300 meters away we used also check valve,can you please advise what to do.

Reply:

I suspect that the pump impeller is damaged, the piping is leaking, or the pump is under-powered for the lift height. Also check for a stuck check valve.

Question: pump won't build pressure above 12 psi

2016/07/18 mark@markawalton.com said:
I have a new shallow well pump that will pump water but not build pressure above 12 PSI. And sometimes fluctuates rapidly between 10-30 PSI. Well has 3 Ft Point (new). and 1 hp new Pump. Why wontit build pressure?

Reply:

Mark we list the causes of this problem at
inspectapedia.com/water/Poor_Water_Pressure_Diagnosis.php#BadWell

Question: pipe on top of the pump blew off, trouble priming the pump, spigot left on

2016/07/19 HBaz333 said:
Yesterday the pipe on top of the pump blew off (most likely because it was PVC instead of a galvanized pipe 😡), fixed that but now no water, tried priming it but the person priming left a spigot open the whole time

and also did not notice leaks coming from the pipe that supplies the house. Does this sound like a well problem or that it was just not primed correctly yet? Waiting on a plumber now but if I can do this myself then I'd rather

Reply:

HB

Let's first be clear, as there are some very serious safety concerns about over-pressure conditions in water systems. If what broke was a plastic pipe part rather than the pump housing itself, then the failure was in the piping not the pump assembly.

Nevertheless, your pressure tank and pump system should include a pressure relief valve, required on all pressurized tanks or vessels by building codes and standards. That will protect against not only damaging but potentially fatal bursting of plumbing system components.

If your pump pressure control switch is not working properly (debris-clogged perhaps) it might fail to properly shut off the pump at a safe pressure.

So after you have restored water by priming the pump as described in this article series, and before using the system, you'll want to assure that the system is safe, the pressure control switch working properly, and that a relief valve has been installed at the pump and tank.

I doubt you can successfully prime a pump and well system if at the same time the water system is draining water out of a faucet or spigot. Close those and try again.

Question: water comes out of the top of the pump when I prime it

(May 17, 2015) Dave said:
I have a old A.o Smith Corp Well Pump, when i Prime it the water comes to the top of the pump where i install the water,but i have to hurry and put cap on and turn the pump on or it loses its prime,

And it got to where the pump would go off every two min.because it was losing pressure, so i change the pipe and foot valve.I tried to prime it but the water keeps going down

so i toke it apart and the pipe had water in it, so the foot valve is working.there is a small opening under cap where pipe hooks up to. it looks like a air opening the think water might be going though that and going down between pipe and outer pipe casing.

Reply:

Dave

When the pump is losing prime as you describe I think water is running back down a pipe into the well or possibly out through a piping leak.

I'm not sure what opening you are referring to - use our CONTACT link to send me some photos if you like and I can comment further.

If you open the link INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SYSTEMS & EQUIPMENT found just above

you'll find these articles giving alternative ways to prime the pump
WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
PRIME the PUMP using a GARDEN HOSE
WATER PUMP PRIMING DIAGNOSTIC FAQs

May 17, 2015) Dave said:
I just emailed you the two pictures, from my wife's email.

Mod said:

Got em. This looks like an older model Sta-Rite jet pump with an adapter that perhaps mounted the pump atop the well casing or water tank. (If you can see a model number on the data tag that'd be helpful).

You can also get help from Pentair or direct from Sta-Rite - www.sta-rite.com/ResidentialContactUs_ContactUs.aspx

Dave when you say the water keeps going down - it's got to be going somewhere, right? That should tell us where the leak is.

When you fill the pump through the priming opening if the water is leaking out and it's not visibly leaking at the pump itself then it's either passing into the water tank or into the well.

Double check your piping and connections.

Question: pump lost prime while running

(Sept 18, 2015) JC said:
Pump lost prime while running. Re-piped from well to pump. Primed easy, but stopped pumping water while running after 10 min. No casing pipe drop pipe only, well is about 80'.

Reply:

I suspect you exhausted the water in the well; else a pipe has broken.

Question: will pump keep prime while turned off?

(Oct 12, 2015) RG said:
I have a jet pump inside my house. I will be going away for several months during the winter and will be turning my main water valve off and leaving the pump power on. Will the pump be able to maintain its prime or do I need to periodically have someone run the water?

Reply:

Perhaps if there is no leaky check valve or foot valve you'll be OK.

Search InspectApedia for FREEZEPROOFING to read some important suggestions.

Question: Davey pump keeps losing prime

(Dec 5, 2015) Jorg Backhaus said:

I have a Davey Pump where I have replaced 2.5 years ago, 28 meters of poly pipe, 1x1.5 & 1x2" long

, I checked the footvalve, was ok, now 2.5 years later I had to bring all back up again because I kept losing water and had to prime overnight again & again, I replaced the footvalve lowered the whole lot, it worked for three days and now when I switch the pump on in the morning I need to prime again!

The Bore is 35.7 m down, with the footvalve sitting @ 32 m and the depth of the Water level is 15.7 m! Could you please tell me what I need to do to over come this problem! Kind regards, Jorg

Reply:

(mod) said:
Loss of air in the tank, Jorg, will cause short cycling on and off of the water pump but not intermittent or unexplained cycling.

If there were an overcharge of air in the pressure tank that air normally exits and is discharged at the building plumbing fixtures but it could enter the pump.

(Dec 6, 2015) Jorg Backhaus said:
Thanks for all your suggestion dan joe friedmann!
Kind regards
Jorg

Question: does a home water pump need a water tank?

does a home water pump need a water tank. can i run the water pump without a water tank. some days no water will reach 2nd floor. and some days even on the 1st floor water is weak. currently running no pump. - Ian 9/25/2011

Reply:

Why do we need a water pressure tank?

Ian,

with a water pressure tank and the air "spring" that it contains, the pump will short cycle on and off rapidly in many circumstances, delivering water in spurts and short cycling the pump on and off rapidly in any case at which water is being run more slowly than the pump output capacity.

That's because water is practically non-compressible.

The air charge in the water pressure tank acts as a giant "spring" to give a continuous flow of water and to work with the pressure control switch to turn the pump on and off at a range of pressures typically about 20 psi apart, such as on/off at 20/40 psi or at 30/50 psi.

An exception, where no water pressure tank is needed, is when a water pump is being used in an open system, such as pumping water out of a creek or pond into an open stock watering tank or planting field

. In that case, because the pump is picking up water from its source and pushing it to a destination without a restriction in the system, the pump moves water continuously as long as it is on and does not stop until it is turned off.

Question: pump priming success using a garden hose connection

I used this workaround with great success. It saved me from having to mess with the pump at all. With this solution you really don't need to touch the pump or any of the plumbing. Very clever! DanMan 9/30/2011

Reply:

Quite so

In fact we started using this procedure of finding a way to "back prime" the well pump and piping by connecting a garden hose to a good water source (say a nice neighbor) when dealing with pumps that were so old and rusty that it was perfectly obvious that trying to open a pump priming plug or well pipe connection was going to lead to a whole day or more of repairing and replacing parts.

Comment:

(May 29, 2011) loyd said:

thank you for your help

Question: we run out of water

(Oct 29, 2011) JAMES BIXBY said:

Pump runs and pumps water until water is gone from pipes and pump housing water is gone.

Reply:

James, please see WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE and let me know if you have further questions.

...

Continue reading at PRIME the PUMP, HOW TO through the pump priming plug If you do not have such a source available, we provide alternative methods, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see WATER PUMP PRIMING DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-2 - more recent questions and answers about how to prime the well pump

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• FOOT VALVES
• WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
  • PRIME the PUMP using a GARDEN HOSE
  • PRIME THE PUMP BY PRIMING PLUG OPENING
  • PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS
• WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR if priming the pump is just not working for you
• WELL PIPING CHECK VALVES
• WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER PUMP PRIMING DIAGNOSTIC FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS

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