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).

A "dry" above-ground water pump such as a 1-line jet pump or a 2-line jet pump won't work - the pump has lost its prime. 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.

Questions & answers about Well Pump Priming with 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

or at this very FAQs article WATER PUMP PRIMING DIAGNOSTIC FAQs

Illustration: parts explosion for a Goulds jet pump. Part 4K234 at left in the illustration shows the position of a check valve.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Question: shallow well pump keeps losing prime

I have a shallow well that the pump will lose prime. It will prime up to pressure at currently 45 psi, once demand increases the pressure will go gradually down and suddenly drop 10 - 12 psi thus losing prime at 10 - 15 psi to never recover until I prime again.

Attempting to prime, there's alot of air bubbles. I just replaced the check valve and bladder tank. I times i can take a long hot shower with no problem or if I just flush the toilet it will lose prime. Can anything be drawn from this?

Reply:

Bob: on intermittent loss of well prime, you'll need to determine if the leak is in well piping between house and well bottom ( perhaps a leaky well line or bad foot valve) OR a leak at the water pressure tank or an above ground well pump.

Shut off all water to the house and watch pressure in the system. If it drops then the leak is outside.

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

On 2017-04-06 07:20:05.287205 by Joe re: Why my brand new we'll pump turns on buys sounds funny and doesn't have the pressure

Why my brand new we'll pump turns on buys sounds funny and doesn't have the pressure

On 2017-04-06 14:37:26.363554 by (mod) Re: check that the pump has been primed successfully (Original question follows this reply)

Joe I can't guess from just your email, but I'd start by confirming that the pump has bene properly primed - do not let a pump run "dry" or it will be damaged.

See PRIME THE PUMP, HOW TO at https://inspectapedia.com/water/Prime_The_Well_Pump.php

Question: well pump piping hook-up troubles - need help priming the pump

(Apr 10, 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

WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

At the ARTICLE INDEX at the end of this article . Keep me posted.

Question: how do I find out what kind of pump I have

well water in rural area, no home within range. pump under ground other suggestions. How do you determine what type of pump you have? - Anonymous 6/11/11

Reply: how to figure out what kind of well pump is installed

What type of well pump do I have?

• If the well pump is underground - that is if you mean the pump is down in the well, it is a submersible pump. Unless someone left the information in the home (sometimes written on the wall by the pump relay switch) you won't know the brand, model or horsepower of the submersible pump without pulling it up out of the well - not an expense and trouble you want to face until a repair is needed.
  
  If the well pump is "underground" by which you meant in a well pit - a big hole in the ground or "pit" that you can actually enter, then the pump will be visible and it's either a one-line or two-line jet pump.
• If a well pump is "above ground" such as visible in the building (usually next to or atop a water pressure tank) or visible in th well pit described above, it is either a one-line (one pipe between pump and well) or two-line (two pipes connected to pump and well) jet pump.
• One pipe jet pumps serve only shallow wells or cisterns and can pump from about 25 ft. of depth
• Two line jet pumps can pump water from deep wells, as can submersible pumps.

See WATER PUMP LIFE EXPECTANCY for details about different types of well pumps.

Question: Problem with loss of pump prime, water pressure drops, supply to house shut off

800 gal reservoir is full to ground level and impeller style pump is on basement floor. I installed a new foot valve in the well. Pump is three yrs. old. Pressure set between 40/50 psi
Tank bladder at 38 psi.

When pressure gauge shows 50 psi and I isolate the house with a gate valve, the pressure gauge drops below 40 psi and the pump starts but 40% of the time it doesn't deliver any water and at this point I need to open a tap near the pump before the water flows again. When I open this tap I hear air for a few seconds before water starts to run from the tap and at this point the pump will start delivering water.
Whats my trouble and your response. hanks, Shep

(Mar 23, 2014) Clinton said:

we have a shallow (about 10') hand dug older well and have installed a newer pump similar to the old pump we replaced, installed new lines from the pump to the supply lines to the house and primed the pump by filling the pump housing and lines, however we did not fill the supply line coming from the well to the house, and the pump is working, but not drawing water from the well.

we filled the line from the pump to the supply line, but not the supply line that runs from the well to the house under the ground. My question is, does the supply line running under the ground from the well to the house need to be filled with water in order to properly prime the pump and draw water from the well? the well has water.

Reply: check for a bad foot valve, check valve, well piping leak

Shep:

regarding "the pressure gauge drops below 40 psi and the pump starts but 40% of the time it doesn't deliver any water and at this point I need to open a tap near the pump before the water flows again.

When I open this tap I hear air for a few seconds before water starts to run from the tap and at this point the pump will start delivering water. "

and your title, indeed it sounds as if the pump is losing prime. If you're sure the foot valve is good, I'd look for an air or water leak in the piping between the pump and the foot valve bottom.

If I understand correctly, "and I isolate the house with a gate valve" means you are closing the valve feeding the house from the pressure tank - thus making sure no water is being run in the house that might drop down the pressure you see at the pump and tank = correct procedure for this diagnosis.

See the more complete diagnostic checklist for water pressure or flow loss

at WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE.

Clinton,

Yeah, with a one-line jet pump you will best results if you can get it filled. The alternative is to keep priming the pump, letting it run until its sound changes (indicating it's got air inside the impeller), stopping it, then re-priming. It's for this reason that I like the "garden hose" pump prime method. Don't run the pump dry as it may be damage.

See PRIME the PUMP using a GARDEN HOSE for how I use a hose (which of course is only useful if you either have a close-by neighbor with water OR you can fill a 5gallon bucket and siphon-feed the pump prime that way.

Question: pump loses prime, plumber replaced pressure tank, didn't help

22 July 2015 David said:

Good morning, first let me say your site is amazing thank you. I have a 2 line jet pump I don't know the well depth. It appears to have been working fine however the shut off valve between the pump and the pressure tank developed a leak so I replaced this along with the T and pressure gauge located at the top of the T.

Got the pump primed and running again and the pressure switch line sprung a leak (pin hole) so I replaced this as well. After these repairs the pump will not shut off it appears to be producing roughly 25-30 psi of pressure so not enough to have is shut off. I call in a plumber to diagnose the issue they determined that the pressure tank was bad, blatter would not hold pressure and that the pump needed to be replaced because it was running hot.

nes it still will not hit the factory set 50psi switch. I then shut the valve between the pump output and the pressure tank (per your guidance) to see if the lines into the well could have holes, watched the pressure gauge on the pump and it appears to hold pressure at least over the 5-10 minutes that I had to observe. Is this long enough or shall I observe longer?

I ask because I ended up reducing the pressure switch so that the pump would shut down at a lower point and lower the tank pressure to coincide (2#'s lower) This seemed to work however the pump then lost it's prime and after re-priming it seemed to work again abet it still won't produce more than the 25-30 psi of pressure.

Is this indicating that I have a faulty valve in my well or a leak in one of the lines in the well?
Thanks in advance for your help.

This question was posted originally at WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home

Reply:

David, I don't understand the plumber's conclusion.

Even if a pressure tank bladder had failed, the pump would pump the tank up to cut-off pressure and then switch off.

You've done some good diagnostics. I suspect that either the well water level is low or that the pump or impeller is damaged and simply cannot reach cutout pressure. Other problems could cause the same symptom such as a leak in well piping but if that were the case when you shut off the pump you'd see the system pressure drop as water leaked back out through that opening.

Lowering the cutout a bit so that the pump can reach it is an acceptable fix if the lowering is not too much - which you tried.

But the fact that the pump is losing prime suggests an air leak or water leak in the piping or at the pump itself (which, I admit, contradicts the earlier "no pressure drop" that you observed). So we may be looking at a foot valve that fails or fails intermittently.

Over at a companion article WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING at inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Runs_On.php

we list reasons that a pump may keep on running, that is, not get to the cut-out pressure. Please take a look there and let me know if questions remain.

David said:
Again thank you for your support. I agree I don't understand the plumbers conclusion on the pump the pressure tank I understand it wasn't holding pressure. Pump hot, well the brand new one gets hot to if it runs for a while. Lesson learned I have a back up pump now it was installed in 1992 so I thought it made sense. So what is baffling me is prior to fixing (replaced) the leaking shut off and the pressure switch line the old pump worked and kept it's prime.

Is it possible the foot valve failed at the same time, this seems odd but possible. I am assuming that my water table is still very high based on the constant rain we've been receiving. My next move is to check again for leak down after I shut the valve and pump and give it a longer time to confirm there's not a leak or faulty foot valve.

My challenge is locating the well as the prior owners didn't have a clue and the bushes have grown extensively to where the logical location would be. On the bright side I've done everything myself and not paid the $2000 to the plumber to replace a pump that doesn't appear to had a problem. Any additional guidance would be greatly appreciated. David

Reply:

David:

Double-faults can occur but Occam's razor says we should look first for the simplest explanation as it's most likely.

Is it possible that during the repair a pipe connection simply was not perfectly tightened. For example I've found air leaks into piping (and thus potentially loss of prime) when a hose clamp on plastic piping at joints was not quite tight.

A problem is that air leaking in to the lines may not be so easy to detect unless your system has a clear plastic water filter in which you'd see bubbling and frothing. But you might start by tightening or double-hose-clamping every accessible connection.

Question: pressure switch keeps tripping, have to re-start pump, no water enters the water ank

I have been having problems with my pressure switch, it keeps tripping, I always have to go out and restart the the pump. I figured the switch was bad so I changed it. Now the tank won't fill and so there is no build in water pressure. I can turn the pump on but it quits running after a few minutes. Its a submerged pump. - Chris 7/17/2011

Reply:

Chris, if no water is entering your water pressure tank you could have a tank with a collapsed internal bladder; that would be the case if the pump actually runs and is delivering water, but no water enters the tank.

Conversely, if the pump runs but never delivers water, say because well water level has fallen too low or because the pump itself is damaged, the pump motor may run until it overheats and goes off on thermal reset.

See our diagnosic suggestions at WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE

Comment: multiple pump-prime attempts needed

(May 26, 2012) mrac5 said:

After 3rd time it worked like a charm. Thanks!

Question:

(Sept 1, 2012) Evelyn said:

We are losing our prime, we have a one line jet pump, 1 1/4 inch line, 140 feet to well and about a 19ft drop, the pump sits below the water line, we have primed from the foot valve many times,

we are priming from the foot valve and had the water working, but have lost the prime again, this is the third foot valve, and we have replaced the pump with another one and made sure the pump worked before installing. Help!!

(Oct 28, 2012) Dave said:

my well is on a hill about 15 higher than my basement where my pump and tank are located..spent all day trying to prime my 2 line jet pump and push that water up the hill to fill all my lines..

tried the garden hose method...pump was primed and running under 15 minutes...thans to whoever came up with this idea!

(Nov 18, 2012) karen said:

motor to electric well water pump running, but no water is pumping through. What can we do?

Reply:

If priming the pump still gets no water then there is a piping leak, a damaged pump, or similar problem.

If priming the pump gets water but the pump keeps losing prime, most likely there is a bad foot valve, check valve, or a piping leak....

Or of course your well could be dry.

Question:

(Nov 27, 2012) Stacie Andrews said:

Hi, My switch reads 58 psi but I'm getting nothing but air throughout the house. We have a submersible pump. Where should I start?

Reply:

Stacie
If yours is a submersible well pump, priming isn't the issue as the pump is under water in the well. In that case I suspect a defective air volume control system problem or a piping leak problem.

Question: ssssss noise at the pump

(Nov 30, 2012) David L said:

My pump runs 5 min build up the pressure to 50psi, then stop, the pressure keep dropping for about 2 min, then down to about 40 psi, the pump starts again. I use 20kwh electricity a day just the pump. I can hear the water running back down to the pump with the "sssssssss" noise.

There is no control value between the pump and the wall leading to the well. If I add a check value between the pump and the wall, do you think it will solve the problem?

Reply:

That hissing noise is typically air escaping from an air volume control that is releasing excess air.

see AIR VOLUME CONTROLS, WATER TANK

Your well may use one of several types

of SNIFTER & DRAIN BACK VALVES

Question: my pump won't catch a prime

(Dec 30, 2012) cory said:

my pump won't catch a prime

Reply:

Cory if you are priming through the pump opening you may have success with the garden hose approach in the article above. Othewise I suspect a well piping leak or loss of water in the well or a damaged well pump.

See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

Question: should I replace the pressure gauge when I replace the pump pressure switch?

(Mar 11, 2013) jessica 3/11/13 said:

my question was should i replace the pressure gauge now that i already replaced the pressure switch due to kept on tripping and had to refill water for repriming pump, not building any pressure.??

Reply:

It's very inexpensive and now is a good time to replace a gauge that is damaged or ot working. And if the root problem was debris clogging at the pressure switch then the gauge may be clogging too.

Question: have to keep re-setting my Utility-Tech pump controller

(May 29, 2014) jerry said:
why does my utilitytech 30/50 Pressure Switch have to be reset everytime the power is turned off

Reply:

(May 29, 2014) (mod) said:

I'm not sure, Jerry. Usually this sort of problem comes up because while power is off a leak, say at a foot valve, causes the system to lose prime.

Some pressure switches have a safety feature (to protect the pump) that switches off the pump until manually reset if the switch sees that the pump is running without delivering water.

It might be that a cycle or two is in your case enough to restore prime and thus water.

Question: how much air to put into the pressure tank

(June 9, 2014) Alex said:
I have a submersible pump system with a 62 gal tank w/bladder and I have a water leak somewhere.

I assumed my system was quite old (installed in 1973) so I installed a new tank, switch & guage. DIDN'T HELP. I also have a frost free spigot which could be bad.

(July 3, 2014) James said:
Do you know how much air i'm supposed to put in the air tank?

Reply:

James

at WATER TANK AIR HOW MUCH TO ADD -

we explain how to figure out how much air pre-charge to put into the pressure tank. Please take a look at that data and let me know if it's unclear in any way.

Question: water pressure surges every few seconds

(July 5, 2014) Bobby Loepz said:
I have a well that I use only to water my property. Over the last few weeks the flow has diminished greatly and it surges every few seconds. What could be causing that?

Reply:

Bobby for surging water pressure please see the diagnostics at

WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING CAUSES

Question: hole in tank bladder causes loss of prime?

(Oct 17, 2014) Roy E. Pierce said:

If bladder has a hole in it and you trying to prime your pump will that make the pump not want to prime?

Reply:

Yes, no, yes as follows:

1. Yes: in the very short run, water seeping out of the tank and pump into a LARGE pressure tank with a burst bladder might lose pump prime a time or two.
2. No not directly - loss of prime usually means that water has drained backwards out of the pressure tank and pump body and well piping and into the well (or outside somewhere where there's a leak in the well piping
3. And yes indirectly: the short cycling from a waterlogged pressure tank can damage a pump so it will no longer prime. So if the bladder leak caused a waterlogged than that might be the end result.

Question: Sue doesn't have a neighbour with a long hose and good water pressure

(Feb 18, 2015) sue said:
well that PRIME the PUMP using a GARDEN HOSE is useless. Nearest neighbor is a mile away.

Reply:

Thanks Sue. Obviously the hose procedure for priming.a well pump is not for everyone. This article series explains other pump priming methods for
people in your position and disposition.

At WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE you can read how to prime a well pump directly through the pump's priming port.

Before assuming that a water problem is due to the well itself, remember that there could be other troubles, even simply a loss of power to the pump.

See WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE an specific case which offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost.

Question: putting chlorine into the pump?

(Oct 23, 2014) compton said:

I have a well with a submersible pump I open the plug on top of the well and throw in a mixture of 3 gallons of water and 4 pints of chlorine sanitizer into the well

then I put my garden in the hole on top of the well from my out side faucet try to flush the system out and

about 15 minutes after I started to lose water pressure very fast i close off the faucet and the pump takes along time to build back pressure when I open a faucet could anyone tell me what I did wrong and how to get back my normal water pressure.

Reply:

Compton:

I can't quite see from your message what went wrong. I'd look for a leak somewhere in the piping system or loss of water in the well itself.

Question:

(Nov 29, 2014) Eric said:
I have a water pump which flooded 3' of water. I acquired sump pump to get rid of the water. I noticed the small hose on the pump was disconnected. after cleaning the pump I turned on electrical power which blew a circuit. Is there a way to prime the pump?

Reply:

Eric:

Watch out: flooded electrical equipment is unsafe, may be shorted, may risk shock or electrocution hazards. Best advice is to have the equipment and circuit inspected by an electrician who is familiar with water damage.

Second your pump may have been damaged and thus will bind or is stuck and thus cause a circuit breaker to blow. I would leave the pump off.

There is no point in talking about priming the pump motor when the pump does not run and the electrical circuit is unsafe.

 

Question: What is the black valve under the pressure switch for?

(May 23, 2016) Bryan said:
On the image of the F&W. What is the black valve under the pressure switch for? I have one on my F&W and wondering what its for, haven't had something like it on other pumps.

Reply:

Sorry Bryan I'm not sure to which image you refer.

Reader follow-up:

The second pic, the one of the F&W right under the heading "Detailed Step by Step Procedure for Direct Priming a Well Water Pump" the black valve comes off the back of the pump head and the pressure switch is on top of it and then it looks like cooper pipe coming off its side.

Just trying to figure out what the purpose of that regulator thing is for on the F&W pump. I only see 2 pics on this page.

Moderator reply:

That's an adjustable pressure regulator. The water leaves this pump and tank system through the upper right side of the pump housing.

...

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 WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE Q&A-3 - more-recent questions and answers about priming a water 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-2 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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