Well pump wont prime

mifirecop · Jun 21, 2007

Due to a construction project I needed to move my lawn irrigation pump. I first sand sucked 19 feet with PVC and hit clay. There was 8 feet of water in the casing. I opted to pull the PVC and drive steal pipe through the clay in hopes of reaching more water.

I drove 25 feet of 2 inch and have a 3 foot 2 inch point. I have 14 feet of water in the pipe. I attempted to prime a 2.5hp pump every which way including hooking up a garden hose to the intake on the pump side of the checkvalve. I have filled the supply line with water and it holds to the check valve. I bought a replacement pump to try and determine the issue, it also will not prime.

I have been told that 28 feet is too much for a regular pump to pull water. Is that true and what options do I have if that is the case. I am reading up on jet pumps, but will that option work with only a 2 inch casing?

Thanks Much in Advance

Speedbump · Jun 22, 2007

28 feet is too much for a shallow well jet pump. You will need a deep well jet pump and a single pipe jet down the well at 21 feet. A casing adaptor up top on the 1" or 1-1/4" pipe that the jet is connected to. A vertical pump will work better than a horizontal offset because of friction loss. Your looking at around $625.00 for a quality set up not counting the droppipe.

bob...

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

mifirecop · Jun 22, 2007

Thanks for the info. I guess the jet is inserted in the 2 inch casing? Do you know of a good site describing jet pumps and their operation because I am unfamiliar? Any good online sights for purchasing this equipment?

I am wondering if its possible just to back my point out 5 feet or so and use my existing setup. Should 8 feet of water in a 2 inch well with a 3 foot point be sufficient for normal lawn irrigation? Is being at the 23 to 25 foot range for a normal pump a bad idea?

Again, thanks for your help!

Sammyhydro11 · Jun 22, 2007

If you hit clay at 19' feet you should have stopped and placed your screen above that 19' mark. Clay will not produce any water.

SAM

mifirecop · Jun 22, 2007

There is only about 1 foot of clay. I am several feet under it now. I was concerned that I would not have enough water. I am wishing I would have stopped and tried it at 19ft, thanks though....

Sammyhydro11 · Jun 22, 2007

How do you know there is only one foot of clay? I think your whole problem is that you are too deep. If you have a layer of clay above the zone your are trying to draw water from you are limited to whatever material is between the clay layer and the end of the screen.You are not drwaing any water from the zone that is 8 to 19 feet because of that clay layer. If you stopped at 19' you would have been able to draw from that larger zone and would not have had the drawdown that keeps you from pulling water with a shallow well jet pump. I have in the past used a split screen method to draw water from both zones but if you dont know the consistancy of the material i would not suggest it. What i do suggest is that you pull that screen back to the 19' mark and start developing your well.

SAM

mifirecop · Jun 22, 2007

Thanks Sammy. Very good point. I am going to try and pull back to the 19 foot mark. Any tricks? I have heard horror stories about trying to convince the point to come back up. I have a shed within about 2 feet but all clear on the other sides.

Raucina · Jun 22, 2007

Why would the guy need to pull up the point if he has water about 11' from the surface? He is not trying to suck from the bottom of the point but rather from the water level, which it seems is around 10 or 11 feet... Why not drop a 1" pipe with a foot valve into the the 2" pipe and pump away?

Sammyhydro11 · Jun 22, 2007

You could try a come along with a tripod setup.

SAM

Sammyhydro11 · Jun 22, 2007

The water enters at the point not from 11'.

SAM

Raucina · Jun 22, 2007

The pump should prime at 11 feet easily, even if the water enters at 800' so then the question becomes what is the pumping water level, I suppose.

Put it this way: pound a screen down 1000 feet, the water pushes up to 11' from surface. Discover that the hole gives 5 GPM from that 1000' aquifer, pump it at 5 gpm, and the water level will stay roughly at 11' from surface, so one can use any jet pump.... no?

Sammyhydro11 · Jun 23, 2007

A well drilled to 1000' even if it produced 5 gallons per minute and you were taking out 5 the pumping water level would not sit at its original deptb.

SAM

Speedbump · Jun 23, 2007

I had to reread your first post. I thought your question was: is 28' too far for a jet pump to pull water. Now after doing the math I see why everyone is talking about 11 feet. I prefer to use the depth to water from ground level or from the pumps suction port. It's much less confusing. If you couldn't get the pump to prime with an 11 foot water level, you don't have any water to get or you have a horendous air leak.

If your water is 25 feet or deeper you will need the jet and casing adaptor I was talking about. If you do need them, you can get them on my website.

bob...

mifirecop · Jun 23, 2007

Sorry about any confusion. At 19 feet of well depth I had 8 feet of water in the casing including the point. At 28 feet I have 14 in the casing. I noticed today that I am able to fill my casing with water up to the check valve and it drains out the lower end very very very slowley. With that in mind I am guessing I am either still in clay or not finding good water below the clay.

"IF" I am able to pull the casing back up above the clay, will my 2.5hp shallow pump with a 2 inch casing work ok, and is it possible that will draw more then the 3 foot point can supply? I am also concerned with the point being driven into clay being plugged. It was turned regularly as it was driven. Would it be best to pull it completly ( if it will come out at all ) and start over so I can clean the point?

Once again, thanks for all the great advise...

Sammyhydro11 · Jun 23, 2007

What is the slot size of your screen? I would simply pull it back to the 19' mark and pump it with a hand pump. If you look back on some previous posts on hand driven wells you will find a wealth of info that can help you out.

SAM

mifirecop · Jun 23, 2007

I will look for those posts. Not sure of the slot size, it is a 3 foot metal driving point from Lowes. Has a metal mesh screen covered my a metal with holes.

Speedbump · Jun 25, 2007

You won't get much through that screen anyway. But it is a given you can't get water from clay.

bob...

mifirecop · Jun 25, 2007

Is there a better or longer point that I should be considering?

Speedbump · Jun 25, 2007

The problem is you don't know what material your pushing this screen into, so your working in the dark. The best point is one that will stop the smallest particles but let in the most water. Length is important also, but you can't tell how deep the aquifer is by knocking a screen into the ground blind.

bob...

Well pump wont prime

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