Newbie Question: Priming a well pump that's been disconnected for years

About a month ago, my fiance and I moved into a new house that has a well pump from before city water was available on our street. From what I can tell, the pump has been disconnected for a period of months or years and no longer has pressure. I have an engineering background, but that doesn't involve pumps. All I know about pumps and wells is what I've read on this forum and a few other random places this evening. I'd like to be able to use the well for an irrigation system, washing our cars, and other outdoor things. Here's what I've been able to gather so far... maybe someone would be kind enough to educate this pump newbie on how to get the water flowing?

1. The pump ran (or at least makes noise) as soon as I plugged it in, but no water or air (that I could feel) came out.
2. There is a pressure gauge on top of the pump that read 0 PSI after being run for a few minutes.
3. There is a shutoff valve on the discharge side that appears to go to the house and is closed.
4. Between the pump and that valve is an ordinary spicket for a hose connection. This is what I opened to find no water/air coming out.
5. From what I've read, running a pump without water is BAD so I unplugged it after a few minutes.

After reading a bit here, I believe that I have an above ground jet pump that *hopefully* just needs to be primed. That, however, is not something I know how to do. It looks like I can either a) dump some water down the discharge line or b) look for a place on the pump somewhere to dump water before plugging it in again. I don't want to do any damage, but I'm hoping that it's a simple DIY fix. Is there a preferred method for priming? I can go take some photos tomorrow of the pump and piping since I'm sure there are a million different pump designs. Is there anything else that I should check before running the pump again? Thanks in advance for all your help!

Well Priming

There should be a reservoir connected to the pump which can be filled in order to prime the system. The amount of water required to do so will depend on the amount of line that is in the well. You will know when it is primed when you can not put any more water into the reservoir. If there seems to be no sign of the reservoir becoming filled then it is likely that you have a leak in the line inside the well, or that the foot valve is jammed open, or worse, it is missing.

Other than the benefit of not having chlorine in the water I see no benefit to using the well. The cost of operating the pump will likely be higher than the cost of buying the water from the municipality. Also, the well may contain other impurities such as salt, sulphur, iron, and possibility of chemical contamination, ecoli, etc. If you still think it beneficial, I suggest having the well water tested before using it.

Hope this helps.

Here in rural NC, most people seem to have a well and pump, even if they have public water like we do.
It is far less expensive to run a pump to water your yard or wash a truck or car than it is to run public water here.
How to prime a typical pump:
1. Get an adustable wrench or channel-locks, a roll of teflon pipe tape, and a gallon jug of drinking water.
2. Open the largest plug on top of the pump head (usually a 3/4" plug) and wrap 2-3 flat wraps of teflon tape on the male plug threads clockwise only as the threaded end faces you. Leave the discharge valve closed.
3. Fill the pump head with water, plug in the pump and quickly begin hand-tightening the plug. Water and air will sputter and bubble out, but that's normal. Let the pump run a minute or so to see if it is picking up prime (you can tell by listening to the pitch of the pump). Finiish tightening the plug with the wrench.
4. Let the pump run until it cuts off. It's primed.
If it doesn't pick up prime, repeat steps 2.-4., including replacing the tape.

Since you have public water, there is an easier way for you to prime the pump with a water hose. Go to a hardware store and make up a hose-to-hose fitting to connect the spigot on the pump and to the end of your water hose.
Just turn on the water until you know that the pump is full, and plug in the pump, close the spigot and let it run until cut-off. It should be primed.
Good luck!
Mike

Priming a Jet Pump!

Mike's right. Follow his instructions!
Porky

The cost of operating the pump will likely be higher than the cost of buying the water from the municipality. Also, the well may contain other impurities such as salt, sulphur, iron, and possibility of chemical contamination, ecoli, etc.

Click to expand...

I have to differ with the statement that city water is cheaper to run than well water. I find that city water can be as much as ten times more expensive.

Wells do contain minerals that are not desirable such as iron, hardness and sulphur. These three are the most obvious. City water usually has hardness and in many cases it is harder than well water. A properly drilled well in far more cases than not is safe for drinking and free of all dangerous bacteria.

bob...

Mike,
Thanks for the helpful instructions. I went out and took some photos of my setup. The first is of the tank and the pump (with an arrow pointing to where I believe I should fill it) and the second is of the pump alone:

I'm not too concerned with minerals in the water or if its drinkable; as long as it will (eventually) water my yard I'll be happy Water is expensive out here in Brunswick County, but more importantly, you can't use city water for watering lawns because of drought restrictions.

Does my arrow seem to be pointing to the right place? Also, do I need to fill the big tank (seems like a bit of a pain) first as dumberplumber suggested?

Thanks again for all your help, and hopefully I'll get home a little earlier tomorrow and have a chance to try what you've suggested

You are correct. Remove the plug and fill the pump with water. Hopefully it will fill up. Once full, put the plug in just a few turns. This will allow the air to come out. If it just sprays water at you once started, it's probably primed. You can then tighten the plug. That screw on the top of the pump next to the tee with the plug in the top is the rinky dink back pressure control. It should be screwed all the way shut after filling the pump (clockwise). This will allow the backpressure from the pump to operate the jet in the well and the pressure in the pump housing should jump to max. Max should be round 60 to 80 psi. Then back it off slowly until the tank begins to fill. (No you don't have to fill the tank first manually) Once pressure begins to build, you can turn the screw several times counterclockwise.

bob...

I finally got the pump to prime!

It wasn't as easy as Mike described, but it wasn't hard. My neighbor laughed when I told him I thought a couple gallons would do it, and he suggested filling the pump, holding my hand over the cap, and repeating the process until the pressure pushed my hand off the top. It took awhile, but it finally worked!

Hopefully the photos and suggestions from everyone will help another pump newbie like myself. Thank you!