shallow well pump loses prime overnight

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sailit2000

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I had replaced my shallow well pump last week. I had a meyers 3/4 hp well pump and replaced it with a Sear's 1 hp convertible shallow well pump. The well worked great before I touched it. The pump was about 10 years old and was really getting very loud to listen to. Since the change over I am losing prime after a period of 6-10 hours. I then must remove the cap and bleed some air off before it will pump again.

Is this the sign of a bad foot valve?

If I have to change the foot valve would it be better to change this pump to a jet pump?

The well pump has only a 1 inch pipe from the well. Is this to small of a pipe? should it be 1 1/4 supply?


Thanks,
Fran
 

Plumguy

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I'm not well expert but I had a similar problem that ended up being a bad check valve.
 

Speedbump

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Sounds to me like you didn't use enough pipe dope on the suction line Fran. If everything worked good before you "touched it", the problem must be in the plumbing.


Tighten the pipes you reinstalled by first using a good teflon pipe dope. Then see if the air goes away.

bob...
 

sailit2000

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I have doubled clamped each of the 90 degree fitting that enter the house and come up to the pump. On the 1 1/4 inch pump housing I have a 1 inch barbed fitted with double stainless steel hose clamps. On each of the 90 degree barbed fittings I have the same clamping system. They are all very tight. The system shuts down over night and loses the prime. In the morning I have to go down to the basement and turn the pump on and let it run. It is then that I crack the plastic plug on the pumps suction side ro bleed off a little air and most times the water will start to flow. You can hear the difference is the pump when the pump starts to pull water. Sometimes I can start it by just turning the switch off and on a couple of times in rapid sequence to get it to catch. They also have this thing that is call a regulator. It is on the suction side of the pump and you can adjust it with a screw driver. You can run it in and out. I have it set at wide open. Please any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gary most times I do have to add just a little water to the suction chamber of the pump to get it to draw. But I have become so in tune with this pump I can get it running and just crack the cap on the suction side and a little water sprays out and then I retighten it and the pump pulls hard till it reaches 60 PSI and shuts down. It pump well just that it loses prime after an extended down time,

Thanks,
Fran
 
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Plumber1

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Pump

Do you have a foot valve on a 11/4" shallow well, or a spring loaded check valve between the pump and well?
 

Plumguy

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Check valve doesn't have to be "spring loaded" it can also be the hinged door type to lose one's prime over time.
 

Speedbump

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Did you say you have a regulator in the suction line? If so, it don't belong there or anywhere on a shallow well pump.

When you went to Sears and bought a convertable pump, you should have bought a shallow well jet pump.

Tightning up the clamps don't help at all if you don't tighten the barb fittings and put them in with some sort of pipe dope. Also when you put the poly pipe on the barb fittings, did you heat it up first? If not; that is another possible air leak.

Another thing, you said "The system shuts down over night and loses the prime. In the morning I have to go down to the basement and turn the pump on and let it run." Why do you shut the pump off in the first place? Don't you have a tank with this system? If it were left on it wouldn't lose it's prime. If there were a leak, it would just cycle now and then.

bob...
 

18inchapes

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Hello all, I'm having the same problem.....................what was the outcome of this?
I have a new driven well with a new check valve, well point, ETC, with a new craftsman shallow well jet pump. I'm losing prime after an hour or so. I have installed a petcock on the priming port to allow trapped air from pump and it will reprime. I have also installed a vacumn guage on the suction side of pump and i will pull 20" of vacumn with pump running and hold 15" of vacumn when pump kicks off. I can hear aeration in the pump
(sounds like a handful of marbles smashing around) when I'm pumping. All my connections are tight...........triple checked. could something be wrong in the pump/jet assembly? please help!!! Jeff
 

Speedbump

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The vacuum gauge tells me you have air leaks. Did you butt your sections of pipe in the drive couplings?

The noise the pump is making tells me you have air leaks also.

Read the Sticky about installing 1-1/4" wells at the top of the thread list. Especially read the part about butting couplings.

bob...
 

18inchapes

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Hi, I only got 20"of vacumn, but this was in the time it took to build pressure from 35 PSI to 60Psi, it may of gone farther. When the pump stopped, it went to 16" hg, What should it be? 30"hg? I didn't "butt" couplings together, but they are tight, tight to the point that I was afraid that I was going to snap the pipe. I used two 36" pipe wrenches to tighten it. I have 3 couplings. One at the point (3'), the next one section is 21', the next at 10' and the last at 3'.they are drive couplings
Could anything in the pump/jet assembly be causing a vacumn leak? I will double check the vacumn readings. These are takin BEFORE the check valve, so this will tell me if I have a problem in the well casing.
Also, this is in a 3 1/2 casing driven approx 24' into ground. I'm using 1 1/4 well piping for water. The water table is 16' from surface, the well is driven 38'
thanks Jeff
 

Speedbump

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The vacuum is always the highest when the pump is pulling but there is no pressure (assuming it's primed).

If you didn't butt the couplings, they are not tight.

The jet itself cannot be the reason for an air leak unless it's in the gasket that seals it to the pump. The rest of the suction leaks have to be fittings.

bob...
 

NHmaster

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lots and lots of experiance here tells me its one of of not two things that are generally always the problem. You have a suction line leak somewhere. Either the fitting was not doped or tightened properly or the pipe was not softened before clamping or the clamps are too far apart and not staggered but believe me, if it wasn'nt loosing prime before you changed it, you have something loose. The other thing is the foot valve which again if it was holding before you changed the pump, it should be ok but maybe the pump devil is against you so check it if you have to. Yes I have seen some pumps have defects in them, particulary sears and sta-rite (same thing) pumps with the steel band that holds the pump together. But most likley its a suction line leak.
 

18inchapes

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well sucking air............

Hello Guys, I want to say thanks for all the advice. Ok, heres what I found. I switched pumps out with a spare I had, I had the same problem with sucking air. I installed a vacumn guage on the suction side of the pump between the well point casing and the checkvalve. When I 1st primed the pump, I got 28" of vacumn. It slowly dropped off to 16"Hg and I can here the pump sucking air.This is when I'm tring to fill the tank. Now if I shut the inlet to the tank off and just run a hose from the outlet of the pump, I will build and stay 28" of vacumn with a good flow. I know that I'm sucking air, but I want to be sure that it would be in the well casing before I pull it up. A few things to note.
I didn't "butt" the drive coulpings together
I didn't heat the poly hose before I clamped it w/2 stainless clamps (this is on the pressure side going to the tank)
I'm using 1 1/4 galvinized pipe 37' to the point ( 16' standing water to ground level) in a 3 1/2 casing 24' in the ground.
I have good flow from the pump with no backpressure( IE. filling the tank)so I do believe the point is in the stream. Would it be a safe bet to pull the well point and "butt" the pipe?
thanks again for all the good advice, Jeff
 

Speedbump

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I agree, if you didn't heat the Poly, you probably have air leaks there. I would try that first as oppossed to pulling the Well. If that doesn't do it, then you may have to pull it. Then Butt the couplings.

Another thing. I know you put the vacuum gauge in to do some testing, but the fewer fittings in a suction line, the better.

bob...
 

NHmaster

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Grundfos makes a shallow well pump that will actually pull through a small suction line leak, Amazing.
 

18inchapes

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pump sucking air

Hi all, thanks again for the advice. I will heat the poly and reclamp it, can't hurt, right? And definitely easier than pulling the well pipe!, but will having a leak on the pressure (output) side of the pump still cause a vacumn leak? This is where the poly connects from the pump output to the tank. Wouldn't I lose pressure from the tank through the poly if the clamps/fittings were lose?
Thanks again, I'll let you know how I make out with the poly. Jeff
 

Speedbump

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The suction line is the only one that is important for eliminating air leaks. If the pressure side has leaks, it would be leaking water out not air in.

bob...
 

18inchapes

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Hi I heated the poly and reclamped, reprimed. I'm still getting air in the system. Its gotta be in the well point casing. I'll pull the well in the next few weeks and "butt" the couplings. I'll let you know how I make out Thanks again, Jeff
 
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