Trouble with initial prime of new sandpoint well

I have a cabin on an island in Montana and we have always used a sandpoint well for our water. Due to the old well point finally scaling and clogging last year, I just drove a new well over the weekend and am having trouble priming my jet pump and I have a worrying suspicion that the jet pump may be just outside of the height that it can draw water due to the atmospheric limits on these shallow wells. However, before going through the trouble of building a new pump-house and moving my pump lower I thought I would see if I am just missing something in my priming procedure.

Here are the specifics of the well: I have a 3 foot screened wellpoint at the bottom of 16 feet of 1 ¼ “ pipe. As such there is a total of 19 feet from the tip of the point to the well head. There is 9 ½ feet of water in the pipe. I cleared the well using a pitcher pump and was getting clean water at about 6 gallons per minute (limited only by my speed in moving the pitcher pump arm).

At this point I attached a 90 degree elbow to a close nipple to a check valve all at the well head. Then I attached 12 feet of 1 ½ “ clear core poly pipe to run up the hill to the pump house to get my ¾ horse Goulds shallow well jet pump hooked up. This 12 feet had a vertical rise of about 7 feet from the well head.

I tried to prime the pump three times by filling the pump and poly hose with water without success and then had to leave for the evening.

Here is my question, I understand that the pump cannot pull water from a depth greater than 25 feet. In my current configuration, the bottom of the well point is located about 26 to 27 feet below the pump. However, the water level in the pipe is only about 17 feet below the pump. Is the calculation for maximum lift from the bottom of the well screen or from the top of the water?

Someone told me that the horizontal run of pipe also must be calculated in determining the maximum suck distance, but this doesn’t make sense to me since it is atmospheric pressure at play which would only be the vertical elevation, and not the horizontal run.

Do I have to lower my pump, or is the location of my check valve or priming procedure the problem? Will it just take multiple attempts to prime in order to get all of the air out of the pipe and up to the check valve?

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide me.

i got very similar set up as you. 3/4" pump 25' of pipe, water a 15' level in current sand point and i have no problem. check valve is at well point. they say closer to the well better it is. try putting your check valve vertically on the well pipe than your brass elbow. horizontal runs should not matter and from what i hear you could have pipe go down 40' as long as the water level is no more than 25'. last year i had a hard time priming because it was drawing water and filling the hot water tank before i could draw water from taps. some pumps take only a pail of water but some reguire gallons especially if your check valve is located at the well head. how long is your pipe from the pump to the check valve. are you drawing any water at all. if your getting water from the well with a pitcher pump keep trying. its there.

It sounds like you are just having a priming problem! Try turning off the water between the pump and tank, then connect the pitcher pump to the priming plug on the pump. Pump until you get water. If you can pump water through the jet pump with the pitcher pump your jet pump will now be primed. If you can't, there could be a leak in the suction line or the lift could be to much.
Many pump installers use a pitcher pump to prime jet pumps. A little bit primitave but it works.