deep well jet pump kit installation

i bought a 1 hp deep well jet pump kit from agra south (ASC) google seach asc pump kit
i have installed kit and when trying to prime pump, i tap into the pump with a tee and plumbed in my county water straight into the sealed pump after i couldn't get it to prime. well the impeller kicks on and builds about 68 pounds according to the pressure gauge on the pump. the small tank which sits on top of the pump never fills up therefore it continues to lose prime. the kit came with a brass three way fitting which the tank's male threaded nipple screws into. the fitting then has a male nipple which screws into the pump. the third part of the fitting is female which i got a pvc adapter for 3/4 pipe to the spigot. there is an 8 ft piece of 3/4 pipe between the pump and the spigot. since the pump would not prime, i put a tee with a water hose adapter between the pump and spigot and attached my county water. the pump primes with the donor water, but the tank never fills which causes it to lose prime. any suggestions would be appreciated. this is my first (and last hopefully) pump installation. thanks in advance, jim in south carolina.

The tank on top has nothing to do with the prime. Water is probably running back out the suction pipe. Did you install a check valve to keep this from happening?

deep well jet pump kit installation

valveman said:

The tank on top has nothing to do with the prime. Water is probably running back out the suction pipe. Did you install a check valve to keep this from happening?

Click to expand...

no, the 2 well piping go straight in the pump with nothing but clear tubing and a barbed fitting for both pipes. i could see it running back into the well thru the tubing . that's if i understand your answer correctly. as i said, the pump runs fine as long as i feed it a little water from my donor county supply. but as i ease the donor water down to just a trickle, the pump impeller quits and the preasure on the system goes to 0 in a split second. thanks for the feedback, but there is not enough room to put a valve unless i move the pump. (big problem job).

Gotta have a check valve somewhere in that suction line.

No idea why my reply to my thread ended up in this thread strange.

well, i have had 2 people out here since my post and after just looking at what i had and putting another cut off, or regulator valve on the line i was told that the well needed to be replaced. i just don't understand how putting another well 100 feet or so away will help anything. when i measure the well, i hit water at 22 ft, and the bottom of the well is about 45 ft with the injector(jet) hangs at 35 ft. i don't have any knowledge in this trade, but it just seems to me that drilling another well would be a risk of not hitting water, and if you do, what would i have other that what i have now. is there no other way of using the well that i have now. is there a way to fix a well. i personally think that the 2 that came are trying to take advantage of my inexperience and hit me with a 1500- 2000 dollar bill. any thoughts will be appreciated. maybe a submursible pump? thanks for the help. jim