Cottage Lake jet pump from hell

jm1414 · Apr 23, 2012

Hello all, hope you can help can cause next step is to dig a well!!

OK here we go:

1) Jet pump lost it's prime twice..

2) Lake is located about 80' foot down from the house...

3) To be safe changed the foot valve on the 2 line pipe.

4) Didn't work, "expert" said maybe the pump is bad

5) Changed the pump...

6) Pump won't prime...

7) Expert now think the line is broken and recommend excavation..

8) When I checked the pump after a week of non usage it showed 25 psi... does that invalidate the pipe leaking theory?

9) What I'm thinking is given the high vertical drop, maybe air is trapped in the line and preventing the pump from priming or maybe the ejector is dirty...

Question 1: Is there a good test to determine if the line is leaking?
Question 2: Is it true that sometimes it's easier to prime if I push water up by installing a faucet just after the foot valve?
Question 3 is there an easy way to check / clean an ejector?
Question 4: What do you recommend I do next?

Thanks so much in advance. Life without water is no fun.

LLigetfa · Apr 23, 2012

So long as there are no checkvalves in the line, a pressure test would give a fairly good indication that there are no leaks. There is always the off-chance that a fitting will hold under pressure but leak under vacuum.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Tom Sawyer · Apr 23, 2012

JM1010 said:
Hello all, hope you can help can cause next step is to dig a well!!

OK here we go:

1) Jet pump lost it's prime twice..

2) Lake is located about 80' foot down from the house...

3) To be safe changed the foot valve on the 2 line pipe.

4) Didn't work, "expert" said maybe the pump is bad

5) Changed the pump...

6) Pump won't prime...

7) Expert now think the line is broken and recommend excavation..

8) When I checked the pump after a week of non usage it showed 25 psi... does that invalidate the pipe leaking theory?

9) What I'm thinking is given the high vertical drop, maybe air is trapped in the line and preventing the pump from priming or maybe the ejector is dirty...

Question 1: Is there a good test to determine if the line is leaking?
Question 2: Is it true that sometimes it's easier to prime if I push water up by installing a faucet just after the foot valve?
Question 3 is there an easy way to check / clean an ejector?
Question 4: What do you recommend I do next?

Thanks so much in advance. Life without water is no fun.

If you have two lines running from the pump then your "jet" is at the end of those two lines. You should pull it apart and check for crap that gets stuck in the venturi. If that does not do it make sure all the fittings are tight.

jm1414 · Apr 29, 2012

Spent the day troubleshooting my jet pump and here's what I found

Ok I disassembled and cleaned everything on my new jet pump ( fooltvalve, the ejector, i ran water through both lines to ensure there was no mud etc.

I disconnected the two lines at the pump to see if water fed from a neighbor hose to my exterior faucet would flow back to the 2 lines.

Results: nothing!! I get water everywhere in the house but no water flowing back to the two lines at the pump connection. Is that normal?

When everything is connected back I get 50 psi when connected to my neighbors house. but where I close the external faucet and turn on the pump the pressure goes to zero.

Oh and by the way my tank show 28 psi empty so I guess it is fine.

JM1010 said:
Hello all, hope you can help can cause next step is to dig a well!!

OK here we go:

1) Jet pump lost it's prime twice..

2) Lake is located about 80' foot down from the house...

3) To be safe changed the foot valve on the 2 line pipe.

4) Didn't work, "expert" said maybe the pump is bad

5) Changed the pump...

6) Pump won't prime...

7) Expert now think the line is broken and recommend excavation..

8) When I checked the pump after a week of non usage it showed 25 psi... does that invalidate the pipe leaking theory?

9) What I'm thinking is given the high vertical drop, maybe air is trapped in the line and preventing the pump from priming or maybe the ejector is dirty...

Question 1: Is there a good test to determine if the line is leaking?
Question 2: Is it true that sometimes it's easier to prime if I push water up by installing a faucet just after the foot valve?
Question 3 is there an easy way to check / clean an ejector?
Question 4: What do you recommend I do next?

Thanks so much in advance. Life without water is no fun.

Cottage Lake jet pump from hell

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