Last year I installed a sandpoint shallow well (galvanized pipe) that is 30 feet to the bottom and and the water level is 21 feet down (for my sprinkler system)
It uses a 2 HP red lion pump with a 2 inch brass check value.
The gpm last year and this year are the same: ~20 gallons per minute.
Last year it would take about a minute are so for the system to build pressure and send water the sprinkler heads.
This year it has been progressively getting worse. Took about 2 mins in spring and then 3 mins a few weeks ago.
This morning I started it up and noticed after a couple of mins it was sending water to the sprinkler heads but there wasn't enough flow to push them all up. After 10 mins there was no change. I noticed the pump not to be at full prime. I could feel the cold water passing through the check valve but there wasn't enough flow to full open the valve and get the pump to catch full prime. I open the water tap a couple of feet from the pump and closed the main valve that runs to my sprinkler system. I could see the pump was producing water then after a minute it caught full prime. I measure the flow and it was 20 gpm, the same as last year.
What puzzles me is why the pump couldn't catch full prime when sending water to the sprinkler system, but could when a cut the main and sent it through the tap a couple of feet from the pump?
When winterizing the system last year, I removed the check valve and reinstalled it this year. Could it be a air leak before the check valve that was cause by me during reinstallation this year? When the pump is running to the sprinklers I don't notice the sound of air in the pump or any cavitation.
The first zone the pump sends water to runs uphill probably an elevation of about 15 feet and a total distance of 60 feet. Could the pump be having problems over coming the friction loss causing it not to have the beef to pull that 2 inch check valve fully open to draw the full volume of water?
The pump is only a year old.
I was thinking about switching the first zone to a zone that is at the same elevation of the pump.
If I shut off the pump and restart it an hour are so later there are no issues. If I were loosing water down the pipe given the distance wouldn't lose prime after an hour?
It uses a 2 HP red lion pump with a 2 inch brass check value.
The gpm last year and this year are the same: ~20 gallons per minute.
Last year it would take about a minute are so for the system to build pressure and send water the sprinkler heads.
This year it has been progressively getting worse. Took about 2 mins in spring and then 3 mins a few weeks ago.
This morning I started it up and noticed after a couple of mins it was sending water to the sprinkler heads but there wasn't enough flow to push them all up. After 10 mins there was no change. I noticed the pump not to be at full prime. I could feel the cold water passing through the check valve but there wasn't enough flow to full open the valve and get the pump to catch full prime. I open the water tap a couple of feet from the pump and closed the main valve that runs to my sprinkler system. I could see the pump was producing water then after a minute it caught full prime. I measure the flow and it was 20 gpm, the same as last year.
What puzzles me is why the pump couldn't catch full prime when sending water to the sprinkler system, but could when a cut the main and sent it through the tap a couple of feet from the pump?
When winterizing the system last year, I removed the check valve and reinstalled it this year. Could it be a air leak before the check valve that was cause by me during reinstallation this year? When the pump is running to the sprinklers I don't notice the sound of air in the pump or any cavitation.
The first zone the pump sends water to runs uphill probably an elevation of about 15 feet and a total distance of 60 feet. Could the pump be having problems over coming the friction loss causing it not to have the beef to pull that 2 inch check valve fully open to draw the full volume of water?
The pump is only a year old.
I was thinking about switching the first zone to a zone that is at the same elevation of the pump.
If I shut off the pump and restart it an hour are so later there are no issues. If I were loosing water down the pipe given the distance wouldn't lose prime after an hour?
