Pump Losing Prime

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We have access to my MIL's 2br lakeside cottage in Central FL, which just suffered a 100 year drought throughout 2000 & 2001. Many lakes went dry and our lake went down at least 10 feet, but has since recovered. The house is on well and septic and has a Cullagan watersoftening system. For the last year we would occasionally get out there 11pm Friday night and find the pump had lost its prime, but we also had a leaky tub faucet and the hoses were being left out. Things improved briefly when we started locking up the hoses when we left, but then we had several experiences with repriming on hot mosquito-ey nights. Next we had to get a plumber to redo the 1950's bathroom leakey faucets since we weren't able to get them opened for fixing. I thought, if THAT was the cause of the pump loosing its prime, it would now be fixed. It wass still unoperable when we came back after a week back in the city at our jobs, so we replaced the pressure gauge. The next weekend, flipping on the circuit breakers on arrival we found we DID have water, but we haven't since. DH insists that if the water level had dropped the faucets would be spitting sand. I doubt that, with Cullagan water filters hooked up to the system. I should mention that the population in this county doubled between 1993 and 1994 and has probably doubled every two years since. It is no longer a rural town, and the number of year round residents is escalating. I am leaning towards probably having to drill a deeper well myself, but is there anything we may have overlooked??

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), April 28, 2002

Answers

Your pump is loosing its prime could be several reasons: (1) foot valve not holding (2) leak in the suction line(s)

When it is primed and running, is there any water leaking on the suction side?? Ie. I assume you can see down into the well. If it is that's your leak problem.

Any leaks on the discharge side of pump shouldn't affect the ability of the pump holding its prime.

Good luck.

-- milam (milam@nospam.com), April 28, 2002.


It could be simply an old, crusty foot valve. Happened to us last year.

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), April 29, 2002.

It's not legal to get drinking water from a shallow well around here for decades, but I assume that is what you have? You really didn't tell us what kind of pump, well, & setup you've got.

You seem worried about the well going dry.

The pump losing prime can be caused by several different parts leaking, or just a wore out pump - as suggested by others.

When you get the pump primed, does it then deliver a good supply of water? If so, then you do not have a lack of water in the well, but an issue with a bad part that needs replacing.

The pump would not 'suck sand' if the intake is built properly. If the well runs too low on water, the intake should be hanging free in the air, not up against some sand?

Determine if you are losing prime from a leak, or if you are running out of water in the well.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), April 29, 2002.


Thank you for your answers. I had worried about the water table dropping, yes. I have no idea what kind of pump it is-my FIL drilled it back in the 50's and , if it is anything like his electrical wiring, "delightfully creative". My dh also mentioned a "sphere" in the well, that is supposed to seal off the pipe if the water level drops and [possible it lost a chunk of itself and so didn't seal. I was told today he would have someone out to look at it this weekend.

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), May 01, 2002.

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