How to Prime a Shallow Well Pump or Sand Point Well Pump
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2020
- This video describes in detail how to prime a shallow well, or sand point well pump. Common problems with priming are explained, and solutions are suggested.
Step by step priming procedure is demonstrated and explained so you will have a better understanding of what is happening, and will be able to problem solve. 
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This is good. You are right that most videos focus on priming a new pump. “The prime cycle” is the concept that helped me most. Nobody else talks about that
Who are you? OMG ! Your wife is one lucky gal- I have a " no clue, no do" kinda guy! Amazing video- wowza- learned more than 20 years of shallow well care and maint. have ever taught me! Thnkyou!
Very good video. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
This is by far the best video I’ve seen about priming those pumps! Very clear explanations and directly to the point and showed how to do it! Thank you, you save me big money!!
Nice comment. Thanks! Really glad to hear that it helped you out!
Very good instructions. You make it easy to understand I am new to this and must learn.
Glad it was helpful!
Very informative.
I can't believe I've been priming wells for years with foot valves thinking I've mastered priming wells.
Did one today that's a sand point with a check valve instead of a foot valve and couldn't get it.
Will be trying it again tomorrow with this information in mind.
Thanks
Great - good luck with that pump!
I was just at a point I needed to prime my new pump. I learned so much from this video that I would not
have had any success doing it my way. Thank you for sharing all that you have learned through
the years. I moved around some of my plumbing fixtures that just would not have worked. I didn't"t know
squat about a water pump as it turned out. THANK YOU MrGTMan for sharing and taking the time to
make this Video. Us DIY'ers have a lot to learn. I'm an electrical engineer trying to do plumbing. eeeek
Glad it helped!
Now I understand! Finally! I can’t thank you enough. Best description of what happens with this type of well system I’ve read, watched, anywhere. Thanks again, John
Great! Thanks for your comment. I really like to hear that the video was helpful!
Thanks for the information! A full tutorial of water flow and all the how's and why's. The other videos show the basics without full explanation.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thanks MrGTMan!
You helped me get my pump up and running. When you mentioned the vacuum on the suction line I knew I had it licked. Just needed to keep on priming!
Half way through my process I opened a tap on my suction side and noticed a pretty impressive vacuum. Didn't mean much to my old electrician ass at the moment until I saw the video.
I knew I was home free.
Thanks again. A lesson I will never forget!
Glad it was helpful!
My god this is helpful. And particularly because you are so thorough. I was being waylaid (and becoming deeply discouraged) by all these other videos that show the pump working perfectly after just one prime cycle - I’ll try your method instead. Thanks, man!
Great - glad to hear you found the information helpful!
thank you thank you thank YOU...
this video- your common sense teaching....your explanation on opening a source above..and bringing up the level each time, bleeding the air..I got it..but better..I understood it..
I am one happy camper...t y.
My tank pressure was 25lbs......I bumped it to 35lbs.-- & I went to a 40lb- 60 lbs pressure switch-- oh wait a difference.....& while I had everything down I installed a new check valve & new pressure gage...
yea, hot shower tonight..
thanks again
Thanks for the comment Bob! I'm really glad you found the video so helpful!
It's great having such water pressure.....thanks again....you Made a difference..!!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the way you speak is so understandable, almost soothing to a very aggravated issue. Thank you and God bless
Thank you for a really nice comment! Glad you found the video helpful!
Great video! I struggled through a bunch of other videos and their advice without success. Watched your video and my pump was primed and running in 15min! Thank you!
Great to hear the feedback - thanks!
Thank-you for this video..you saved me from a ton of grief and lost time. Honestly I can't say how informative this was. Thanks again
Thanks very much - what a nice comment!
Thank you very much for this detailed video on how to prime a pump like this. This is the best tutorial I have seen. I learned a lot.
Wow - thanks for the compliment! Glad you found it helpful!
Thank you! This has got to be the most informative video I've ever seen on priming a shallow well pump!!! It couldn't have made it easier for the most unintelligent person in the world 🌎 !!! " I would have to give you a 5 star rating for your information and I really don't think it is high enough". Thanks Again!!!! Michael McKay.
Glad it helped!
Thank you sir!! I was a bit impatient trying to get it primed. My check valve is midway about 8" from the well pipe and the pump with a cover that screws off. I will put a TEE at the top of the well pipe versus the ELBOW that is there now. I appreciate your time and effort in your video. HAVING KNOWLEDGE IS A POWERFUL THING!!!!
Glad you found the video helpful! Thanks for the comment!
Good mix of theory and practical demonstration.
Thanks - glad you found it helpful
Great video! I work with pumps on an industrial level all the time but even I found this great! I suggest putting a shutoff valve between the pump and pressure gauge. Works better than your thumb 😄
Hi thanks for watching! Glad you found the video interesting. Yes a small ball valve there would be a good improvement!
Thank you. I appreciate the detailed explanation in language I can understand. Now ready to give this a go.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. I got my pump working within minutes of watching your vlog! Thanks a million.
Thanks for letting me know - glad you found the video useful!
Thanks so much for this. I appreciated your calm step by step. I was very stressed doing this for the first time, you calmed me down and I felt prepared.
Glad it helped!
Nice job. I'm glad that I'm not the only one that has to listen to when the water finally starts to pull through the pump. Sometimes it helps to pour water while it is running, but be ready for water to burst out. 50 PSI is pretty high,, but mine is just for a camp so about 22.
I don't think pouring water in the port while running is really doing much for you.
After hours of priming and scratching my head, with no water, you've clearly explained what's happening in this whole process. I have hope again! Thanks for taking the time to go through this. Great video!!
Great - I wish you all the best with your pump project! Thanks for watching.
Thank you thank you thank you for this video. I could not figure out why I couldnt get my pump to prime, and you finally explained it to me. Got my well back up and running after some upgrades that ended up changing the location of the check valve (might have to put it back where it was) and the vertical relationship of the pump to the faucet outside, which ended up making it harder to prime.
Thanks - glad to hear it was helpful
Great video to understand pumping water. I run my garden hoses off of a Cistern at my home I found this to be very useful. Thank you for your time and help on the matter.
You are welcome!
Excellent presentation and explanation. Also well explained on maximum vacuum pull regarding inches of Mercury which is why physics dictate 25ft not a poorly made suction pump.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching!
Thank you. Very informative.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great teacher! Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Great video! Let me go try these instructions and I will let you know.
Please do!
Ended up the check valve was "frozen" and I took it off the main pipe and had to use a screwdriver to loosen it. All's good. Really good video. This should be mandatory viewing if a person a sand point well.
Awesome video, thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Thank you so very much for this video such a smart man 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You are very welcome
Great explanation.....very thorough.....(WELL)🤣done SIR 👍👍👍
Thanks for your comment - glad you found the video informative.
Great video mrGTman002 thanks for explaining so I’m depth.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great explanation, thank you
You are welcome!
Great info ! Thank you
You're welcome - glad you found the video informative!
Awesome info, Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this information! We were able to prime the pump! Your instruction is clear and precise! You explain the process in easy to understand terms! We are celebrating the day!
Lol - nice! So glad to hear that the video helped you out!
@@MrGTMan002 What would cause the vacuume intake side to explode or collapse?
@@volunteernebraska6025 I am envisioning the intake pipe attached to the pump is collapsing then popping back into shape. Is that correct? Too soft of a pipe might allow it to collapse under vacuum, lead to cavitation at the pump... Then repeat. What type of intake pipe are you using?
@@MrGTMan002 It is an Abbott brand - label states Rated to full vacuum - working pressure to 65 PSI at 70 deg F Temperature range 10 deg F to 140 deg F
@@MrGTMan002 It is an Abbott Rubber brand the label states Rated to full vacuum - working pressure to 65PSI at 70 deg F- Temperature range 10 deg F to 140 deg F
Some videos on RUclips say to shut off the valve supply to your house while you’re priming the pump and some say leave it open I can’t figure out which way I’m supposed to do this
I find it is better to leave any valves after the pump open. You want to have as little resistance or back pressure as possible when establishing prime.
@@MrGTMan002 it’s strange because the only way I’ve ever been able to prime my pump is with the main valve after the pump closed. I’ve tried countless times with it open and it will never build any pressure
@nicholasyoder you may not build pressure because the valve is open... But I find it is easier to establish prime with the valve open. Once you have prime and water is flowing through the pump close the valve and you will build presure.
I'll echo every comment so far, awesome! Thanks!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hey really like this video but we are having a difficult time still priming the pump. The discharge is run out of a simple garden hose. We double checked the water levels and we above the screening so that’s good. We also watched to see if the pipe fills up when filled with a garden hose. That was good. We just can’t get the water to draw up through the pump
When you fill the well pipe up.with the garden hose does the water run out fairly quickly? Eg when you turn off the hose does the level go down 2" per second or so?
What if there already is water in the top portion where you're covering with your thumb? Every video I come across says you have to fill it with water, but mine is already to the top when I open it, therefore i can't add any.
If you can't build pressure, make sure your check valve is not stuck closed
This can occur if you are pumping water up to a spot that is higher than your pump. You push water up, then it runs back down when the pump is off. Just crack the plug open a bit to let out any air, then put it back in and cycle the pump again. No need to add water if there is water in the pipes that runs back and fills up the pump cavity again on its own.
Great video! What is the purpose of the faucet on the well pipe below the check valve?
Good question - I made up a special garden hose that had two female ends. The idea was that I would use the nearby faucet to backflush water down the well every once in a while to push silt away from the screen. I think I tried it once and it didn't make any difference that I can recall. It would allow that to be done without taking apart any fittings or the end plug.
While priming do you have to have the valve open on the output side? Like I saw you had the hose open while you were priming.
Yes - it helps a fair bit to remove all resistance after the pump. If you don't open a valve, the pump has to overcome a pressure build up while you are trying to establish the prime.
Thank you MrGTMan 👍. Is that GT for a mustang? Hehe I remember in high school the mustang GT were the have to car. To bad I didn’t have the money at the time hehe.. by the way very informative video! Thank you for posting it.
If you put the check valve down in the well like 5 ft. and the tee up at the top, then you just fill the tee and use it as a bleeder. When it is full just screw in the plug in the tee and it will prime itso facto. ( fast )
Thanks for the tips!
Could you fill the intake pipe with water to speed up the priming process? My well is 3o feet and usually takes 10 15 min to prime.
Yes - if you can fill the intake pipe that will definitely make priming easier!
I did that too without much luck until I watched the video. It all made sense after that!
What size pipe should I use on a 3 foot inch and a quarter sandpoint
Inch and a quarter pipe is ideal.
Between the point and the check valve, should i fill with water?
Good video thx.
I'm not sure how you would do that... It just runs out the bottom/point in my experience.
Btw - thanks - glad you liked it
do you have to drain the system before removing the sand point cap?
Not sure exactly what cap you are referring to. But, generally the system will be under pressure, so to avoid water spraying everywhere, unplug the pump or shut it off, open a faucet somewhere and let the pressure drain down. Then you will only be dealing with gravity pressure.
why the check valve if it just complicates the priming ? wont it work just fine without it ?
You need a check valve or a foot valve in the system to prevent your pump from losing prime when it is not running. The pressure that you build up in the pressure tank will just backflow down the pipe and out the Sandpoint in reverse if you don't have a check valve.
Thank You for the VIDEO = I learned quite a bit
...
DANGER - OBSERVATION =
Right ARM "electricity"
LEFT ARM "grounded" Metal PUMP / Water Pipe
Any short circuit would travel across tour HEART
I beLIEve that a GLOBE VALVE (instead of your THUMB )
&
an ELECTRICAL Switch instead of an extension CORD & PLUG into an OUTLET
would be SAFER ?
...
Possibly a "T"-Fitting to permanently affix your PRESSURE GAUGE and leave an OPENING for your PRIMING ?
...
COOP
...
Hey Coop - yes those suggestions would make things safer and be an improvement. I will try to incorporate some of those ideas next time I'm working on the system. I always use a GFCI protected outlet to reduce risk since it can get pretty wet when a leak is sprung or the system needs to be drained!
What is best size pump to use i can't get water ive prime i have 10 feet of water inside the point. My pump is on 1/2 hp
Did you watch the video? I give most of my priming tips in the video. Did you put a garden hose in the top to see if you have good flow? That is the first step. What size of pump depends on how much water you need to move. Just start with the 1/2 hp pump you have. I've used 1/3 to 3/4 hp to run hoses and small sprinkler system. Currently using the 3/4 hp but I have also upgraded to Sand point to provide more flow.
@@MrGTMan002 o I watched the video more then once trying not to miss anything I have water flow down the sand point I have good prime my check value is coming right of the tee of Sand point. So I even went and took the top plug out of the tee and there was vacuum so I assume there are no leaks. But I can't seem to pull up water
@@goldbearbunny4787 Ok - so at your pump I would put a T in if there isn't one there already. You can try another method of getting water up, like using a cistern pump if you can find one of those to borrow. If you don't know anyone to borrow one of those from, maybe try using a shop vac to pull the water right up and into the pump from the well. If you can pull water up, using either a cistern pump or shop vac, but the pump still doesn't pump, then maybe there is problem with the pump. As a last resort, you might have to swap the pump - is the pump old, new, known to work?
@@MrGTMan002 perfect .I did run out early and buy a cistern pump earlier. Before I got this message. So I think this may do the trick . The pump is older not sure how bad of shape it was in the house when we bought it. It was running a 2 inch line 25 feet in the ground and was working ok but something happened down hole to plug pipe and lost foot valve . So we went with a new sand point .Thanks very much for all the help
What is the purpose of the air valve on the tank.
Terry, inside the tank there is a water compartment and an air compartment - the water section is often referred to as the bladder. The two sections are separate. The valve allows you to pump air up to a certain pressure into the air compartment. Think of it like a balloon inside the tank. When you put water into the tank, the air compresses and the pressure climbs as you pump in more and more water. When you first open a tap, the air pressure pushes the water out of the tank to provide instant water at the tap and once the pressure drops below the switch threshold, the pump will turn on. Water is more or less non-compressible, but air is. If there was no air compression in your tank system, the pump would cycle on and off much more frequently. This ends up causing switches and motors to fail much earlier. You use the air valve to adjust the pressure. Common guidance is to set the air pressure in your tank 2psi below the 'switch on' pressure on your pump's pressure switch. Thanks for the question and Good Luck!
MrGTMan002 excellent answer sir!
brotha be babblin !
watching the phisics
thinking through he puisics
its just natural law
just gotta watch it and think it through
think vaccume
sucking
the SUE KING TAXXES the SLAVE
ADO,.... how shall we force the king yo be Equal Inn everything
hmmmmmm
i thought this one through very thourough
vids cummin !
How would you determine what size (HP) pump you should purchase? In the place I moved into it has a 3/4 HP motor for just two spigots along the side tof the house for watering. Overkill?
Hi John T - thanks for your comment and question. There are many factors which would influence the size of the pump and attached motor. I have used 1/2, 3/4 and 1 hp pumps on my sandpoint, and yes the stronger pumps deliver more water, but honestly the condition of the screen on the sandpoint itself is what makes the most difference in water flow and pressure. If you have a 3/4 hp pump I would use it until it needs replacing. At that point you can decide if you want to try going up or down. Observe the pump under typical use - if the pressure switch causes it to shut off during normal use, then it might be good idea to go smaller because having the pump cycle on and off all the time will shorten the life of the motor a bit. If that is the condition (cycling on and off) you can adjust the pressure switch to run to higher pressure. If it is not cycling on and off during normal use, then I would stick with the same size of pump.
New to this kind of pump but to be clear running it ten or twenty seconds dry basically just with the fill prime won't ruin it?
In my experience that will not ruin your pump. It has to run for a long time to generate enough heat to melt plastic internal parts (impeller, shroud, etc). Not sure exactly how long but definitely more than a few minutes. Obviously I try not to run it dry.
My power went out. The pump is on but no water. No pressure
Sounds like you need to prime again then. Possibly a leaking check valve caused you to lose prime. Did you notice that your pump cycled on before the power outage, when there was no water being consumed?
Man you really ramble on! I feel that there shouldn’t be a check valve on the suction line as well as a foot valve, because if say for instance the foot valve is leaking then the water between the foot valve & the check valve there will be air, therefore the pump will run dry! If you must put a tee on the top of the vertical pipe, rather than putting a galvanised plug in there install a ball valve which you can open or close if necessary for priming!
In the pump housing there is often a plastic or noryl impeller that distorts very easily especially if there is insufficient water passing through the pump. In the front of the cast iron pump housing is a injector that also along with the impeller & with the lack of water will end up boiling which in turn distorts them both making them inoperable!
I have. Worked on hundreds & installed these style of pumps, ever since they were introduced onto the market!
I have been in the pumping trade for almost 40 years, so I think that I know so much about these styles of pumps! Most are made in Italy & the electric motors are made in China!
Thanks for watching, and thanks for the comment. Yes I know I go on and on about priming and pumps, but the purpose of the video is to explain in depth so that a viewer can understand what is going on better, then hopefully self diagnose any problems they might be having. There are lots of videos that just say fill the cavity with water to prime and turn on the pump. That isn't very helpful when it doesn't work on the first few tries for some reason! I agree with you about: pick one - a foot valve or a check valve - maybe I should have been clearer about that in the video. Also the comment about the ball valve instead of the plug - but only if there is a foot valve below it, otherwise the water would just flow out. Great to hear the thoughts and comments of someone who has so much experience working with these pumps!
Nice hat
I'm sucking air on mine, the sand is realy fine....but the sand point est brand new...I can't find my problem...
If you are into a few feet of water, and still sucking air, you might have a leaking connection
@@MrGTMan002 I have a 36" sand point with two section of 7 feet...all the coupling are submerge in water. I have water at 6'2" in the pipe...and I have the same check valve as you have but I wont keep the water in the pipe....
Check valve is installed in the correct direction - allowing flow up but stopping flow back down? All threaded connections are sealed with Teflon tape or pipe dope - preventing air being drawn in under vacuum/suction? Water drains out quickly when you fill the pipe with a hose - indicating water flow in/out of the Sandpoint? If all these things check out then look to the pump... If you can get or borrow a cistern pump, put that on your pipe and see if it draws water... Then start troubleshooting the pump. Can you explain more of what you mean by 'it is drawing in air'? How do you know it is drawing in air'? Can you hear an air leak?
Nope