I have a Shur-Dri SD-520C-T7 tank mounted jet system to run the water from my tank to the house. The tank is a 1500 gallon tank and everything was working great. The other night it got down to 16 degrees and some of the pipes from the pump to the house froze up. When I went out to see why I was not getting water, the pump was running and built up pressure to about 80 psi and it normally runs at about 30 psi. I had to release some of the pressure with the release valve on the back of the bladder. Then I unplugged the motor so that it would not run up again. I turned on the heat in the building and put some heat tape on the exposed pipes, and tried to turn on the pump the next day. I left it runnig for about 15 minutes and when I came back the pipe that comes from the tank to the pump was exploded off. It had stripped the fitting that connects to the pump for water intake. I replaced all of the broken pipes and turned it on again but now the pump will not pull the water from the tank to the pump. I opened up the screw and poured water in to prime the pump but it is not sucking. It just runs and runs but it will not suck the water. This is my first experience with this, what should I do?
Frozen Pipes now pump wont prime
- Thread starter sleepn84
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Mike Swearingen
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"How to prime a surface pump":
A. Get a one gallon jug of drinking water, an adjustable wrench and a roll of teflon tape.
B. Re-connect everything tightly, and make sure that there is a good in-line check valve on the suction (well) side near the pump to hold prime once you have it. (With the pump off and the water pressure drained completely down, check the air in the pressure tank with a tire gauge. The pressure should be two psi below the cut-on pressure of your pump. Bleed off any excess or pump it up with a bicycle pump or portable compressor or air tank as necessary.)
C. Unplug the pump and remove the largest (3/4") plug on the head of the pump. Wrap 2-3 flat wraps of teflon tape around the threads of the plug clockwise only as the threaded end faces you.
D. Fill the pump head with water, plug in the pump, and quickly hand-tighten the plug. Water and air will bubble out around the plug as you hand-tighten it, but that's normal. Once you get the plug as tight as you can with your hand, listen for the pump to pick up prime (the motor pitch will change). Once it seems to be picking up prime, tighten the plug with a wrench and let the pump run until it cuts off. It's primed.
E. If it doesn't pick up prime and cut off, repeat all of the steps again, including replacing the teflon tape, until it does.
Good luck!
Mike
A. Get a one gallon jug of drinking water, an adjustable wrench and a roll of teflon tape.
B. Re-connect everything tightly, and make sure that there is a good in-line check valve on the suction (well) side near the pump to hold prime once you have it. (With the pump off and the water pressure drained completely down, check the air in the pressure tank with a tire gauge. The pressure should be two psi below the cut-on pressure of your pump. Bleed off any excess or pump it up with a bicycle pump or portable compressor or air tank as necessary.)
C. Unplug the pump and remove the largest (3/4") plug on the head of the pump. Wrap 2-3 flat wraps of teflon tape around the threads of the plug clockwise only as the threaded end faces you.
D. Fill the pump head with water, plug in the pump, and quickly hand-tighten the plug. Water and air will bubble out around the plug as you hand-tighten it, but that's normal. Once you get the plug as tight as you can with your hand, listen for the pump to pick up prime (the motor pitch will change). Once it seems to be picking up prime, tighten the plug with a wrench and let the pump run until it cuts off. It's primed.
E. If it doesn't pick up prime and cut off, repeat all of the steps again, including replacing the teflon tape, until it does.
Good luck!
Mike
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Speedbump
Active Member
You more than likely nuked the impeller. If you fill the pump with water and leave the prime plug out the impeller should shoot some water out when the motor is turned on. If it doesn't, the impeller is probably gone.
bob...
bob...
