Deep Well Ejector Fails

[TonyBertram]

I have a deep well that is 80' deep with the inter 1" pipe 65 ft deep in the 2" casing. PVC, in the last 6 years I have had to replace the ejector and foot valve 3 times due to losing prime from the ejector going bad. Each time I have replaced it with Pentair ejector and a new foot valve. This seems to be a really bad product from pentair. Looking for suggestions on the best ejector that will last more than 2 years. I have used new 1" pvc pipe each time I have pulled the pipe out. Used pipe tape on all threaded joints and a new seal and gasket for the well pump. Help.

 

[Valveman]

Not much in an ejector to go bad except the leathers. What is the failure? Sometimes leathers last longer when installed in a new section of casing, either up or down a few inches.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[TonyBertram]

Not much in an ejector to go bad except the leathers. What is the failure? Sometimes leathers last longer when installed in a new section of casing, either up or down a few inches.

Yes there are only 3 things on an ejector that can be replaced, upper and lower leather and the check inside the ejector. Each time I have replaced the ejector it is always with new 1" pipe and always go at least 1 ft above the original length of 65 ft. So now the inter pipe is 62 ft down but if I keep doing this eventually it will be to a point where the water won't be high enough to keep the flow going. Looking for a different brand ejector that others have used and lasted longer than 2 years. Dalton maybe, not sure if any are as good as they use to be. None are made in the US no more. Most from China.

 

[Reach4]

A foot valve is a check valve combined with a screen. Do you have another check valve?

Is your 1 inch PVC schedule 80? Or are you using glued schedule 40? I was wondering why you would be buying new pipe each time.

 

[Valveman]

If the leathers are the problem the leathers could be bad or the casing could be pitted. If the foot valve is failing, adding a CSV can help. The CSV reduces the pump flow to 1 GPM before the pressure switch shuts off the pump. Closing from the width of a piece of paper at 1 GPM is much easier on the footvalve than slamming from full open as it normally does with just a pressure switch as control.

 

[Reach4]

So my thinking is that if you had a slow leak at the leathers, why doesn't the pump turning on periodically prevent losing prime? Maybe there is something about these deep well jet pump systems that I don't understand.

 

[TonyBertram]

A foot valve is a check valve combined with a screen. Do you have another check valve?

Is your 1 inch PVC schedule 80? Or are you using glued schedule 40? I was wondering why you would be buying new pipe each time.

The foot valve is below the ejector and the 1" is schedule 40. Schedule 40 is the standard and what the company that originally drilled the well used. The original ejector lasted 15 years before needing to be replaced. I use new pipe each time so I don't have as many glue joints. Use 20 ft sticks. When pulling the pipe out it has to be cut every 10 ft of rick the pipe breaking and losing the ejector into the well.

 

[TonyBertram]

So my thinking is that if you had a slow leak at the leathers, why doesn't the pump turning on periodically prevent losing prime? Maybe there is something about these deep well jet pump systems that I don't understand.

Correct, the pump does cut on but cycling every 10 mins will wear the pump out a whole lot faster. Not to mention the electric bill goes way up.

 

[Reach4]

Correct, the pump does cut on but cycling every 10 mins will wear the pump out a whole lot faster. Not to mention the electric bill goes way up.

True, but my point was to wonder how you lost prime, unless the power was off.

 

[TonyBertram]

The power was off while I was replacing a coupling that was leaking on the pool fill to filter line.