priming Wayne shalow wel jet pump

[indika]

I just bought a cottage that has a shalow well jet pump. It sits on top of a tank. Last year when I bought, the water was working fine. This is probably a pretty old pump.

Their is also a hose about a foot long on the top it is not connected to anything. There is also a plug (screw) right next to it. My question is what is this un connected hose do? and where do I prime the pump from (put water in through the un connected hose or remove the plug)?

 

[indika]

anyone? please help

 

[Sponsor]

 

[HandyAndy]

There are directions on priming in the manual

Guessing this is the manual if not, click on second link and find pump or the closest one to it,
http://www.waynepumps.com/manuals/311402-001.pdf

http://www.waynepumps.com/products.asp?cgy=4

 

[indika]

the unconnected hose is the Volute... I guess this is where you fill the pump housing with water???

what is the difference in prime plug and this Vplute??

Thanks in advance.

 

[HandyAndy]

Just for your information I have never seen a Wayne jet pump but have seen some others,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volute
The actual word Volute definition is.

A volute is a spiral scroll-like

http://www.animatedsoftware.com/pumpglos/volute.htm

A volute is a curved funnel increasing in area to the discharge port. It is often used with impeller pumps. As the area of the cross-section increases, the volute reduces the speed of the liquid and increases the pressure of the liquid.

I will ask the question, are you sure this is the pump hooked up to the well? or the working well?

The reason I ask is you say it has a pipe hanging loose, and when looking through the manual I posted there is no term "volute"., and if you referenced another one you did not post which one it was,

but if a pipe is hanging unhooked My guess is the pump is not hooked up, and if you found a part diagram that labeled the part as the volute, I would conclude that is the out put pipe from the pumps main pumping chamber, as the main pumping chamber in the pump is called a volute.

Can you post a picture?
Is there electricity hooked up to the pump, does it try to run, where does the other pipe go, there should be two pipes off the pump, one form the well and one to the cottage, with a pressure tank on the pipe or cross or tee connection on the out let going to the pressure tank,

on a jet pump, a prime plug is a plug on top of the pump housing that one can remove to fill the housing with water to make the pump work, as it has to be full of water to start to pump,

 

[indika]

http://www.waynepumps.com/prodlist.asp?pcode=CWS75

This is a deep well pump, but thats the one most closely resemble my pump.

Their is one pipe comming from the lake, and their is a tank under the pump. I didnt look for the connection to the tank. but I will this weekend. The water was working when I got it. So I'm assuming the tank is hooked up. Yes it is hooked up to power.

Thanks fro trying to help. I'm the least handy guy, and my first cottage. I'm just a geek programmer

 

[HandyAndy]

the prime plug looks to be #11 on page 10 of the manual you posted,

the directions of how to prime in the manual are on page #6,

I have no idea what the hose is that goes no where,

If you get into a situation where you are losing the prime on the pump often, then you are probably going to need to replace the foot valve, it is a one way valve on the end of the pipe in the well or from where ever it is pumping from,, (if lost jsut once in a wile it could be some dirt, but if it is often then replacement is probably needed,

here is a animation on a how a jet pump works,
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/pumpglos/jet_pump.htm
the jet pump uses a injector jet. which is a jet, (the name of the pump type), and a venturi in a chamber, to created a vacuum and suck up water, and then pressurize the water by the turning impeller.

on the end of a shallow well version of the jet pump, less then 25 feet, the injector is on the end of the motor/pump, but on a deep well version normally not over 75',the injector is put down in the well (as shown in the animation) and uses two pipes in the well, one to put water down the well to work the jet and venturi to suck up more water, so it is using the water it pumps to pump more water,
If the pipe gets air in it, it can not pump more water as the water it self is the medium to create the suction in a shallow well version and to create a suction and pressure on the deep well form,

 

[indika]

Actually the unconnected hose is the hose that goes into the tank. Can I prime the pump from that hose instead of the prime plug?

The prime plug is stuck!

Thanks

 

[Sammyhydro11]

How is that unconnected hose plumbed into the pump? Does it come off of a tee?

SAM

 

[indika]

No T. short hose directly from the pump to the tank

thanks

 

[Sammyhydro11]

By the looks of the pump in the picture you posted it looks like they have a tee type fitting that could also be a regulator molded into the pump, where the plug is on top and that pipe you were talking about is probably coming off the horizontal discharge. I would plumb a tee with a nipple off that discharge and then do the plumbing off the tee into the tank. That way you can have a bushing and a gauge at the tee and it will also serve as a spot to prime the pump.

SAM

 

[PEW]

indika,

Can we assume you are in a cold climate, and the system was winterized for you?

 

[indika]

Yes its cold up here in canada! Yes it was winterized.
No T no guages inlet hose from lake outlet hose to tank.

Can I prime the pump using theoutlet hose instead of the priming plug?

Thanks

 

[indika]

By the looks of the pump in the picture you posted it looks like they have a tee type fitting that could also be a regulator molded into the pump, where the plug is on top and that pipe you were talking about is probably coming off the horizontal discharge. I would plumb a tee with a nipple off that discharge and then do the plumbing off the tee into the tank. That way you can have a bushing and a gauge at the tee and it will also serve as a spot to prime the pump.

SAM

Ah ha, so you can prime the pump from the outlet hose right?

 

[Sammyhydro11]

Yes, but you should get the whole system plumbed before you start priming the pump.

SAM

 

[Speedbump]

This is a deep well pump

Did you buy the shallow well jet to go with this pump? If not, this pump is going to be a bugger to prime anyway. And it won't make near the pressure it should. It is also harmful to let one run open discharge. It will overheat the motor.

bob...

 

[indika]

Yes, but you should get the whole system plumbed before you start priming the pump.

SAM

What do you mean by plumbed?
The whole system was working last year, when I bought the house. I have no idea how that hose came off (previous owner must have take it off the tank when he winterized it)

Thanks for the reply. So if I fill the hose from the lake with water and then hoock up to the pump. Then fill the pump with water from the open hose and then hook it up to the tank should prime it right? urgent reply please as I'm driving up in 2 ays.

Its actually a shalow well pump.
Thanks all.

 

[Sammyhydro11]

You said the pipe was disconnected from the tank, so plumb it back into the tank with that fittings that i mentioned. If you cant do this yourself,start calling around to local well guys in the area and have somone meet you there to do it.As long as the only problem that you have is priming that pump, It shouldnt take someone with good experience anymore than an hour to get your squared away.

SAM

 

[Mike Swearingen]

If it's a typical shallow well pump, the disconnected rubber hose is most likely from the discharge side of the pump and goes on a connection of the pressure tank.
It may be hooked up with a ss screw clamp to tighten it onto the tank fitting.
Once you get it hooked back up, here's the basic way to prime shallow well pumps:
You need a gallon jug of drinking water, a pipe wrench (or channel locks or an adjustable wrench), and teflon tape.
A. With the power to the pump unplugged or turned OFF, unscrew the largest plug on the pump head (3/4"). Wrap 2-3 flat turns of teflon tape on the plug threads clockwise only as the threaded end faces you.
B. Fill the pump head, begin hand-tightening the plug back in and plug the pump in. It will sputter and spew until you get it hand tightened. That's normal. You can hear it when the pump picks up prime and you should have a pressure gauge to see the pressure build up.
C. The pump should build up pressure until it cuts off. If it doesn't, then it hasn't primed, so repeat the steps (including new teflon tape each time) until it does.
Good Luck!
Mike