I have a shallow well pump on a seasonal property. The water is coming up from the well and has plenty of pressure but it keeps loosing prime. I think it may be getting air at the well head? This picture is a few years old but how would I change this rusted out elbow? Thanks.
Replacing Well Head
- Thread starter llife
- Start date
GReynolds929
Well-Known Member
Is your well head underground?
Sponsor
Paid Advertisement
Yes. If thats what the picture is. I don't know much about wells. Only know that the water comes up to that point that is underground about a foot. The pump is about 20 feet from there on the other side of the house.
New one way valve on the pump, lots of pressure, but I am still loosing prime. Well runs good for 5 min or so but then it looses prime. Thinking maybe there is an issues at that well head in the pic above. A few years back when we had a very cold winter we had a similar issue. I was told something had cracked at that elbow underground Which I think is the pump head? Thanks.
New one way valve on the pump, lots of pressure, but I am still loosing prime. Well runs good for 5 min or so but then it looses prime. Thinking maybe there is an issues at that well head in the pic above. A few years back when we had a very cold winter we had a similar issue. I was told something had cracked at that elbow underground Which I think is the pump head? Thanks.
That sounds like running out of water.
Losing prime would show up after long periods of not pumping. What you have is going to be sucking air I think.
You might consider seeing what it would cost to get a 4 or 5 inch well drilled. The drilling would be not deep. If a shallow suction well worked mostly, drilling 40 ft would give you a lot more water accessibility. Ask for a budgetary price locally. Still going to cost a bunch of money, but no running dry. You use a submersible pump which is silent. Never any priming.
You would have a pitless adapter put in to keep the water below the freeze depth.
You probably would have casing and screen all of the way.
There are people who drill their own wells, but I think that is only suitable for people with a lot of time and not enough money.
Last edited:
RetiredInGueydan
Active Member
A leak at the well head would prevent the pump from priming and not cause a loss of prime.
Thanks so much. I will look into that. Hoping we can get away with another year or two before having to drill a new well. The well is very old, probably from the 50 or 60s.
Thanks for the reply. It does prime and will run water for 5-10 min without a problem & good pressure. Does that sound like a leak in the hose or pump connections? I'll be working on it this weekend. I have tried bubbles on the pump connections and they didn't show a leak.
No. It sounds like the water level gets depressed. I would call that running out of water. Use less water or use water more slowly.
Similar threads
