Shallow lawn well - no pressure

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Jelora827

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I'll preface this by saying I know very little about this system. I've never had a well before it came with the house we bought in '06. My knowledge is pretty much limited to whether or not it works when I flip the switch. Sorry if this info isn't necessary, I really don't know what to include here.

Set up and primed the well pump this year and there isn't even enough pressure to turn one sprinkler on a 25' hose .

I have helpful diagrams written on the garage wall dating back to '94 so I assume that is when the well and pump were installed by the previous owner (unless they put up new drywall in the garage in the meantime.) According to the diagrams, the well is 16.5 feet deep with water levels ranging from 8-14 feet over the years. The PVC pipe comes out of the well, makes a right angle 5 ft into the garage and enters the back (box) of a Sears Quality Water Pump (model # on box is 390 2690 1.5 HP). The top of the box is a metal "t" with a bolt you unscrew to prime in the spring and the long foot of the "t" branches off into 2 PVC pipes to the front and backyard faucets.

There is no water tank and no indication of a pressure gauge. Pretty simple setup. When we bought the house in August '06 everything was running great. Spool out four hoses to 4 sprinklers, flip the wall switch, water 20 mins and you were finished. Winterized (according to helpful diagrams) and everything was fine for the entire '07 season too.

I've done all the obvious troubleshooting. Sprinklers work fine on Main (city) water. Took well back to winterize state and reassembled. There are no leaks in the pipes. The pump turns on, the water level is high this year and an open faucet runs light brown - no debris - for 20 seconds before turning cold and clear just low volume.

Don't know where to start looking for the problem. Help is appreciated!
 

Wet_Boots

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You might need to unclog the well point on a regular basis. With a trustworthy check valve in the suppply, force city water into the point, then stop. Then pump a while. Repeat the process.
 
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