Shallow Well Jet Pump Check & Foot?

[HiQ]

So I’m replacing the jet pump that services our home with water from a shallow dug well. I pulled everything off the main line and left it open to air and the water level never went away.

So I assume that means I have a foot valve, right?

The previous owner also had a check valve immediately before the pump inlet. Is that recommended or needed?

Assuming there is a foot valve and it’s working then it’s probably a bad thing to have another check valve or what purpose does it serve? Just incase the foot valve fails (unknown age)?

Should I replace it or remove the check valve all together?

Thanks!

 

[Banjo Bud]

I have a similar setup. Only have a foot valve. Works perfectly.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

The foot valve is the only one you want. An extra check valve before the pump will cause you to lose prime.

 

[HiQ]

Thanks guys.

I’m not wrong in assuming there must be a foot valve or the water would have ran out of the hose and back into the well when I opened it a up, right?

 

[Banjo Bud]

Your are correct. There must be a foot valve.

 

[HiQ]

Perfect. I'll rip that old one out and move on with life.

 

[Banjo Bud]

What pump are you getting? I couldn’t be happier with my Gould’s J5SH. Got a PK1A kit and set it up for 55 psi and set my switch for on at 45 and off at 65. Nice setup. My first well.

 

[HiQ]

Very nice setup. I grabbed a J10S to replace the 25+ year old Jacuzzi that came with the place. Now I want to remove the 45 g pressure tank so I bought a CSV1A and I’m trying to piece together everything after the fact. Should have just grabbed a pside-kick

 

[Banjo Bud]

Yes a PK1A kit is best. Maybe they will give you a deal on the rest. Can’t hurt to ask them.

 

[HiQ]

They sell the part kit on the website as well. I basically have everything minus a 4 g tank by now. Just need to grab that and find some time to take down the house water source and fix it all up. Gonna get the J10S pumping tonight and figure the rest out later.

 

[Valveman]

Most of the parts in the Pside-kick kit are also available separately if needed.
https://cyclestopvalves.com/collections/kit-parts
https://cyclestopvalves.com/collections/pressure-tanks

You can also order the PK1A without the CSV1A valve, but you will need to call for that.

 

[HiQ]

Sounds good. Question for you... what’s the difference between a pressure tank and an expansion tank? As long as it has the 3/4” thread it should be fine?

 

[Valveman]

Yes as long as the inside diameter of the 3/4" fitting is full pipe size. Some "expansion tanks" have a tiny inlet/outlet, less than the size of a pencil. The small outlet keeps the tank from being able to deliver full flow when a large valve is open, but has no effect as an expansion tank. As long as they are rated for high enough temperature a pressure tank will work as a pressure tank or an expansion tank, where some expansion tanks will not work as a pressure tank.

 

[Cobra1365]

The foot valve is the only one you want. An extra check valve before the pump will cause you to lose prime.

How would you lose prime if the check valve at the pump is set to prevent the water from going back to the well (assuming there’s also a foot valve)? I have both and do not lose prime.
Disclaimer: I am just a humble home owner, not a plumber...just trying to understand.

Thx

 

[Valveman]

A check valve after the pump will let the water in the pump case drain back down and loose prime. A functioning foot valve is the only thing that prevents the water in the pump from draining back. You actually want the water in the pressure tank to drain back to the pump when the foot valve leaks, which will keep the pump primed. With a foot valve and a check valve after the pump it is just a matter of time until your foot valve leaks back enough to loose prime, which can melt down the pump. The foot valve is the only check you want in the system.

 

[Cobra1365]

Ahhh...mine is before the pump inlet (shallow well Gould waterjet).

 

[Valveman]

You can still loose prime between the two check valves. The upper check valve keeps the tank from being able to keep the pump primed when the foot valve leaks back. Very strange and not good to have a foot valve and a check prior to the pump.

 

[LLigetfa]

The previous owner also had a check valve immediately before the pump inlet. Is that recommended or needed?

Cary, I quoted the OP for you as you may have misread it as being after the pump.

A check valve is sometimes installed just before the pump as a backup to the foot valve or in cases where the foot valve starts to leak.

 

[LLigetfa]

You can still loose prime between the two check valves. The upper check valve keeps the tank from being able to keep the pump primed when the foot valve leaks back. Very strange and not good to have a foot valve and a check prior to the pump.

On a shallow well jet pump, if the foot valve leaks, the water cannot leave the pipe since gravity alone will not draw enough vacuum. If there is an air leak that would allow the water in the pipe to drop, that air leak should also affect the pump.

Decades ago, my father's shallow well foot valve failed and since the well head was buried under frozen ground, I installed a check valve before the pump. It ran fine like that for about 20 years.

 

[Valveman]

Common to have a check valve prior to the pump on a sand point well, as there is no place to install a foot valve. It is more common, but still not good, to have a check valve after the pump as well as a foot valve. But as you said a small suction leak could cause a loss of prime if there is a foot valve and a check valve prior to the pump. And that suction leak might not be bad enough to cause a problem if the foot valve is the only check. Plus, any leak would get fed from the pressure tank and not cause a loss of prime. Also would make it hard to prime between the foot valve and check valve. Like most times people use too many check valves, it will work as long as all the checks function perfectly. But if any of the checks leak back or close slowly the system will fail. There is a lot more margin for errors when the foot valve is the only check, or when only one check is used in the system. But sometimes you got to do what you got to do.