Lake water pump issues

[dcg9381]

Rod,
You have a great pump. From the looks of it, I can tell that the setup is non-optimal. You've got restriction on the inlet side (for sure) - and your output is also restricted to the pressure tank with a large diameter "T" which looks to be your output. I think your pressure loss may be the pump losing ground to the volume of water that the sprinklers are capable of.

If you have a dry-prime, the pump actually cavitates and pulls fewer amps,so I doubt that this is what's causing your breaker to trip.

That pump is not inexpensive - you really need a pump protector. Are you sure your pressure tank is still working?

I'd highly recommend a pump protector (cycle sensor) and perhaps a stop cycle valve from these guys. They are what I use on my setup. Their cycle sensor will show you how many amps you're pulling:

Cycle Stop Valves, Inc

Constant pressure pump control kits, constant pressure pump control valves, and pump monitors

cyclestopvalves.com

 

[Rod N]

Thank you for the info dcg.
I'm going to re and re everything.
Can't believe it's been 5 years.
I'm going to put a tap by the pump and not send the water to the sprinklers until I figure this out and I need water at the lake front more than the lawn anyway.
Starting with the foot valve. It was plastic inside, missing the end and I'm sure the spring was week.
This should work or do I need a special one for a horizontal feed?

 

[dcg9381]

We use something similar for our lake pump. What you want is to keep that diameter all the way to the pump (if at all possible) - I see restriction on the existing pump. Try to keep the inlet as large as the pump allows.

 

[Rod N]

The fitting that attaches the line to the foot valve.
Should it be 90 degrees so it faces down?

 

[dcg9381]

We basically put ours inside a cinder block, horizontal (same slope as the lake) and tie it to the upper inside of the cinder block, making it stay off the lake bottom. 2.5-3' of water minimum.

 

[no704]

Assuming your pick up line is PVC. While running the pump=vacuum in the line. Go around all the fittings with a glue dobber. If there is an air leak it will **** the glue in. Good luck.

 

[Innovate1]

I had low flow last year when I put my pump in for the summer. Turns out some ants or something got in and put some eggs in the impeller. Seems like the water would have blasted them out but it didn't. I got some water out but not the normal amount. Had to take it apart to remove the stuff manually. I think you are on the right track to just get good flow out of the pump and ignore the sprinklers and tank. Once you get the pump with good flow then you can turn to the other things.

 

[Innovate1]

The fitting that attaches the line to the foot valve.
Should it be 90 degrees so it faces down?

Depends on the valve construction I think. Does the valve instructions say anything about needing to be vertical? My check valve isn't the same but it is horizontal and works fine. My guess is most foot valves don't care and the spring will work in any position.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Thank you for the info dcg.
I'm going to re and re everything.
Can't believe it's been 5 years.
I'm going to put a tap by the pump and not send the water to the sprinklers until I figure this out and I need water at the lake front more than the lawn anyway.
Starting with the foot valve. It was plastic inside, missing the end and I'm sure the spring was week.
This should work or do I need a special one for a horizontal feed?

if your lake is anything like our pond, that strainer will plug up post haste. ended up using a section of bigger PVC pipe with holes drilled in it, and some hardware cloth over that.

 

[My Old Tools]

I have two shallow jet pumps in series to pump from the lake to my sprinkler system. No tank on mine. The rise is 30-40 feet. It takes both pumps to have enough pressure at the top. I have rebuiit both pumps so I know the insides well. Mine have cast iron impellers, yours may be plastic and plastic wears down. You may need new bearings in the motor. They wear out. I put new bearings in both of mine. Finally, I had a cracked casting after a freeze. It would pump but slowly loose pressure and loose prime. Pump looks like a Flint and Walling. All parts are available.

 

[Rod N]

New foot valve. I’ve bypassed the tank. Water comes out in spirts, but steady spirts. Gauge does not move. I took the gauge off and checked it with compressed air. Appears to work fine.
What’s next? Tear down the pump?