# Sprinkler Pump Issues - Help!



## vic2003 (Mar 31, 2020)

I'm trying to get my sprinkler pump going this year but haven't been able to get any water. The pump is a 1.5hp Red Lion and its connected to a 25ft shallow well. I've tried the following troubleshooting:

-I've tightened each of the galvanized pipe pieces from the pump inlet to the well - no water.

-I removed the check valve and tried running the pump without a check valve - no water.

-I've shortened the plumbing (pipes, unions, no check valve) from the pump inlet to the well - no water.

-I wrapped the plumbing from the pump inlet to the well in plastic wrap - no water.

-I tried the pumping water from a 5 gallon bucket instead of the well. This worked as it pumped water our of the bucket.

Here is a Youtube video to demonstrate the issues I'm having: https://youtu.be/2pBsVBtOKOY

Any ideas? At this point I think i ruled out the check valve, union, air leaks, and plumbing as the issues. Despite pumping water out of the five gallon bucket, I'm thinking the pump may be losing power and may not be strong enough to pull water from the well. Any help is greatly appreciated!


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## Trailz516 (Aug 11, 2019)

I've always been able to "prime" the pump by filling it with water and leaving one of the plugs at the top loose to help purge the air out while the pump pulls water up from the well. Is it possible that the well has run dry?


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## Tadow781 (Oct 11, 2019)

Maybe the tolerances of the pump have been lost and it is failing to pull vacuum.

A self priming pump can, in a perfect world, only suction lift to atmospheric pressure. Meaning the eye of the impeller creates a low pressure zone (vacuum) and atmosphere pushes the water to that low pressure. And then the pump does it's thing from there. Don't vent the pump.

To troubleshoot at this point, put a pressure gauge on the discharge and vacuum on the suction. The gauges will tell you exactly what's going on. When the pump is running good and then shuts off, the suction gauge will read the water level of the well. Depending on the readings, we can determine if the failure is after the pump (discharge line), before the pump (suction line), or in between the gauges (the pump itself).

Check out the Gorman Rupp videos on troubleshooting self primers for tips.


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