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Irrigation Pump
Author: SwimRunPlumb (MI) My friend has a house on a lake with a pump for irrigation sitting in his shed. It takes water in from the lake about 30-40 feet away. He says it always needs to be primed, and I watched him do it. Since I have Zero experience dealing with pumps, I couldn't help. What causes it to require a prime every time he uses it?

Re: Irrigation Pump

Author: Fixitangel (NC)

"What causes it to require a prime every time he uses it?"

1. No check valve at the intake screen submerged in the lake.
2. A small leak somewhere on the intake piping, so the pump loses the ability to maintain a standing water "head" in the impeller chamber when the pump is fired up.

This is assuming that he has a dedicated intake pipe for the pump that stays in place.

If he uncouples the intake hose and stores it in the shed when not in use, it will have to be primed every time.

Water pumps pump water, not air. The pump impeller chamber and intake pipe must have enough standing water in it at all times to self-prime.

Edited 3 times.

Re: Irrigation Pump
Author: SwimRunPlumb (MI) Thanks FixitAngel I did assume a leak would do it, but I saw no leak on any of the fittings and the rest is just black pipe buried all the way to the lake so I figured there had to be another cause. I never thought about a check valve.