SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

I"m having trouble keeping my sprinkler pump primed. This is a new 1 hp pump that was just installed. I have a lot of trouble getting the pump to prime but once primed it runs great. I noticed that my check valve is located just out the out flow side of the pump. Everything that I read says to have the check valve on the in flow side. I went ahead today and installed a check valve just as my well head comes out of the ground. I figured that this would give the pump about a 12ft run before the pump that should be full of water to prime. After priming the pump a few times today the pump ran great feeding all of my zones very well. I let the pump sit for about 8 hours and I tried to run the sprinklers again. The pump had lost its prime. To me it sounds like the system is leaking down while not running. But the pump does not turn back on to try and regain this loss of pressure while the system is not running. Any ideas? Its driving me crazy!!!!

I'm pulling the water from a well and not a body of water. I'm thinking that my foot valve is bad. Today I tried to pull the inner pvc pipe up and out of the well casing which is metal. The inner Pvc pipe will only move up about an inche or so until it stops. Feels as though it gets jambed in the outer casing some how. Any ideas. I'm affraid to pull to hard and break the pvc pipe. Then I would really be in trouble.

The well looks to be about25ft deep. I dropped a weight on a string down it today while I had it apart. My question is now that I have placed a check valve at the well head which is about 12ft from the pump should that be enough water between the check valve and the pump to pull water up the well. Also since there's a check valve at thetop of the well would'nt there be a suction created on the well side of the check valve in order to keep the well pipe primed.