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Foot Valves on Well

Piping: Explanation &
Repairs
Water well foot valve troubleshooting
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Piping Valve

Piping Valve
Relief Valve

Relief Valve

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FOOT VALVES, WELL PIPING - CONTENTS: Definition of

a foot valve; how does a well piping foot valve work, and why
do we need a foot valve on well pipes?Foot valve failures and
loss of well pump prime - diagnosis & repair. Foot valve
failures and loss of water pressure or water flow - diagnosis.
Check valves on well piping: what's the difference between a
foot valve and a check valve? Where do we find the foot valve (if any) and why are foot valves used on pump and well
systems? Is it a good idea to use more than both a check valve on a pump and a foot valve on the well piping? Causes of
well & pump foot valve failure; How to diagnose a bad or leaky well piping foot valve - a cause of lost well pump prime
POST a QUESTION or READ FAQs about locating, using, diagnosing, repairing, or replacing well pump check valves and
foot valves.
References

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Well Foot Valves: this article describes the foot valve used on well piping for water well Pumps & Water
Wells: we explain what a foot valve is, how they work, why they are used, and how to diagnose troubles with
this special in-well check valve found at the bottom of well piping in some wells. We provide advice about
loss of well pump prime due to bad foot valves and what to do when things go wrong with the check valve.

Green links show where you are. Copyright 2014 InspectApedia.com, All Rights Reserved.

What is a Foot Valve and Why do we need one on well piping?

An Explanation of Well Piping Foot Valves
Carson Dunlop's sketch (left) shows the main parts of a
one-line jet pump well installation. Nearly all well pumping
systems, one line jet pump, two line jet pump, or
submersible well pump, require a foot valve installed at the
bottom of the well piping.
A Well Piping Foot Valve is a one way or anti-siphon
valve which is installed on the pick-up end of the water
pipe near the bottom of the well.
The foot valve prevents water from flowing backwards out
of the jet pump and well piping back into the well when the
jet pump stops operating. You can see Carson Dunlop's
sketch of a foot valve here.
Foot valves are also used on deep well installations to help protect against loss of prime in the well piping
system.

Since you won't normally see the foot valve on well piping (it's down in the well) we have included a
photograph of a well piping foot valve at the top of This article .
Watch out: without a working foot valve, a shallow well jet pump is likely to lose prime and will stop working
properly, risking loss of water supply to the building and even damage to the pump itself.
Our photo (left) shows the outlet end of a well piping foot
valve.
As you may guess, a foot valve is basically a check valve combined with an inlet strainer (visible in our page
top photograph). The strainer prevents picking up large debris that could clog or jam the foot valve in its open
position (or that might damage the water pump itself).
The check valve is a one-way valve that lets water flow up from the well and into the well piping. The spring
loaded check valve closes when the well pump stops pumping.
Closing the check valve prevents water in the well piping from falling backwards into the well when the pump
has stopped running. We need this function to keep the well piping and water pump filled with water otherwise the well pump may lose prime, leading to loss of water in the building.
If the well piping foot valve is leaky and water runs
back into the well we increase the wear on the water pump
as it has to run more often, and pretty soon the water pump
will lose its prime (water inside the pump mechanism) and
it may be unable to retrieve any more water from the well
whatsoever.
When a shallow well appears to have "run dry" one of the
first things to check is whether or not the foot valve needs
to be replaced.
Foot Valve Clearance from Bottom shows that the well
piping and foot valve are inserted into the well some
distance from the very bottom of the well (inches to a few feet). We need this clearance to reduce the
tendency of the well pump to pick up mud and debris from the bottom of the well.

Reader Question: do jet pumps come with a built in check valve or do I need a
foot valve or both?
I have model pkg 1-54AP 2" single pipe jet kit for a sta-rite sld-l 3/4hp jet pump. Does the jet package come
with a built-in check valve and if it does, do I need a foot valve? Thanks! - David
Reply:
David take a look at the page top photo - if your kit didn't include something that looks like that, you don't yet
have a foot valve.
The foot valve is placed at the bottom of the intake water line in the well; since your jet pump is above ground,
it's a physically separate component.
Yes some jet pumps include a built-in check valve.
It's true that some jet pumps include a check valve in the nose of the pump; and it's also true that some
experts recommend only using a single check valve. If your well is quite shallow, say less than 27 ft. you might
get away without a foot valve. But if I were installing new equipment including piping into the well, I'd put in a
foot valve - as the most reliable component, and because it's easy to do now and more trouble to add later.
Also see our discussion of the WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE that protects well pumps from damage in a lowflow poor recovery rate well.

Other things to check when losing well prime

If you are having trouble losing well prime and suspect a bad foot valve or check valve, also see
CHECK VALVES, WATER SUPPLY about above-ground check valves in the water system
PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS of
WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
Other causes of loss of well pump prime are at WATER PUMP PROBLEM DIAGNOSTIC TABLE. Also take a look at
WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

Foot Valve Troubleshooting

Pump runs but is not pulling any water

(Apr 9, 2014) ashok said:
I have 2 water lines connected to an above ground water pump which is attached to a tank. last winter i could
not get water and i checked the pump and found it had a crack at the impeller housing. I got a used pump and
attached the lines to it. The pump works fine but is not pulling any water.
Also there is no place to pour water to prime the pump so i installed a T with a shut off nut. I did pour plenty of
water in this T at times i get some pressure , maybe for a second and then nothing. I am wondering if i may
have switched the pipes supply to discharge or vice versa. please advice
Reply:
Ashok, you might have switched lines, or the same freezing that cracked the pump may have cracked a well
line leading to leaks or loss of prime. Check out our alternative methods for how to prime the well pump by
starting at
WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
Pump used to

Possible well piping leaks vs foot valve malfunction

(Apr 3, 2014) keith watkins said:
I installed a new deep well pump,which came with a new pressure switch,a new pressure tank & a new foot
valve.The switch is a 20/40 and I dropped 2psi on the tank which made it at 18psi,and this was 18psi
BEFORE I installed the tank.My water looses its prime,but by only a glass of water or so.It quits flowing water
after a couple minutes,and then I have to prime again.
The foot valve is off the bottom.The foot valve is below water level.My well is about 25ft deep until it comes to
water level and the the foot valve is below water about 15ft.The only thing that is not new is the long pipes
going down the well.Can you help?
Reply:
Keith,
Given all the new stuff this sounds to me as if there is a leak somewhere or the foot valve is sticking or
leaking a bit before it closes.

Foot valve to pick-up for lake water

(Mar 30, 2014) William said:
I have a shallow well jet pump 1.5 hp with a sealed supply line to a lake. It was cycling too frequently and
going on and off every few seconds with poor flow to house. I have replaced the pressure control unit (set to
kick in at 30 psi and out at 52 psi, and does) and replaced the filters between the pump and the storage
pressure tank (80 liters/pressure is fine in the tank at 28 psi empty) with success in that the cycling is gone.
But, when I run water (hot or cold), the system only gives about 3-4 gallons of water (rated to give 7-8 gallons
at least) and, after the pump kicks in at 30 psi (appropriately), the pump just does not seem to be able to
keep up the water flow. The flow in all house taps slows by half and the pump keeps running until the tap is
turned off. It then takes the pump twice or more as long as it should or 10-15 minutes to fill the pressure tank
again, (the motor gets hot, though it shuts off appropriately at 52 psi). I suspect I have a problem with the
pump. such as needing to replace the impeller. But, would like some advice before I get a new impeller,
seals, etc. and take the pump apart. Thanks for your advice!!
I should add, I am in an isolated location 2 hours+ from any plumber or city. The pump is 10 years old.
If I do replace the pump parts, such as the impeller, I wonder if I should install a filter of some kind (though I
can't find one recommended for this purpose) between the pump and the lake supply line (before or after the
check valve?) to prevent sediment, etc. from fouling the pump again.
Reply:
William, usually the foot valve installed at the end of a lake pick-up is the screen against picking up debris
into the pump system; ou'll want to investigate where the pick-up is in the lake and whether it's sitting in muck
or algae or weeds.
Follow-up:
Thanks, DanJoe.
Presently, the foot valve is under 4 ft of ice, usually suspended 2 ft from the bottom in 10 ft of water (or 14 ft, if
you count the ice). I will assess it after spring break-up in 6-8 weeks. (I am in northern Canada.) I did not
check it last year, but the year before, it did have some build-up of crud and algae, so I made sure it was
repositioned up off the bottom held by a cement block. There are no weeds and the bottom is generally open

sand mixed with a bit of mud.

Do you mean that the lack of water flow could be just the pump is unable to draw water due to foot valve
blockage, even with such a strong motor? If so, I will postpone taking the pump apart until I can check and
clean the foot valve. (It does have a coarse mesh cover.)
Reply:
Yes William, on occasion we have to scrape the crud off of the foot valve and check that it's up a bit off the
bottom - I've done the same thing with a friend who had this system at Lake George in NY. He also invented
and we installed a typical over-engineered system that pumped air back down the water line in winter so that
he could turn water on and off into his home during times when the lake was freezing.
Do keep me posted.
Daniel

Question: Water pressure loss after electrical power outage - lightning strike &
lost well water
Hi,after a power outage that lasted the entire day, I now have no water at all. I'm new to all of this, so please
bear with me. Although, thanks to your very informative site I'm learning. I have a single line jet pump and am
not sure what the depth of the well is. I tried to re prime with no success, so had a well person check it out.
spent over an hour adding water, turning the pump on and off, gradually bringing the water and pressure back
up to the top. Right as he was ready to give up it worked, and water was flowing strong out of the faucet. It
didn't last long though, and he said there must be a crack or hole in the piping of the well, which is letting air
in.
What I don't understand is I had water before the power outage with a supposed cracked or damaged pipe.
So since he got the water back up to the top and flowing, why wouldn't it continue and keep the prime since it
was before?
He advised that since the well is older (25 years) and the cost to find out what is wrong with it would be $1500
plus the cost of repair, that I would be better off having a new well dug, which is $3800.
I looked into claiming it on my insurance, but was told it had to be caused from a lightning strike, not just a
power outage. Is it a possibility that whatever is wrong could have been caused by lightning, and if so, how
could it be confirmed? - Valora

Reply: check for bad foot valve and replace it; refer to details of well pump
priming procedure, check valves, foot valves
Indeed, Valora, a lightning hit can burn up electrical wiring, controls, pumps, and can even damage plumbing
pipes. But your description sounds as if there was a loss of prime and difficulty re-priming the pump. If the
water system has a bad foot valve (located on the bottom of well piping) and power stays off for some time,
you are more likely to lose well prime. The proper repair is to pull the well piping and replace the foot valve.
The reason this problem shows up after a power loss is that even though the foot valve may have been
leaking for some time, as long as you had electrical power, when the foot valve leaked the dropping pressure
at the water tank caused the pump to turn on by itself, restoring water, pressure in the water tank, and prime
before so much water was lost that the pump couldn't recover by itself. But when power was lost for hours, so
much water drained back into the well that the well could not re-prime itself when it started again.
See WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

Continue reading at WELL PIPING CHECK VALVES or select a topic from the More Reading links shown
below.
Or see WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
Or see WATER PUMP INTERMITTENT CYCLING
Suggested citation for this web page
FOOT VALVES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection,
testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
More Reading
Green link shows where you are in this article series.
AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES
AIR INLET VALVES
AIR VOLUME CONTROLS, WATER TANK
BACKFLOW PREVENTER VALVE, HEATING SYS
BACKFLOW PREVENTER, HEATER WATER FEEDER

BACKFLOW PREVENTER VALVE, HEATING SYS

BACKWATER VALVES, SEWER LINE
CHECK VALVES, HEATING SYSTEM
CHECK VALVES, WATER SUPPLY
CHECK VALVES, HEATING SYSTEM
FOOT VALVES
PITLESS ADAPTER
PLASTIC PIPE LEAK CAUSES
PRIME the PUMP, HOW TO
PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS of
RELIEF VALVES - Water Tanks
SEWAGE PUMPS
SNIFTER VALVES
WATER PIPE CLOG DIAGNOSIS
WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT
WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER PUMP
WATER PRESSURE GAUGE
WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
WATER PRESSURE PUMP & TANK REPAIR GUIDES
WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR
WATER PUMP ELECTRICAL SWITCHES
WATER PUMP INTERMITTENT CYCLING
WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL
WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH
WATER PUMP RELAY SWITCH
WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home
WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLE STOP VALVE
WATER PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY
WATER SHUTOFF VALVE
WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING
WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD
WATER TANK AIR INLET VALVE
WATER TANK BLADDER PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT
WATER TANK: USES, TROUBLESHOOTING
WATER TANK PRESSURE GAUGE
WATER TANK PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE
WELL CASING LEAK REPAIRS
WELL FLOW RATE
WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE
WELL PITS
WELL SPOOL
WELL RETRIEVAL TOOLS
WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT
WELL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS
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Comment

(3 days ago) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:

Jerry I do see multiple check valves in some installations but also report some sources advising against
multiple check valves on the same well piping system, worrying that it can cause pump malfunction.
(3 days ago) Jerry Miller said:
Is it ok to install a backflow preventer or check valve on the well line with a foot valve already in place. I
changed from an immersion pump to a jet pump and the line into the well is almost 30 ft down?
(Sept 7, 2014) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:
Philip
I'm a bit confused. If a check valve "works" then it doesn't leak back down into the well.
If your well is a shallow one then the weight of pvc piping is not too much to handle (just 25 feet or so)
whereas deep wells or iron pipe are heavy and need a winch or more professional equipment.
(Sept 6, 2014) Philip said:
Sincere thanks for the prompt and thorough response! Yes, the pump is a one-line jet. Regarding your
comments,
- No apparent air leaks on suction line.
- I suspect leaky foot valve.
- Water is delivered once primed and running continuously.
- See comment on piping size below.
- Will check the water level in the well with a fishing line, but I doubt low water level. And flow rate seems
fine.
- Brand new pump. Have removed outer casing to inspect, and impeller is fine.
- No frozen pipes.
- Could be clogged foot valve. I notice brown water when pump has not been used for a few days.
- I only have one check valve mounted horizontally.
Since my earlier posting, I have replaced the pump with the 2HP version of the same Flotec pump. I had
noticed low output on some of the longer sprinkler runs. The 2HP seems to work well in terms of
output/flow. The new pump uses 2" suction and output lines including a new brass 2" check valve. With the
new setup, the system doesn't seem to lose prime *quite* as fast as the earlier 1.5" setup. But it still loses
prime while off. It takes a few hours.
To clarify, I prime the pump via priming plug. Turn on. Pump pulls suction and delivers water successfully.
Once I turn the pump off, water slowly drains out of pump past the check valve. I know the check valve
"works" but is there a possibility of back pressure or something that is causing the check valve to remain
open just enough for water in the pump to drain? Regardless of the condition or presence of a foot valve,
shouldn't the check valve (as long as it works) always keep water within the pump?
Another comment, I dug down about 5ft parallel to the well pipe and notice that there does not appear to
be a well casing pipe on this well. In other words, it's simply a 2" PVC pipe. I don't know the depth of the
well nor if it's a single pipe or branches into multiple lines. Assuming it's a single line and relatively shallow,
I should just be able to pull the entire pipe out of the ground and check the foot valve correct? If there's no
actual well casing I run the risk of collapsing the dirt into the hole where the pipe was. Any suggestions on
how to pull the pipe and minimize any issues with reinstalling?
Thanks again.
Philip
(Aug 30, 2014) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:
Philip,
I note that the Flotec FP5172 is a shallow-well one-line jet pump with a 10 foot lift capacity. There are
several common reasons for losing prime with this type of water pump (aside from improper priming itself
which from your note is not the problem in your case):
- air leaks on the suction line
- a leaky foot valve or check valve
- a foot valve or other check valve that stick shut can also mean no water is delivered and be mistaken for
loss of prime.

- piping is smaller than recommended by the company (see the pump's installation manual)
- low water in the well, poor well flow rate - dropping water below the foot valve or intake (doesn't sound
like your problem) [Generally a 1-line jet pump won't lift water from deeper than about 27 feet]
- A broken or clogged impeller can also cause no water to be delivered and might be mistaken for loss of
prime - priming the pump might dislodge clogging, for example - if only temporarily. (This doesn't sound
like your problem)
- frozen pipes (hardly in Florida)
- debris-clogged foot valve strainer (or foot valve inlet actually covered by settled debris in the well)
Also, some systems don't like more than a single check valve installed but I don't think that's your problem.
From what you've said I'd pull and check the foot valve or just replace it. Yes you need a foot valve in your
well. It's not a lift issue it's that the foot valve is protecting against loss of prime. Without the foot valve when
the pump stops water can run back down out of the piping into the well.
I'd also check for leaks in the well piping (air in or water out) and for leaks in the pump itself (air in, might
be missed.)
Let me know what you find or how a new foot valve works for you.
(Aug 29, 2014) Philip said:
I recently installed a Flotec FP5172 to replace an old cast-iron lawn pump for my shallow well sprinkler
system. The 2" suction pipe out of the ground runs to a 90-degree elbow, is sized down to 1.5", passes to
a 1.5" spring-type check valve (horizontally mounted), then into the suction side of the pump. Total run
distance from ground to suction side of the pump is no more than 3 feet. Distance between check valve
and inlet is 10". The outlet of the pump runs to a K-Rain 6-zone indexing valve. I do not know if the well has
a foot valve. I live in coastal Florida, where the water table is high. The system operates fine when primed
just prior to operation. It will supply water at full pressure while running. But I keep losing prime soon after
the pump is off (within 1-2 minutes). I have installed and re-checked 3 separate check valves, so I do not
believe them to be faulty. No leaks are evident in the suction line, and no leaks are evident in the pump
housing. Once the pump is turned off, I assume the water is passing past the check valve and back down
the suction line into the ground. Do I have the misfortune of 3 separate, faulty check valves (1 brass and 2
PVC)? I see a lot of info about faulty foot valves, but is a foot valve really necessary if pulling less than 10ft
vertically? Do you have any recommendations? Thanks in advance.
(July 30, 2014) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:
Most likely yes, along with a Venturi that uses water sent down the smaller pipe to bring more water up.
(July 29, 2014) Burton Sine said:
is there a foot valve on a 2 pipe drop water system? The pump/motor assy. is located inside our house.

(July 21, 2014) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:

Use the "Click to Show or Hide FAQs" link just above to see recently posted comments, questions &
replies.
(July 21, 2014) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:
Hillard,
Could be debris from the well bottom, but I'd have expected some variation in debris particle size & color.
Is your well pump an above ground 2 line jet pump? If so, check for a damaged impeller or bearing.
Keep me posted
Daniel

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