Question
Sprinkler system worked great..Lake feed.
INstalled new lake feed pipe with long "can" and I cannot get a prime. Does the check valve have to be installed right near the intake? ( It was on the old line.) I am priming the system with a hose and I am having a trickle of water come outof the sprinkler heads. I checked the pipe into the lake and it is is full of cooler fresh water from the hose and yes I did install the check valve correctly.....

Looking fewd to your response

Brian Tuckley
Coral Springs
Florida  

Answer
Brian,
Is this a follow up question or is this the first time. I had a guy last week with suction line problems and I will assume you are not the same guy. The check valve (foot valve) should be at the very end of the suction line. The suction line should not lay on the bottom of the lake where it will likely suck in debri. You either elbow the pipe up a little towards the end or another trick is to cut a hole in a milk crate and put the pipe through the hole and drop it in the lake like that. The suction line must be completely leak free. Check threaded fittings and unions carefully. The suction line should be larger than the pipe on the output side of the pump by one pipe size. (1 1/4" out= 1 1/2" in) It sounds to me that it may be that the problem might not be the pump or suction line, but maybe a leak on the system and whatever is leaking is using too much water for the pump. You might have a stuck valve also. Let the thing run and see if there is a leak or more than one zone running at once. Jim