Preparing to Start the Pump - Deep Well
Open control valve
as far as possible
and fill pump and
piping through
priming port
or priming tee.
Figure 12: Fill Pump
Figure 13: Prime Pump
A-Open Control Valve
B-Watch for Pressure Gauge to Flutter
C-Close Control Valve until Pressure
Stabilizes
Figure 14: Set Control Valve
Priming
To do so can boil water inside pump, causing hazardous pressure in unit,
risk of explosion and possibly scalding persons handling pump.
pump to overheat, damaging seal and possibly causing burns to persons
handling pump. Fill pump with water before starting.
1. Open the control valve as far as possible (see Figure 12). Then remove
the priming plug from the pump and fill the pump, fill all piping
between the pump and the well, and make sure that all piping in
the well is full. If you have also installed a priming tee in the suction
piping, remove the plug from the tee and fill the suction piping.
2. Replace all fill plugs and close the control valve completely (Figure 13).
3. Power on! Start the pump and watch the pressure gauge. The pressure
should build rapidly to 50 PSI as the pump primes.
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4. After 2 or 3 minutes, the gauge should show pressure. If not, stop the
pump, remove the fill plugs, reopen the control valve, and refill the
pump and piping. You may have to repeat this two or three times in
order to get all the trapped air out of the piping. Don't forget to close
Replace all
the control valve each time before you start the pump.
fill plugs and
close control
5. When pressure has built up and stabilized at about 50 PSI, slowly open
valve completely.
the control valve (see Figure 14) and let the pressure drop until the
pressure gauge needle starts to flutter. When the needle flutters, close
the valve just enough to stop the flutter (see Figure 14). Your pump is
now operating at its most efficient point.
6. After the pump has built up pressure in the system and shut off, check
the pressure switch operation by opening a faucet or two and running
enough water out to bleed off pressure until the pump starts. The pump
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should start when pressure drops to 30 PSI and stop when pressure
reaches 50 PSI. Run the pump through one or two complete cycles to
verify correct operation. This will also help clean the system of dirt and
scale dislodged during installation.
7. (PL Series pumps only). Check for leaks around band clamp. If pump is
leaking, tighten clamp nut 1-2 turns. Do not overtighten.
NOTICE: Due to normal irregularities in the cup seal leather and the inner
walls of the casing, packer jets do not form a perfect seal. In a dormant
system, pressure will leak off over time, causing pump to cycle periodically
to maintain system pressure level.
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Explosion hazard. Never run pump against closed discharge.
Never run pump dry. Running pump without water may cause
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