Foot Valves on Well PipingWell Foot Valves & check valves on well piping:
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.
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This article explains foot valves used on water supply systems such as from wells, springs or lakes.
We answer questions about foot valves: what they are, how the work, how and where they're installed and how to diagnose foot valve problems.
What's the difference between a foot valve and a check valve?
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.
Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch 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.
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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.
A foot valve is a type of check valve that closes when the pump is not running.
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 Associates' 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.
Foot valves and check valves in water piping system can also help reduce water hammer noise.
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.
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 low-flow poor recovery rate well.
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A ball type check valve or foot valve uses a spherical steel ball or ball + spring to close the valve.
The pressure difference necessary to open a foot valve or check valve is defined as its "cracking pressure" the pressure necessary to overcome the spring or the weight of water used to keep the valve closed when the pump is off.
Ball type check valves are used most-often on pumping systems that include either thick liquids or sewage, as the valve design, a full-ported valve seat, resists partial blockages that prevent the valve from closing when it should.
See also BACKWATER VALVES, SEWER LINE
A flapper type foot valve uses a hinged rubber (or in older valves leather) flapper, a flat bit of material that is hinged on one side, usually the top of the valve. The weight of water against the flapper closes the valve when the pump is off. When the pump is on, suction and thus reduced pressure on the inlet side opens the flapper to allow water to flow.
Watch out: flapper valves may not work in all positions.
Spring type foot valves use a spring to close a round "poppet" or closure stopper when the pump is not running. When the pump runs suction on the inlet side (reduced pressure) opens the valve against spring pressure. When the pump stops the spring pushes the valve closed.
Spring type foot valves can be installed in any position.
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A foot valve is in fact a type of check valve that is found at the bottom end of well piping in the well. Its job is to prevent water in the well pipe from flowing backwards from the water tank or water system down into the well or other water source when the pump is off. Such a back-flow would cause the pump to lose prime and could prevent the pump from delivering water when it's next turned on.
More generally, check valves are devices used to stop un-wanted water flow in a water or well system, may be found in more than one location and may of several designs.
What's a "check valve"? A check valve used anywhere in a piping run is a solid bodied valve with one or more "doors" or openings that open only in the direction of water flow and that close and seal when water flow (say from a pump) stops.
Both foot valves and other check valves are both performing the same task: allowing water to pass only in one direction.
But a foot valve is by definition located at the end or "foot" of a water pick-up line in a well or other water source such as a spring or lake.
So a foot valve is also a check valve but typically includes an open strainer or basket to allow water to enter the piping as this valve is found at the bottom end of the well pipe.
The plastic foot valve shown here is a "4-in-one" foot valve provided by Water Source, a company producing both metal and plastic foot valves as well as other well and plumbing system parts and equipment.
The blue arrows show the direction of water flow from the well or water source up through the foot valve and into well piping.
This foot valve sells for less than $20. U.S.D.
Both foot valves and "check valves" are similar in that they include a mechanism that closes the valve when the pump is not running - a necessary function to avoid loss of pump prime.
But a check valve will be threaded on both ends so that it can be installed at any necessary location in the piping system. A check valve is shown below.
A foot valve is threaded only on one end, for connection to the inlet end of a well water pick-up pipe or line.
The other end of the foot valve provides a screened opening to allow water to enter the system.
A foot valve is shown below.
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I have a new 200 foot deep 4" diameter well; is it possibly to use a foot valve and pvc piping instead of a submersible pump? Any rish of the foot valve damaging the pvc? Will a foot valve work at 200 foot depth? Thanks. Reader Question: 10 Feb 2015 question: foot valve for deep well?
In reverse order,
A foot valve doesn't damage the piping to which it's attached.
A foot valve will work at 200 ft if properly installed. Here is an excerpt from Flomatic's foot valve installation instructions
In general Flomatic valves are pressure rated 400 psi or 920 feet
of water pressure. This does not mean that a valve can be set at a well depth of 920 feet. To alleviate and reduce
the hydraulic shocks in the riser pipe it is recommended that a check valve be installed every 200 feet in the riser
pipe. - source: "Foot Valves Installation Instructions", Flomatic Corporation, 15 Pruyn's Island, Glens Falls NY 12801, Website: flomatic.com, - retrieved 2/10/14, original source: www.flomatic.com/assets/pdf_files/oem/16048.pdf
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How do I pull the deep well piping as I suspect the foot valve is leaking? I can pressurize the system through an external water supply and the system will loose pressure and priming. It has (2) 3/4"PVC pipes at the pump that are separate and going into the ground. I have dug down about a foot and seems as though there is no well casing. - (Jan 30, 2012) Mike said:
Our well is about 20 feet deep. We're trying to get the pvc pipe out of the casing. Can only pull about 8 ft out then it gets stuck. Any ideas? - (Jan 23, 2013) Sandy said:
Tell me how to replace piping , check valve and foot valve? - (May 10, 2014) pete
Reply:
Everyone: you need a crane or a winch and hoist assembly to pull deep well piping.
Short lengths of shallow well piping an often be pulled by hand.
I agree that the symptoms you describe could be a bad foot valve. In fact if I pulled a well pipe I'd put on a new foot valve out of principle anyway, having gone to the cost and trouble of disturbing everything.
For stuck components or stuff dropped into the well, also see WELL RETRIEVAL TOOLS
Several readers have asked us how to find the foot valve in their well, spring, or lake-water pick-up.
The foot valve is always located at the very end of the water pick-up pipe.
From the shoreline at a pond, lake or spring, we observe where the water line enters the water and we follow that pipe to the end.
On a lake that might mean using a boat to get to the end of the water line. We might attach a line under the water pipe and pull it up to the lake surface as we paddle or out to the end of the line.
Pulling up the end of the water line lets us inspect or replace the foot valve without having to pull the whole line completely out of the water and back onto the shore.
Over at our FOOT VALVE DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR FAQs page, reader Andrew S. came up with a nice suggestion for finding the foot valve when the water is murky and he couldn't easily simply follow the water pipe. Andrew
We finally found [the foot valve] by attaching an air compressor to our drive line via an irrigation blow-out fitting, capping the draw line, and turning on the compressor.
Wow! Right away we got a stream of bubbles in the spring that led us straight to the foot valve
Im trying to pull the 1 1/2 suction pipe from my 2 inch 48ft water well.
I got the first 20 ft section of pipe out of the hole but the rest of the pipe, (about another 20 ft) seems to be hanging or stuck on something and doesnt want to come out. Is there anything on the foot valve that should be hanging on something? On 2020-06-06 by Dan Tarno -
Suggestion - by (mod) -
Possibly, depending on how it's connected, such as a bent out end of a hose clamp.
Try lowering it and turning 180 degreesby Todd Havlik
@Dan Tarno,
what are you using for a pump and set up to get to 48' if you only have a 2" water well.It seems as if all the deep water wells that are beyond 25' require an injection line also? On 2020-06-14
by (mod) -
Todd
Quite right, thanks for the comment;you'd need either a 2-line jet pump (the pair of pipes for a 2-line jet pump typically won't fit in a 2-inch bore) or you'd need a very small-diameter submersible well pump.
Below is an example of a 50mm (just under 2-inch) diameter submersible pump used on some solar powered pump systems and available from alexnld.com (who don't give the manufacturer)
Any tips on fetching the foot valve from the well during winter? I've done it at the end of August and froze my butt off, and so I need some tips On 2019-12-17 by Jasmine -
Answer by (mod) -
Jas
Winter or summer you still need to open the well head and pull the well pipe; if the pipe is long, heavy, steel, be sure to use a suitable tripod, winch, and well pipe grabber so as not to drop the whole shebang down the well.Watch out: don't go wandering out over an ice-covered pond, spring, or lake to look for your footvalve; the risk is that you fall through the ice, risking drowning under the ice cover. Expert help and working with at least one other person is essential in those conditions.
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Our reader asked for help diagnosing a foot valve and pump problem.
I have J7 Goulds 2 pipe pump located in my basement. the shut off valve between the pump output and the pressure tank developed a leak, I replaced the valve and the surrounding piping, (T out of pump with new pressure gauge on top and a bit of fittings added to put in new shut-off)
I primed the pump and got it running at which time the pump would not hit the 50psi shut off pressure, I removed the pressure switch piping to check if it was clogged which it was not however the copper tubing had a small pin hole leak so I replaced and it still wouldn't hit the 50psi shut off.
When I replace the shut off I had drained the pressure tank and pumped up the tank to 28psi, it was down to about 18 or so when it was empty.
I called in a plumber to check out my issue and they determined that the pressure tank was bad and also suggested a new pump as they felt it was running hot. So I replaced the pump which was 25 years old and the pressure tank which was 13 years old.
After priming the pump and getting the entire house purged of air it would still not hit the 50psi stop point, only reaching about 27 -30psi.
I then shut the valve between the pump and the pressure tank and stopped the pump to check for leaks in the piping or foot valve, to no avail the pressure holds and does not drop over 1+ hours. My question is does this test confirm that the foot valve is good?
Could it be possible that the pressure side of the system is good however the vacuum side has a leak which would explain why the pump won't meet full pressure as a leak in the vacuum side would be letting water exit at the leak and not hit be delivered to the pressure tank?
I've lowered the pressure switch to cut off at roughly 28psi and the pressure tank to 20psi to provide water in the house and it's working most of the time, however sometimes the pressure doesn't build up quite enough to shut off the pump so I turn it off manually. HELP PLEASE - (July 23, 2015) David
Reply:
So sorry, David,
Because of the volume of questions and replies and for faster page loading we moved questions previously posted at our topic home page FOOT VALVES - home -
FOOT VALVE DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR FAQs
I'll recap what I said in my original answer.
For problem in which the pump cannot reach the cut-out pressure, I cannot think of *any* pressure tank problem that would explain that failure, so I'm unclear why the plumber would replace the pressure tank. But perhaps the plumber saw or understood something that we don't.
When a pump can't reach cut-out pressure the typical reasons are
- pump impeller damaged worn debris-clogged
- low line voltage
- leak in well piping between well and building piping or pressure tank
- low well flow rate
at WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Runs_On.php
we give a more complete list of diagnostic suggestions.
I agree that if you don't see a pressure drop with pump off and no water running then the check valve or foot valve is probably fine, and it also looks as if there is no leak in the well piping (unless there is a configuration of check valves that would keep pressure in the upper part of the system where the gauge is located but would let water leak back into the well or ground on the other side of such a check valve - a situation that can occur in a multiple-check valve installation).
Your description of pressure side and vacuum side suggest you're discussing 2-line jet pump in which case I expect there to be only one foot valve and no other check valves (right?)
The fact that the system works and holds pressure with a lower cutout setting suggests that the problem may be the pump itself.
Check the pump line voltage.
Check (or have a qualified person do so to avoid being killed by electrocution) the current draw when the pump is running.
An experienced pump diagnostician may be able to tell whether a submersible pump is running under load or not from the amps drawn by the pump when it's "on".
If you are having trouble losing well prime and suspect a bad foot valve or check valve, also see
Other causes of loss of well pump prime are at
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 advise. (Apr 9, 2014) ashok
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
Also see the foot valve or non-return valve installation instructions manuals listed below.
An InspectApedia reader asked for help diagnosing a foot valve pump system that keeps losing prime:
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? (Apr 3, 2014) keith watkins
Reply: look for a leak in your plumbing connections
Keith,
Given all the new parts you've installed, this sounds to me as if there is a leak somewhere or the foot valve is sticking or leaking a bit before it closes.
Attached is a diagram of how my well is plumbed to my pump. My well is a drilled well and not a driven well even though it’s plumbed like a driven well.
Illustration [above] adapted and edited by InspectApedia
I just pulled the pvc pipe up out of my shallow well to check the foot valve. As suspected it was bad.
I replaced it with a 3’ pvc wellpoint strainer and in turn installed a pvc check valve horizontal above ground between the well and the pump
The pump primed right up and seems to be working great. Is this setup ok or should I revert back to a foot valve?
I had problems getting particles of sediment in my faucet aerators but now I don’t. Thanks in advance!
Reply by (mod) - OK to use "sand point" in drilled shallow well?
@Allen R.,
If your well were a normal driven-point sand well then
your piping arrangement is fine, and is often used.
You would still have to deal with sediment problems.
Maybe add a filter.
A one line jet pump normally has no trouble lifting water from depths to about 25-27 ft. (of TOTAL lift) - that's why your pump worked with no foot valve.
But your "sand point" is dropped into a drilled well.
That suggests to me that your water supply may be heavy in sand or sediment, clogging or jamming a foot valve as well as possibly clogging your pump impeller; You may need to add improved filtering.
Also be sure to take a look at
Watch out: the reason we use a foot valve at the bottom of a water pick-up pipe is to serve as a check valve to help the pump lift water and to avoid losing prime in the pump.
If your water source is quite shallow your pump might tolerate loss of prime, but running any pump motor "dry" risks damaging the pump impeller assembly and ultimately the whole pump assembly.
I am at a total loss. My original sprinkler pump was running dry on certain zones.
First I replaced the indexing valve thinking that that was the problem, it was not.
Then I put in a new Shut off valve between the indexing valve and the pump with all new piping.
Then I replaced the pump itself put in a new pressure gauge at the discharge.
I primed the pump several times to no avail. Every time I prime the pump as soon as I open the shut off valve I lose all pressure and it’s not pulling water from the well.
I have a shallow well I replaced the check valve between the pump and the wellhead.
After reading different articles it suggested that having more than one check valve was not a good idea because it can cause negative pressure. So I removed the leaky check valve that was above the well leaving only one check valve 2 feet from the pump on the inlet line.
Where the check valve was above the well I re-piped it with no check valve. Before I did that I pulled the pipe that goes down to the Well and it has no foot valve on the end of the pipe so I left it as is because the sprinklers we’re working fine when I first moved in.
I have no idea what to do next I don’t know if I should go ahead and put a foot valve on the end of the well pipe? And before I reassembled everything that went down to the well I filled all of those pipes with water to help the pump prime easier and it didn’t work.
Also when I tried to fill the pipe that goes down to the well with water it would not fill up I left the hose in that pipe for about 10 minutes and nothing does this mean that my well is dry?
I am at a total loss I would appreciate any help you can give me thank you in advance. - On 2021-06-03 by Doy Ogden
Reply by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod) - sprinkler pump system runs dry on some zones
@Doy Ogden,
When a sprinkler system runs dry just on certain zones but works on others I see these likely possibilitiesDepending on the timing of your sprinkler system on-cycles for some zones, you may have exhausted the water in your well - by total water usage just prior to that time
A control routing water among your sprinkler zones is not working
The sprinkler heads or outlets for the "dry zones" are blocked, jammed, not working
If your sprinkler system pumping system "ran dry" on all sprinkler zones I would guess that either you need a foot valve because you're losing Prime and or the impeller of your pump is clogged or damaged. There are other possibilities that are less common such as a leak in well piping.
I have a deep well 365'. I have been told to replace it because the foot valve may go. It is over 53 yrs old. Have never had a problem , did replace a motor. Do foot values go bad? I don't want to dig it up, but friends say it is old and what happens if it goes in the winter. I have 40gals A min. On 2021-05-17 by Joyce Miller
Answer by (mod)
@Joyce Miller,
Yes, foot valves can fail, and the symptoms will be loss of prime.
But you certainly wouldn't dig a new well to fix the problem, you would replace the foot valve.
Most people wait until the foot valve falls before replacing it.
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Watch out: be sure you install the foot valve in the proper orientation: with the arrow pointing in the direction of the water flow.
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