Irrigation pump maintenance.

A couple of day ago I replaced the window screen covering on the foot valve of our irrigation pump, and thought the information might be useful for someone else.  So, I included an excerpt from my e-book 'Food Self Sufficiency: How We Do It In A Severe Climate.'

On the canal bank we have an electric pump which pumps water to the water lines in the garden and orchard area.  Our irrigation pump is bolted down to a small concrete pad, on the canal bank. It has a three horsepower electric motor which is wired for 220 volts. To the left of the pump is the intake hose which has one end that sits in the water, and the other end attaches to the water pump.

Foot Valve

Window Screen To Filter The Foot Valve

On the end of the hose which is in the water is a one-way-valve, called a foot valve. This valve allows water to be pulled into the pump, but it doesn't allow the water to drain back out when the pump isn't running. This keeps the pump primed with water, and purged of air so that it runs correctly and produces water pressure.  Over the foot valve we put screen to help filter out small debris and keep the sprinklers from getting plugged up.

Our Irrigation Pump

Directly below the intake hose connection to the pump is a pressure gauge, and a low pressure shutoff switch. When there isn't enough water in the canal and subsequently in the pump, the low pressure shutoff switch shuts down the pump, so that it doesn't wear out the pump blades and get ruined. If the pump is running without water in it, the impeller blades inside will wear out due to friction and the pump will have to be replaced.

Directly above the pump is a pipe cap that is removed so that the pump can be primed with water before turning it on for the first time.  To prime the pump, the cap is removed and water is poured into the pipe until the water level is up to the top.  Then the cap is replaced and tightened.   Priming the pump with water removes any air so that it can pull water by suction, up out of the canal. 

The gray box in the picture is the electrical box which contains a breaker type of on/off switch.  The pump can be turned on and off with this breaker switch. 

Behind the electrical box is an inline filter, which keeps sand and dirt out of the water lines so that the sprinklers won’t get plugged up.  The blue hose to the right carries the pressurized water to our watering system.  From here the water goes through a buried irrigation line that takes the water to the garden and the orchard area.  

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