Sprinkler Pump Problem

Hi Craig,

I enjoyed your site and thought I would see if you can help me with an inlet issue on a Centrifugal pump. I have a sprinkler pump on one side of my pond (about 1 acre pond) that works fine and runs a 20 zone system twice a day. On the other side of the pond, I have a Berkely Centrifugal pump that is for a waterfall. It is this pump that I am having issues with. The intake foot valve/screen seems to gradually get clogged with tad poles that stick in the inlet holes and pressure gradually reduces the stream and in about 7 days, the prime is lost and the waterfall stops. I have put a mesh nylon screen over the foot valve but that doesn't solve the problem. So to keep the system going, I am cleaning the screen weekly.

Any suggestions? The intake pipe size is 4" and the foot valve is metal.

Thanks Craig,

Jim

Hi Jim, I think I've got a solution for your sprinkler pump problem. What you need is a self cleaning strainer.
This type of well screen has an attachment to your outlet pipe (mainline) so that every time the pump comes on, the screen will spin, throwing off the sludge and tadpoles.

If you have a pump start (versus a pressure tank) and a digital controller, you can set a twice a day, one minute runtime on a station without a valve. This will spin the screen twice a day even when you are not running the waterfall.

You can get it at http://www.sure-flo.com/