We have been without power for over 10 hrs and now I have no water. I was told I need to prime the well pump but I don't know how. I have never had this problem before. Can
Anyone one help. The holding tank is inside the pump its self is out side.

For an electric pump:

Half-fill a watering can (do not use a hosepipe as the pressure is too high!)
Pour water down the pump outlet pipe, lifting the pipe so that the water goes all the way down to the pump.
It will take about 2 litres (half a gallon) to prime the pump.
Switch on the pump.

Most pumps are "self-priming", i.e. you only have to do this once, afterwards it keeps the water itself and does not drop the water back into the well.

The bottom of the collector pipe at the bottom of the well should have a non-return valve.

We are assuming this is a jet pump and not a submersible pump which needs no priming. If the pump is accessible, which it almost certainly is, then there will be a plug on the top of the pump (or possibly a pressure gauge). Simply back that out, pour in water until full, then replace. It is correct that this should not have to be done again. Not sure why you losing power would have caused this. It is not unusual for pumps to not run for more hours than that (on vacation, for instance) and not need to be primed again.

I am assuming that the power has come back on??

If that check valve is not on at the bottom of the pipe in the well (or if it is stuck open), and a faucet was turned on that allowed air in while the electric was off, the water then probably went out at the bottom causing the pump to lose it's prime... this used to happen a lot to my parents well when I was young.

If there is not check valve (or malfunctioning), then wouldn't the pressure tank empty itself down the well every time the pump turned off?

Not unless the faucet is open to allow air into the system. Otherwise there is a vacume created that prevents the water from flowing backwards. Under normal circumstances the well kicks on at a certain pressure and pumps to keep the water flowing the right way until the faucet is closed, and the pump will shut off. When electric is out, it does not run of course, so that is why the air can get into the line causing the prime to be lost.

Oneguy, there is no vacuum when you have 50# of pressure in a pressure tank. The check valve has the job of preventing the water in the tank (under pressure) from flowing back down the well pipe into the well. When a faucet is opened under normal circumstances, the water flows to the faucet because of the pressure in the tank. It will flow regardless of whether the pump is on. With no check valve, it flows the other direction back down the well.

I am not trying to argue or anything like that... From what I can figure, the system I am familiar with had an internal check valve that was not a foot valve. It did not include the pipe from the well, but the pressure was on the water once it got into the tank. It is probably a case where it was done wrong. Anytime the power was off, and the water was used, we lost the prime.

I do appologize if I had improperly reasoned out the cause... as being associated with vacume pressure... That is what I always believed... now I am rethinking that it was due to using the water which took away the prime as it was used drawing the prime away from the pump.

No problem. Sorry if I came across as hostile. Didn't mean to be. I sometimes "push things" a little here so I can learn more. I am strictly an amateur.

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Originally Posted by dnlnjn94

We have been without power for over 10 hrs and now I have no water. I was told I need to prime the well pump but I don't know how. I have never had this problem before. Can
anyone one help. The holding tank is inside the pump its self is out side.

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To prime a pump shut the pump off at the breaker box and look for a 1/4" plug or a gage on the top of the impeller cage. Remove it and fill the impeller cage until it runs over. Rewplace the plug or pressure gage and start the pump. This shou;ld get the prime back. If you can't fill the impeller cage to overflowing then you have a bad ckeck/foot valve. Good luck, tom

I fill my pump and turn it on and I goes to 50 psi and the drops to 10 back and fourth until I open a valve and then just goes to and 10 and 0 and no water I will trade vehicle diagnostics to someone to help me to solve this problem