A recent lake pump intake filter project for a customer in Winter Park, Florida, solved an irrigation system pressure problem.

clogged lake pump intake filter

This residential customer reported low operating pressure across all zones of their irrigation system that we quickly confirmed.

Water for the sprinkler system is provided by a Berkeley 1-1/2 horsepower irrigation sprinkler pump, pulling water from the lake behind their house.

We cleaned the 1 inch discharge filter on the irrigation pump mainline to the irrigation system. It was clogged, yet not enough to cause issues.

The entire system was rechecked and all zones were still low pressure. The next step was checking the actual intake filter in the lake.

Our photo shows the intake filter completely clogged and restricting flow into the pump, so it was cleaned with a plastic bristled brush.

Another system check confirmed everything operated as it should, showing good operating pressure at the irrigation heads across all zones.

It is important to maintain any irrigation system, especially when dealing with pumps that draw water from either a lake or a well.

Clogged intakes may cause the intake pipe to completely collapse by the vacuum created by the pump and have a devastating effect on pumps.

If unable to draw water due to clogged intakes, it might even destroy the pump by overheating the motor and burning out the bearings.

Do you have an irrigation pump drawing from a lake or a well that may require maintenance? Please contact us today at 407-302-2227.