H2O PRO Brass Foot Valve 3/4" — Check Valve with Strainer for Well Jet Pumps

What is it and what's it for?

Think of it like the cap on a straw that only lets liquid flow one way: it screws onto the end of the hose that runs down into the well water and acts as a one-way check valve — water flows up toward the pump, but can't drain back down by gravity once the pump shuts off. That keeps the suction hose permanently full ("primed"), ready for the next startup, instead of emptying out every time. It also has a built-in strainer that blocks rocks, leaves, or coarse silt before they reach the pump.

Real-world use cases

• At home: You installed a shallow-well jet pump like the WAYNE SWS50 and noticed that after it sits off for a while, turning it back on takes forever to pull water — or it doesn't start at all. That's the classic sign it lost its prime because the suction hose drained empty. A foot valve fixes exactly that: the hose stays full of water between runs.
• In a business or workshop: An irrigation installer setting up well pumps for multiple clients treats this as a standard part on every non-self-priming jet pump install, because skipping it almost guarantees a warranty callback within the first few weeks for 'the pump won't pull water.'

How to avoid buying the wrong one

• Measure your suction hose or pipe diameter before buying: this model is 3/4" NPT, but it also comes in 1" — they're not interchangeable without an adapter.
• Confirm your pump actually needs one: a self-priming pump like the AQUASTRONG surface pump in this ranking doesn't rely on a foot valve to hold its prime, so adding one there doesn't help.
• It's solid brass, not plastic — heavy enough to sink on its own to the bottom of the well, but you should rest it on something (a flat rock, a support) so the strainer doesn't sit directly in loose bottom silt.