Recently bought a lake house that has a lake pump. A local plumber told me I'd probably have to prime the pump by filling it with water, and if I had to do this repeatedly, that would mean a bad foot valve. Makes sense.

So, I primed the pump and turned it on. Nothing happened for several seconds, then the pump suddenly came on. I opened a garden hose spigot attached to the outlet, and saw only dribbles coming out. Then, after only 10 - 15 seconds, the pump shut off. Re-primed it, couple of minutes go by and the same thing happens again: pump suddenly turns on, runs for 10-15 seconds then shuts off.

So, is there something wrong with my pump, or does it have some kind of sensor that turns itself off when it runs dry? (If that's the case, maybe I just need a new foot valve.) Or do you think there's something wrong with the pump motor itself?

thanks,

Mike