Foot Valves

A foot valve is a check valve fitted at the bottom (the foot) of a pump suction line, usually combined with an inlet strainer. Its job is to retain the liquid in the suction pipe and pump casing when the pump stops, keeping the pump primed so it can restart without drawing air, and to exclude debris that would otherwise enter and damage the pump. It is a self-acting non-return valve working in the vertical, opening under suction and closing under gravity and back-pressure when flow ceases.

The typical construction pairs a spring-assisted or gravity disc check with a perforated or mesh strainer basket around the inlet. The strainer keeps out leaves, silt and larger debris while passing the design flow, and the check element holds the prime. Applications include water abstraction and irrigation, borehole and sump pumping, firefighting pump sets and any suction-lift installation where the pump sits above the water level.

Bodies are made in cast and ductile iron, bronze, brass and stainless steel, with the strainer in stainless steel or a suitable polymer, in flanged and threaded end connections. When specifying, provide the bore and connection, the required flow, the medium and any solids loading, and the body material, and we can propose a foot valve and strainer combination matched to the pump and duty.