What Does a Foot Valve Do?

Foot valves are one-way check valves attached to the intake (“foot”) of a pump’s suction line. They allow water to flow up to the pump but prevent it from flowing backward when the pump stops or pauses, thus keeping the suction hose and pump primed. Most foot valves include an integrated strainer to filter out debris, ensuring the pump doesn’t ingest sticks, sand, or muck from the water source. Flash Wildfire Services offers a range of foot valves and related components suitable for homeowners drawing from ponds, totes, wells, or gravity-fed tanks.

Below are key products – including foot valves, portable pumps, hoses, and connectors – along with their descriptions, product links, compatibility notes, and other useful details for choosing and using them.

Foot Valves & Strainers

1-1/2" Brass Spring Loaded Foot Valve – A brass foot valve with a spring-loaded check mechanism to prevent backflow during suction. By keeping water from draining out of the hose, it maintains the pump’s prime and makes priming easier. This 1.5″ valve threads onto standard 1½″ suction lines (often using NPSH or NPT threads). It is an affordable, durable choice for small jet pumps or transfer pumps drawing from wells, barrels, or shallow ponds. View Here

2" F.NPSH Footvalve Strainer – A heavy-duty 2″ female NPSH threaded foot valve with an integrated screen strainer. This unit is designed to “prevent debris intake, ensure max flow & protect pumps” in wildfire defense, irrigation, or industrial pumping. The stout strainer basket keeps out leaves, fish, and large debris while the internal check valve maintains suction. It attaches to any 2″ NPSH suction hose (a common thread on portable fire pumps) and is suitable for high-flow home applications (e.g. drafting from a pond for irrigation or sprinkler systems). View Here

B-5258 Foot Valve and Strainer 2" – A premium 2″ NPSH combination foot valve (aluminum body) with a built-in strainer, made for high-pressure pump systems. Its spring-loaded check valve is capable of holding a water column up to 300 PSI in head pressure – meaning it seals tightly to keep heavy suction lifts primed. An “ear” loop on the valve allows it to be tethered to a float, keeping it off the pond bottom to prevent sucking up sediment. This model is specifically made for WATERAX portable pumps like the MARK-3®, BB-4®, Striker II-PLUS, UltraStriker, or any pump with a 2″ (51 mm) NPSH intake*. In other words, if you have a high-performance fire pump, this foot valve is the matching heavy-duty intake filter to use. View Here

Foot Valve and Strainer 1-1/2" NPSH (Aluminum) – A similar combination foot valve strainer in the 1.5″ size. It features an aluminum housing with a stainless-steel screen and spring-loaded internal valve (very much like the 2″ B-5258 above, but scaled down) . This unit is ideal for smaller centrifugal pumps that are not self-priming – the foot valve will “keep your pump primed, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted water flow” . It has 1½″ NPSH female threads to connect to 1.5″ suction hose, and can be used on portable pumps or even gravity-fed pipeline intakes where a one-way intake valve is needed. View Here

3" Foot Valves and Large Strainers – For high-flow needs - 3″ Red Cast Iron Foot Valve, a rugged cast valve for large-volume water transfer (listed at a budget-friendly price around $49). There are also barrel strainers with foot valves in 2½″ and 3″ sizes for firefighting or irrigation pumps – for instance, a 3″ NPSH Barrel Strainer w/ Foot Valve (heavy-duty metal strainer, $649) if you have a high-capacity pump or a cistern/gravity feed with a 3″ line, these products provide the necessary intake protection. View Here

Portable Fire Pumps (Compatibility & Usage)

Several portable pumps carried by Flash Wildfire Services are compatible with the above foot valves. For homeowners in wildfire-prone or rural areas, these pumps can draft from static water sources (ponds, tanks, pools) – and a foot valve will usually be used on the suction hose for best results. Key examples:

WATERAX MARK-3® High-Pressure Pump – The MARK-3 is a legendary wildland fire pump (4-stage centrifugal, 10 hp two-stroke engine) known for high pressure output. Flash Wildfire offers the modern Mark-3 Watson Edition as well as the classic variant. These pumps have a 2″ NPSH suction inlet and require priming before use – typically accomplished with a pump primer and a foot valve on the suction line to hold prime. The B-5258 2″ foot valve above is “specifically made for use on the MARK-3, BB-4,” and similar pumps. Homeowners who invest in a MARK-3 (or its slightly smaller cousin the BB-4®) for wildfire defense or high-head water transfer will want a robust 2″ foot valve strainer to go with it.

WATERAX VERSAX® 2-Stage Pump – The Versax series is a versatile, rugged, and economical twin-impeller pump line ideal for general water supply tasks. For example, the VS2-6W Versax uses a 6 HP Honda engine and produces up to 120 PSI and 105 GPM, making it useful for “firefighting, tank filling, high-head water transfer, boom spraying, [and] irrigation”. The Versax pumps are self-priming (they have a built-in priming design), but using a foot valve on the 2″ suction hose is still recommended for drawing from ponds or wells – it helps the pump keep its prime between runs and blocks debris. In a home setting, a Versax pump paired with a 2″ foot valve strainer and a good suction hose can serve for wildfire sprinkler systems or irrigating a acreage from a creek.

Floating Pumps and Other Options – Flash Wildfire also sells specialized pumps like the PFP-6HP-FL Floating Pump (a lightweight pump that actually floats on the water’s surface). A floating pump comes with its own screened intake, so a separate foot valve isn’t needed in that case. However, for most trailer-mounted, skid-mounted, or portable ground pumps, you will select an appropriate foot valve as described above. Smaller hand pumps or backpack pumps generally use built-in check valves for priming (e.g., the Guzzler hand primer has internal check valves, but even its documentation notes that adding a foot valve can significantly increase suction lift capacity). Always match the foot valve size and thread type to your pump’s suction inlet size and thread standard (NPSH vs. NH vs. NPT) – the product listings and compatibility notes can guide you in choosing the right one.

Suction Hoses & Connectors

To actually use a foot valve with your pump, you’ll need a proper suction hose and possibly some adapters. Flash Wildfire Services offers a variety of hoses suited for home-scale pump setups:

Suction Hose Assemblies: You can get pre-made suction hose lines such as a 2″ x 10′ clear PVC suction hose with male and female NPSH threaded ends. This is a typical rigid (or semi-rigid) hose that connects from your pump intake to the foot valve in the water. PVC suction hoses are lightweight and adequate for moderate use. For heavier-duty or frequent use, rubber suction hoses are available (e.g. a 2″ x 10′ black rubber suction hose, 150 PSI rated, with NPSH couplings) – these withstand more abuse and remain flexible in colder temperatures. Hoses on the site come in common lengths (10 ft, 15 ft, etc.) and diameters (1.5″, 2″, 2.5″, 3″) to match the foot valves and pump sizes discussed.

Adapters & Fittings: Ensuring all components can connect may require adapters, especially if different thread standards or quick-connect systems are involved. Flash Wildfire Services stocks many hose fittings to bridge these gaps. For example, if you need to attach a 2″ NPSH female hose to a 1.5″ NH (National Hose aka “forestry”) male fitting, they have a Reducer Adapter – 2″ NPSH Female × 1.5″ Forestry Male in aluminum. Likewise, adapters exist to go from NPSH threads to camlock fittings (quick-release couplers) or to standard pipe threads (NPT), etc. There are also double-female or double-male adapters to join hoses, and swivel couplings that allow easy rotation when threading on a foot valve. When setting up a home pump system, you might use a 2″ double-female NPSH coupling to connect a male-ended foot valve to a male pump inlet, or a 2″ NPT to 2″ NPSH adapter if your pump has pipe threads. All these can be found in the “Adapters & Fittings” section of the shop. The goal is to achieve a secure, leak-free line from the water source (through the foot valve and hose) to your pump.

Using the right combination of foot valve + strainer, suction hose, and connectors will significantly improve the reliability of your pumping system. The foot valve keeps the pump primed and prevents the frustration of losing prime (and having to re-prime) every time you stop the pump. The strainer on it guards the pump impeller from damage by debris. And the hoses and fittings complete the path so you can draw water from wherever it’s available (pond, cistern, rain barrel, etc.) with confidence. All the products described above are actively sold on FlashWildfireServices.ca, making it a convenient one-stop source for homeowners preparing pumps for emergency wildfire protection or everyday water transfer needs.