Quick Answer: For most residential submersible well pumps, a spring-loaded (poppet-style) check valve — like the Simmons 500SB Series (silicon bronze, about $30-$45) — is the right type, because it snaps shut fast enough to stop the water column above the pump from draining back into the well without causing water hammer. The trap: generic “check valve” listings are dominated by cheaper swing-style valves built for irrigation or sump use, and trade guidance from well-drilling publications is explicit that swing valves shouldn’t be used on submersible pumps because they close too slowly. Deeper wells (250+ ft) often need a second check valve further down the drop pipe, not just one at the pump.
A check valve is the one-way valve that keeps the water column above a submersible pump from falling back down the well every time the pump shuts off. Without it, the pump would have to re-pressurize the full length of pipe on every single start, which burns out motors and pressure switches far faster than normal cycling.
Check valves compared
| Valve | Type | Material | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simmons 500SB Series | Spring (poppet) | Silicon bronze | Most wells (best overall) | ~$30-$45 |
| Campbell CV-5TLF | Spring (poppet), with test taps | Brass | Diagnosing pressure without disassembly | ~$50-$60 |
| Flomatic 80DI | Spring (poppet) | Ductile iron, epoxy-coated | Deep / high-pressure wells | ~$60-$90 |
1. Simmons 500SB Series — Best Overall
Simmons 500SB Series Check Valve
- Spring-loaded poppet design closes fast enough to prevent the water-hammer problem that swing-style valves cause on submersible pumps.
- Silicon bronze construction resists corrosion from typical well water without the added cost of stainless steel or ductile iron.
- Sized for standard 1" and 1-1/4" drop pipe, matching the vast majority of residential submersible pump installations.
- A long-standing name among well contractors, so replacement parts and documentation stay easy to find years later.
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The 500SB is the safe default replacement for most homes: the correct spring-loaded type, a material that holds up to typical water chemistry, and sizing that fits standard drop pipe without special adapters.
2. Campbell CV-5TLF — Best for Diagnosing Pressure Issues
Campbell CV-5TLF Check Valve
- Same fast-closing spring-poppet design as a standard valve, with two threaded test ports built into the body.
- The test taps let a gauge check pressure on either side of the valve without breaking a union or pulling the valve out of the line — useful for confirming whether a weak-pressure complaint is the check valve, the switch, or the tank.
- Brass body handles most residential water chemistry, with a lead-free rating on current production models.
- Worth the extra cost mainly for anyone troubleshooting an existing system, not for a straightforward new-valve replacement.
The test taps are a real diagnostic shortcut: instead of guessing whether a pressure problem is upstream or downstream of the check valve, a gauge on each tap shows exactly where pressure is being lost.
3. Flomatic 80DI — Best for Deep / High-Pressure Wells
Flomatic 80DI Check Valve
- Ductile iron body with a higher pressure rating than typical bronze or brass valves, suited to the higher static pressure a long water column puts on a valve near the bottom of a deep well.
- Fusion-bonded epoxy coating adds corrosion resistance on top of the iron body, a step up from uncoated iron valves that pros avoid for well use.
- A common pick among professional well drillers for exactly this reason, per well-drilling trade coverage of submersible installations.
- Costs more than a bronze valve of the same size, which only pays off once well depth or pressure actually calls for it.
Stepping up to ductile iron isn’t an upgrade everyone needs — it’s a decision driven by well depth and the pressure rating the installation actually requires, not a universally “better” valve.
The naming trap: “check valve” search results are mostly the wrong type
Searching “check valve” on Amazon or at a hardware store turns up mostly swing-style valves — a hinged flap that falls shut under gravity — because that design is cheap and works fine for irrigation lines, sump discharge, and other applications where the flow reversal is gradual. A submersible well pump is a different case: when the pump shuts off, the water column above it reverses direction almost instantly, and a swing valve’s flap can’t fall shut fast enough to catch that reversal cleanly. According to well-drilling trade publications covering submersible installations, that lag causes water hammer — a sudden pressure spike that stresses pipe joints and can shorten pump life — and swing-style valves are explicitly not recommended for submersible pump use for this reason. A spring-loaded (poppet-style) valve closes on the reversal almost instantly instead, which is why every pick above uses that design rather than a swing flap, even though the swing version is often the cheaper, more prominent search result.
The second trap: one valve isn’t always enough
Most buyers searching “well pump check valve” picture a single part. For a shallow well, that’s usually correct — one valve mounted at or just above the pump handles the job. But for deeper wells, well-drilling guidance calls for an additional check valve roughly every 200 feet of drop pipe, because a single valve holding back the full weight of a long water column sees more wear and is more likely to leak over time than several valves sharing that load. A separate valve near the surface, just below the well seal or pitless adapter, is also standard practice to hold pressure in the pressure tank when the pump cycles off — see our well water pressure tank guide for how that tank-side pressure holds up. A 300+ foot well with only the single pump-mounted valve is a common setup to find under-protected during a service call.
How it fits with the rest of the pump system
The check valve doesn’t work alone — it’s one part of a chain that includes the pump itself, the drop pipe, the pressure switch, and the pressure tank. A stuck or failing check valve often gets misdiagnosed as a bad pressure switch, since both can produce short-cycling; see our best well pump pressure switch guide for how to tell the two apart. And on a 3-wire submersible setup, the check valve nearest the pump sits inside the well casing alongside the drop pipe, which is part of why pulling a 2-wire pump for any reason — including a check valve replacement at that location — is a bigger job than servicing a 3-wire system’s surface-mounted components; see our best submersible well pump guide for that 2-wire vs 3-wire tradeoff.
The bottom line
Match the valve type to the job first — spring-loaded, not swing-style, for any submersible well pump installation — then check whether a single valve at the pump is really enough for the well’s depth, since deeper wells typically need a second valve further down the line and a third near the surface. The Simmons 500SB covers the standard case, the Campbell CV-5TLF earns its higher price when diagnosing an existing pressure problem, and the Flomatic 80DI is worth it once depth or pressure actually calls for a higher-rated valve.
Prices are approximate 2026 figures — tap the buttons above to check the current Amazon price.