It's always primed and I do check it/ flush about once a week or two.
Never lost it's prime in the 10 years it's been there.
What type of hand pump is it? I want to put one on our well as we lose power at least 4 times a year and while (so far that is) it is not for long periods of time, it is a pain in the butt. I have seen brand new "old looking" deep well pumps and one that is a
new stainless steel pump and well the newer looking one is about 1/2 the price of the old fashioned looking one but the older looking one is just so in keeping with our 100+year old house. So now I have been asking everyone. Some folks thought that I was :nuts: to even think about it bu then the recent power outages in just the windy weather had them telling me that it might be a good thing to have a hand well pump in the neighborhood! I thought about telling them to "go buy one themselves!" But, I was nice instead..
ETA:by the way the well is only 116feet down so it is not too deep but deep enuf for the little cheaper pumps not to work.