This replacement check leather is the lower of the two leather discs that wear out over the working life of a shallow well or pitcher pump. The check leather sits at the base of the pump cylinder and creates the watertight seal that lets the pump draw water up the drop pipe on each stroke. When this leather wears, cracks, or stiffens with age, the pump starts losing prime and pulling weak water flow — at which point replacement is the only fix.
Sized 3-1/2 inch outer diameter — measure your existing leather or the cylinder base diameter before ordering to confirm fit. Check leathers are typically about 1/2 inch wider than the suction cup leather (the other leather in the pump) — so don’t confuse the two when ordering replacements. Both wear out roughly together; many pump owners replace both simultaneously when rebuilding the pump.
Quality leathers are always preserved with oil during manufacturing, which may cause an oily film or smell during the first few weeks of use. This is normal and dissipates as the leather settles into its working position. For households with hand-pump or pitcher pumps for off-grid water supply, this is the right kind of consumable-restock purchase. Lehman’s catalog selection.
