How to Diagnose & Repair Loss of Water Pressure from Municipal or Well Water Supply
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How to fix complete loss of water or water pressure/flow at a building: this article describes how to diagnose the total loss of water pressure and the need for water control, tank, piping, water supply main pipe & valve, or water well repairs.
The process of diagnosis and the costs of the repair are explained. Consumer advice on saving money on well repair costs is given here and includes a review of the parts and labor costs of a typical well pump and pressure tank replacement case.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
No Water Pressure or Flow? Diagnosis of Loss of Water Pressure which Does Not Recover on its Own
Here we give basic diagnosis for cases where you lose water pressure and it does not recover. Water flow in the building simply stops dead.
By contrast with these "no water at all" causes, if water pressure in the building gets very low or stops but later recovers,
you have an intermittent or other water system problem and you should see How to Diagnose Loss of Water Pressure which later Returns or Recovers "on its own".
Guide to Repair of Lost Water Pressure for Homes Supplied by Municipal or Community Water
- Is the Main Water Valve on? Has someone shut off the main water valve? Has someone been messing with the water pressure regulator? This is an adjustable water pressure which is often (not always) present on the piping at a municipal water supply pipe entry point ? If you cannot find your main water shutoff valve see WATER SHUTOFF VALVE LOCATION
- Has water been shut off in the neighborhood: is water off in your neighborhood. Sometimes work on the water mains leads to a shut down of all water in an area. Check with your neighbors and your water department.
- Is there a burst pipe? A pipe may be burst somewhere you don't see such as in a wall, crawl space, basement, or even outdoors. Listen at your water pipes for the sound of running water.
- Is there a frozen pipe? In freezing climates, even in a heated building a pipe might run through a cold location where freezing can stop water supply entirely or in a part of the building.
- Is there water pressure but the pressure and/or flow are poor?
- See our detailed water pressure diagnostic list at: WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
Guide to Repair of Lost Water Pressure for Homes Supplied by a Well
If the building water supply stops and takes minutes to hours to recover, you may have problem with the well flow rate. But the problem of lost water supply and pressure could be
more mechanical: a bad well pump. The well pump, in turn, could have been damaged or hastened to the end of its life by a bad water pressure tank which has caused well pump short-cycling. Short cycling of the pump motor can burn up the pump relay control.
Readers of this document should also see Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air,
stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety
- First Check the Pump and Well Basics:
- Is electrical power on at the pump: is power on for the water pump? Is the water pump running at all? Did lightning hit your pump or well?
- Is the water main turned off: Has someone shut off the main water valve?
- Is there a burst pipe? A pipe may be burst somewhere you don't see such as in a wall, crawl space, basement, or even outdoors. Listen at your water pipes for the sound of running water.
- Is there a frozen pipe? In freezing climates, even in a heated building a pipe might run through a cold location where freezing can stop water supply entirely or in a part of the building.
- See our detailed diagnostic list at: WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
- Well or water supply piping leaks: If inside the well there is a leaky or broken water line rising from the well pump, the pump could run but deliver less or no water to the building. If this defect is present, the system will not recover to normal operation on its own. For example, if a well piping connection in the well becomes totally disconnected or the pipe bursts
this condition occurs.
- Water pump failure or damage: If the well pump keeps running and you have no water it is also possible that the pump itself is defective, such as having broken internal parts so that the motor runs but the pump does not move water. But if the impeller blades in the pump are broken, the system would never recover. You'd have either no water or only very low pump output no matter what conditions in the well.
- If the water pump keeps running and you have no water it is also possible that you have a problem with the well or well piping or foot valve in the well -- maybe. See contrasting cases after this list. Turn off the water pump so that you don't burn out the motor. Some water pumps depend on having water inside the pumping mechanism to avoid wear or overheating.
Lost prime: Your well pump might have lost its prime - if the the well pump is not actually down inside the well, it probably needs water inside the well casing to start things going. See WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE.
A shallow well jet pump well line could have a bad foot valve (in the well) and so be losing prime. A leak in the well line can also lead to loss of prime. See Repeated Loss of Pump Prime for a discussion of well piping foot valves.
- If the well pump keeps running and won't turn off, but you do have water pressure in the home, possibly reduced water pressure, there could be several causes, but ultimately it means that either the pressure switch is not turning off the pump when it should, or the pump is not able to pump water pressure up to its cut-out setting.
A well pump pressure switch failure can also cause the water pump to fail to turn off - say if someone has adjusted that control to ask the pump for higher pressure than it can achieve.
If no one has adjusted the pressure control switch, it could still be a problem if its pressure sensor is clogged with debris or if another problem is keeping it from turning off. See step 6 below.
Well flow deteriorated: This symptom may also occur if the well flow rate has deteriorated - that is, water is running from the ground into your well more slowly than your pump pumps it out. You might see this especially if you have just installed a new, more powerful well pump on an older well that previously seemed just fine. Or it may occur in dry weather or for other reasons such as nearby blasting that has changed the ground water level. See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
Well piping leak: This symptom may also occur if there is a leak in well piping between well and building - the well pump in the well may be working fine but not all of the water is reaching the building because it's leaking into the earth or back into the well. See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR and see See Repeated Loss of Pump Prime for a discussion of well piping foot valves.
Well pump damage: the well pump may be damaged itself, a broken impeller or an air leak - preventing it from reaching full pressure. See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
- If the water pump has shut itself off and the pump motor does not restart, the well pump may have tripped an internal or external overload switch, circuit breaker, or fuse.
Check the fuse or circuit breakers supplying power to the water pump.
Check the pump motor reset button:
If the pump motor is accessible look on the motor for a red or yellow reset button that may have popped "up" indicating that the motor's overload protection
circuit has activated.
When the pump motor cools you may be able to reset this button and the pump may run and deliver water but further diagnosis
is needed as this problem will recur.
Check that the pressure control switch is trying to turn on the pump - see the next step below.
Check the pump wiring and starter capacitor. See Jet Pump Troubleshooting Guide for more tips for a well pump that won't start.
- Problems with the well pump water pressure control switch: such as sticking "on" or "off" or working irregularly may be diagnosed by these articles:
- How to Adjust Water Pump Pressure: The detailed, step by step procedure for inspecting and adjusting the water pressure control switch is
discussed in detail at ADJUST PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL.
- Diagnosing Water Pump Short Cycling on and off: If your water pump is clicking on and off too often or quite rapidly see SHORT CYCLING.
- Diagnosing Water Pressure Drops without explanation when the pump stops, see Water Pressure Falls Slowly, Erratic Pumping: bad pressure control switch, building water running or leak, bad pressure gauge, bad check valve, bad foot valve.
- Diagnosing & Repairing Lost Air in the Water Tank: The problem of lost air in the water pressure tank along with how to correct that condition are discussed
beginning at SIGNS OF AIR LOSS.
- Diagnosing & Repairing a Water Pressure Control or Water Pump Control Switch: We discuss diagnosing and repairing a water pressure control switch that sticks "on" or "off" or simply won't operate, at water pump Pressure Switch Repairs.
- If the pump is inside the well you can't see these conditions directly but an electrician or plumber can do some diagnosis from the building by noting the amperage draw on the pump circuit.
- Problems with well casing or well flow and recovery - loss of ground water and many other causes of loss of water are discussed at our comprehensive article: WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
- Problems with water treatment equipment can cause loss of water pressure or no water flow: a completely clogged water filter, or a malfunction in water disinfection or other water treatment equipment can cause a reduction in water pressure or a complete stop in water flow in a building. For example a UV -ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT TREATMENT system may include an automatic shut-off valve (a "normally closed solenoid") that turns off water flow in the building if the UV bulb burns out or falls too low in intensity. Also see WATER FILTERS for details about clogged filters, and see WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES for our complete list of types of water treatment equipment.
- Is there water pressure but the pressure and/or flow are poor?
- See WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR
- See Bad water pressure Clogged Pipes & Water pipe clog repair guide
- See WATER FILTERS if you have a water filter installed
- If water pressure is intermittent or varies in flow rate, see Water Pressure Intermittent
- See our detailed water pressure diagnostic list at: WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
Readers of this document should also see Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air, stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about fixing complete loss of water pressure at a building
Question: after fixing a plumbing leak water pressure was intermittent, now there is no pressure at all
My tank has a bladder. I had a leak and replaced the pipes with copper on the inside of my house . 2 Weeks ago after the leak was fixed I had an air bubble in the line where water would suddenly stop for a second and then come back on and then there was water underneath the water tank. Now I do get water but no pressure it is reading 20 lbs of pressure. I have no pressure plz help - Peggy
Reply:
Peggy I'm not quite clear on your question nor the relation between your mentioning the bladder tank (water pressure tank with an internal bladder) and air bubble in the line, and water under the water tank. Here are some comments that might help sort this out:
If you have no water pressure in the house but see 20 psi at your pressure gauge - you could have a bad or stuck water pressure gauge. Try tapping gently on the gauge or replace it. Gently GENTLY rock the water tank - if it is empty it will move easily (don't wiggle it around and start a water leak).
If the water pressure tank is empty then your pump or pump control are not sending water to the tank, or a well line is disconnected, or the well was running dry.
Sometimes we get air in water lines when the pump is drawing down the water level in the well so fast (the well recovery rate is so poor) that the pump picks up some air.
Question: our well pump acted up and now quit completely
Hi, our water pump has been acting up recently. And today around 10 o' clock it completely stopped pumping any water into our house. But we don't know what the problem is. - Jimmy
Reply:
Jimmy if our list of things to check first to figure out why you've got no water pressure are not clear, ask me as specific a question as you can and I'll try to help. If none of that information makes sense to you or doesn't help, it looks as if you want to call a plumber promptly. Try reviewing the water pressure loss diagnostic steps summarized in our WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE. .
Question: water pressure stops completely, then returns six hours later
I have very low pressure in the house and all outside faucets. I checked the pressure gauge and it is at 0. I checked the top of the pressure tank and air came out. I can also hear water running through the pipes. Any ideas? - Adam
strangely enough pressure returned about 6 hours after we lost it. Now the gauge shows shows pressure at 50 and if I run water it slowly drops down to 30 before kicking back on. Seems to take about 5 minutes.
Reply: how to check and then improve well yield
Adam the behavior you describe is often what we see when a well flow rate has fallen to be very poor. It sounds as if the well yield has failed; it is possible to restore yield without drilling a new well if your plumber confirms that this is the problem.
See How Much Water is In the Well? and see How to Get More Water From a Well
Question: what happens if we set the well pump pressure control switch to a level higher than the pump can reach?
"A well pump pressure switch failure can also cause the water pump to fail to turn off - say if someone has adjusted that control to ask the pump for higher pressure than it can achieve." What should you do if someone has been adjusting the control & caused this problem? Is there a way to un-do what they have done? - Jess
Reply:
Certainly, Jess. If the pump cannot reach the pressure setting the problem could be the limits of the pump capacity itself, or the well yield may have deteriorated. See WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING.
Adjust the pump pressure control switch to drop the cut-off pressure down until it is at a pressure the pump can achieve (and thus will turn off). Then set the cut out just a few psi below that point to be safe. See PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH ADJUSTMENT.
Question: we lost all water pressure after a power outage, even when electricity was restored
Hi,after a power outage that lasted the entire day, I now have no water at all. I'm new to all of this, so please bear with me. Although, thanks to your very informative site I'm learning. I have a single line jet pump and am not sure what the depth of the well is. I tried to reprime with no success, so had a well person check it out. He spent over an hour adding water, turning the pump on and off, gradually bringing the water and pressure back up to the top.
Right as he was ready to give up it worked, and water was flowing strong out of the faucet. It didn't last long though, and he said there must be a crack or hole in the piping of the well, which is letting air in. What I don't understand is I had water before the pwr outage with a supposed cracked or damaged pipe. So since he got the water back up to the top and flowing, why wouldn't it continue and keep the prime since it was before?
He advised that since the well is older (25 years) and the cost to find out what is wrong with it would be $1500 plus the cost of repair, that I would be better off having a new well dug, which is $3800.
I looked into claiming it on my insurance, but was told it had to be caused from a lightning strike, not just a pwr outage. Is it a possibility that whatever is wrong could have been caused by lightning, and if so, how could it be confirmed? - Valora
Reply:
Valora:
if a well has taken a lightning strike that caused damage usually there would be visual evidence such as burning or melted components.
But in your case the one line jet pump is in the house not in the well; a lightning strike at the well casing might still affect the pump IF the piping between well and house is metal. Or if lightning struck the home electrical system or power lines causing a surge.
But in those cases if the pump was damaged I'd expect it not to run.
I suggest that if you haven't done so, see if the well is HOLDING prime after it has cycled off; if water is leaking back down into the well, the piping or a foot valve or other check valve may be what needs replacement - hardly a reason to drill a new well.
Watch out: I would not go for drilling a new well before we have an accurate diagnosis of the problem. It would be maddening to pay thousands of dollars for a new well only to find that the original problem was a bad electrical connection in the original equipment.
Question: lost water pressure; why is the pump relay switch tripping off?
I cam home from work and the water tank appeared to be full. Much to our surprise water suddenly stopped flowing. I hit the reset on the pump relay and also hit the manual override on the pressure switch.
Pump started back up but on its way to filling the tank I heard the pump relay switch trip again.
Any idea on what would be tripping the pump relay switch?
Reply:
Jeff,
Your pump will shut off if the pressure switch is working properly and it senses that pressure has reached the "cut out" pressure (typically 40 or 50 psi). If the water tank is water logged (lost its air charge) then that happens very quickly.
A full water tank means it's lost its air charge. Take a look at WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD.
Question: intermittent loss of water pressure - pump goes off, then comes back on
OK, So I have been having some serious difficulties with my water.....A few days ago the water just went out....maybe a small trickle of water out of all faucets....a couple hours later, everything was fine, without me touching a thing. It lasted for about 10 mins, then went out again. The gauge reads right around 60 PSI non stop, hasn't dropped below 55 PSI that I have seen, but still, no pressure in the house our hose connection that is after the pressure adjustments, and before the tank. I replaced the control box and it worked for another 20 mins, then just died, and I can see the capacitor kickin out a dark goo. I have been all over the net trying to isolate the problem to save myself a few grand, but I keep seeing sooooo many different things people say could be wrong, and I just don't know where to start.....can anyone help?!?! - Larry
Reply:
Larry, your well pump may be turning itself off due to overheating; some pumps, particularly submersible units, include an internal thermal overload switch. If the pump motor overheats the relay turns off the pump to avoid more costly damage. When the motor cools down the relay resets itself on its own .
If this is what's happening, you will want a diagnosis of the cause.
- A failing pump assembly or motor
- Loss of water flow into the well itself - pump running dry
- Something else
Question: After moving the water tank we can't get any water into our cabin
We moved our fresh water tank at the cabin from our driveway above the cabin to under the cabin. The pump has always been located under the cabin. Now the tank sits a few feet below pump level and we cannot get water to the cabin. The tank water level is slightly below the pump. - Pat
Reply:
Pat, I don't have a clear picture of where all of your equipment, controls, and pressure sensing switch are located. But I agree that if a problem shows up after moving equipment, I'd start diagnosing the problem by a review of exactly what was changed. With so little information on your setup I have to suggest you start with a look at our water pressure problem diagnostics at WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR or at the summary found at WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE
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Technical Reviewers & References
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- Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Moorabbin Office: Kingston Trade Centre, 100 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
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- Smart Tank, Installation Instructions, Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf [Copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] -
- Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf, [Copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect_Jet_Pumps_1.pdf ] -
- Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf, [Copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect.pdf ] -
Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
- Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air, stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
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