Questions and answers about what to do if you have no water pressure at all:

Complete loss of water supply at a building.

These lost water pressure questions & answers help sort out the causes of water pressure problems and help determine if the problem appears to be at the water pump, pump controls, pump wiring, or the actual water source such as a private well or water storage tank.

Lost water pressure FAQs set #5

These questions and answers about total loss of water pressure were posted originally at NO WATER PRESSURE - diagnosis and repair advice. Be sure to see that article.

[Click to enlarge any image] Photo: the main water shutoff valve at a water pressure tank (white arrow).

On 2018-05-01 by (mod) - lost water pressure after pump was turned off for a time

Sounds as if there was a hidden problem such as a leaky well pipe or foot valve, so while pump was turned off you lost pump prime. See WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

for one way to proceed. That article links to alternative pump priming methods.

On 2018-05-01 by Tim Reeves

Turned the water main off in the crawl space to change hot water heater. Installed new heater turned the main back on and have no water coming back into the house. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

On 2018-03-03 by tyler

our power was off for 24 hours and when it came back on I had no water the pump would run but no preasure so I tried to prime it but it would never fill up I used probally 20 gallons of water

On 2018-01-21 by (mod) - don't confuse loss of water pressure with a water pressure tank issue

Trevor, a problem with the pressure tank itself would not prevent you from seeing ANY water in the house. But the tank's air precharge pressure might be to high.

Start by checking the tank pressure. If it's above the pressure switch cut-in pressure then the pump won't turn on.

On 2018-01-20 by Trevor

My pump appears to be working. The pressure witch is new. I have no water to my house. The tank feels light as if there is no water in it. If i hold the pressure switch to the start position for a minute or two I will hear water coming through the pipes. I can then let go of the switch and the contacts will stay closed.

But once I turn my faucet on the water pressure is good for maybe 20 seconds then drops and then no water. Could you give me ideas to what may be wrong? Is it possible the tank failed? I called the well drilling company and they jumped to the conclusion that my pump is bad and will cost $4500 for parts and labor.

But I didn't even get a chance to explain the situation before they gave me the quote so I am hesitant to hire them for a diagnoses.

On 2018-01-17 by (mod) - pump priming may be incomplete

Sometimes when priming a pump we think we've done adequate priming but need much more water - for example enough to fill not just the pump chamber of a 2 line jet pump but possibly also the "down pipe" into the well.

After priming, wait a bit, or run the pump briefly, then look again into the priming chamber; if it's dry more water is needed.

A leaky well pipe can cause this trouble too. Prime just leaks out.

On 2018-01-17 by Grj21973

I doubt that the well is dry..was working fine before I had to replace frozen/burst water lines under the home

.the last comment was from grj21973

Could it that it is frozen somewhere...temp have been below freezing at night for about two week. Is it possible for the suction line to freeze or the line running from well to the home. Would that cause it no to have no pressure? And also would I need to adjust the pressure switch? Thank in advance for responding

On 2018-01-16 by (mod) -

I suspect priming was insufficient, or a dry well

On 2018-01-15 by Grj21973

New pump and new pressure tank. I primed the pump but I still can't get no pressure on the gauge and no water in thed home. The pressure tank has 25psi of air. The pump runs but no pressure on the gauge and no water.... please help!

On 2018-01-14 by (mod) - If your pressure tank uses an internal bladder and water will not enter the tank the tank bladder may be stuck or defective.

If your pressure tank uses an internal bladder and water will not enter the tank the tank bladder may be stuck or defective.

If the check valve were at fault I would not expect holding the switch "up" to bypass that issue.

Turn off the pump
Drain pressure from the system

Check the pressure at the pressure tank. If tank pressure at that point is above the pump control switch cut-in setting then that will keep the pump from turning on. Set the pressure tank air pre-charge to 2 psi below the CUT IN pressure. EG a 20/40 cut-in / cut-out switch wants the tank precharge to be set to 18 psi.

On 2018-01-14 by Chrissy

Our pipes froze and we repaired everything but still couldn't get the bladder tank to fill. We replace the pressure switch and the bladder tank and still can't get the tank to fill.

If I hold the switch up then there is water coming out of the fixtures but once I let the switch go it stops. We have a submersible pump that we replaced a couple of years ago and our well is 210 feet deep.

My husband thinks it may be the check valve near the tank since it is about 30 years old. He says that he cannot see any leaking from the pipes when I hold the switch on. I have been without water about 3 weeks now and am extremely desperate. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

On 2018-01-07 by (mod) -

Claude,

If you have no water at fixtures in some areas of the home I suspect that there is another point at which the pipes are frozen.

Follow the pipes to see if you can spot the cold spot. A small amount of heat, from a hair dryer or even a light bulb will often do the trick.

Then see steps to avoid a repeat freeze-up found at https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pipe_Freeze_Protection.php

On 2018-01-07 17:18:26.178990 by Claude

Water froze over night, got it unthawed but toilet downstairs is working fine but have no water to any other fixtures can anyone tell me what the issue could be

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 WELL FLOW RATE

and
see WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT

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

Question: water pressure falls off when second faucet opened

(Sept 3, 2014) Anonymous said:

I have water pressure through out the house but my kitchen sink shut off when I tried to use the sprayer on the side I disconnected one of hoses and the water is floweing but not through focit I have no clogs in it don't know why I can't get one drop hot or cold?

Reply:

If you seem tho have usable water pressure but only when one fixture is running that suggests either clogged piping or limited flow rate from the well or pump.

Question: pressure falls to zero before the pump engages; delayed pump start

(June 22, 2014) Steve C. said:

I have a deep well (430'). The pump is over 15 years old. My problem is that when if hit the low pressure cut in at 30psi, the pressure switch engages normally but the pressure continues to drop all the way to zero. It takes about 15 seconds after the switch engages for water to start flowing into the pressure tank at which time the recovery seems fine

. I also watched the pressure gauge for about 30 minutes with no water draw in the house and it seemed to drop less tan 1psi. One other note is when the water pressure returns, I get a lot of air in the system.

Reply:

Interesting question.

If the pressure gauge is on the house side of the pump and controls, seeing no pressure drop when nothing is running suggests that there is no leak on the house side of any pump, controls, or check valves, but doesn't rule out a leaky well pipe or foot valve and loss of prime or problem with air volume controls.

If the pressure gauge is on the well side of house tank and pump controls and there is no pressure drop then that does argue against a leak in the well piping or foot valve.

Look for debris clogging of the sensor port on the pressure control switch - or try just replacing the switch and the connector tube that allows it to sense water pressure and let us know if that works.

Question: can a bad pressure regulator cause loss of all water pressure?

(July 13, 2014) Doyle said:

Can the pressure reducer valve get out of adjustment or go bad and no water flow thru it.

I have water at the shut off valve which is just before pressure reducing valve but none in the house at any outlet. No water leaks can be detected anywhere.

Reply:

Doyle,

Pressure regulators can fail - though usually the failure results in an unwanted increase in water pressure, depending on the product sure, it might clog and block flow.

Question:

(July 27, 2014) Ben Seguin said:

Hello,
My water system consist of a submersible pump with pressure tanks. The pump is about 15 years old but the tank and control are just over 1 year old. The systems works fine most of the time except when we happen to create a large water demand - shower, dish washing and flushing the toilet at at once.

IN that instance the control trip off and we loose all water pressure in the house. We then have to go to the control and reset the pump by using the small lever on the side of the control. Could use trouble shooting advice.
Thanks

Reply:

Ben,

From what you describe most likely the control is working properly, protecting the pump from damage by shutting the system down when your well is running out of water - when the demand exceeds the well flow rate. When you wait a time for well to recover the pump is then OK. Some pump pressure control switches require manual reset.

See

inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Protection_Switches.php

for details.

Question:

(Aug 6, 2014) sandy said:

the breaker switch shut off and then I flipped it back on and had water for a couple hours then off the switch went again. now this morning the switch is still on and I have no water coming in the house at all.

Reply:

Sandy

when a circuit breaker keeps tripping off we figure there is a real overcurrent on the circuit - an unsafe condition for which the breaker is doing its job. The problem could be a shorted wire or a motor that is failing, drawing high current.

I would leave the circuit off (avoiding a fire risk), and call a well plumber to test and inspect and fix.

Question:

(Aug 7, 2014) toni said:

Pump motor was loud so we replaced it then we had intermediate water pressure. Found a leak under holding tank, replaced tank still have intermediate water pressure. Pump keeps sucking air but we don't find any other leaks. Any suggestions?

Reply:

Search InspectApedia for "AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES" to see a diagnostic procedure that may explain the trouble you describe.

Either the pump is actually drawing air from within the well (low well water, missing safety controls), or there is a leak in piping or there is an old snifter valve or other air volume control that needs to be removed or replaced.

Question: pump only runs if bypass switch is held

(Dec 17, 2014) Shannon said:

Our well suddenly stopped giving us water one night. We tried resetting the switch the way we do when the power goes out and that did not work. The only time we got water was when the bypass switch was held.

So we got a new pressure switch twice (thinking the first replacement must be bad too) but are still only getting water when the bypass switch is held on.

We have checked and could find no blockages in the pipe leading to the pressure switch. What else might be wrong with it and how might we be able to fix it?

Reply:

Shannon

ask your plumber or well repair company to check the current draw of the well pump and check for a damaged pump, binding motor, damaged pump impeller, or low voltage.

Question: water came out blue

(Jan 11, 2015) mary said:
yesterday we had water pressure n then all of a sudden the water cane out blue and we had no water pressure at all does anyone have any ideas to help us?

Reply:

Blue water? If your home has a water softener or water treatment equipment I'd start checking there. Try putting that equipment in bypass mode temporarily and also check for clogged faucet strainers.

Copper can also give blue-looking water, for example if there were copper oxide deposits that were disturbed anywhere in the water system.

Question: effects on water pipes if power loss in low temperatures

(Feb 13, 2015) pris said:
what happens to water pipes if there is a power loss in very low temps

sorry, meant power loss to well and very cold temps

Reply:

The risk is frozen, burst pipes, water damage, etc.

Question: well pit cover left off means frozen pipes and no water

(Feb 15, 2015) Robert Martin said:
I came home after being away for 3 days. No water! It has been really cold. My pressure tank is in my crawl space, I thought I might have a frozen line coming into the tank, but pipes are very warm after heating them up.

The pressure gauge is reading 0psi and the pressure in the tank is 23psi. I am stumpped, looking for any suggestions or thoughts. I was thinking I might have bad pressure switch.

The house is new construction less than 6 years old. I don't think problem is inside pipes.

I have a filter whit a shut off before the filter (after the pressure tank) and one after the filter. When I shut the valve off just after the pressure tank and leave the valve open after the filter, water drains from house into filter.

When I reverse it I get no flow and 0psi on pressure gauge. No flow when they are both open and gauge is 0psi for everything. Thanks.

(Feb 16, 2015) Robert Martin said:
Figured it out. One of the kids this summer moved the cover to expose to well. It froze where the water pipe comes out of the well then goes into the ground. A little heat and about 500-600 feet of extention cord and walla!

Reply:

Good going Robert.

In a similar case years ago we found that adding even a small amount of heat - a 75W incandescent bulb - did the trick of preventing the controls and pipes in the well pit from freezing in bitter cold weather. Keep the kids out of the well pit anyway. What the heck are they doing in there? No, don't tell me.

Question: loss of water pressure traced to pipe leak

1 March 2015 Mike said:

Hi, I have a question. I have a problem with my water well. The pump is deep and is about three years old and the pressure switch/control box and pressure tank are about two years old.

Everything has been working great until today. Capacitor in control box looks intact and there is electricty going to pressure switch contacts and I can hear/feel the vibration from the pump but there is almost no water pressure.

When I close the output valve after the pressure tank, the well pumps up to around 35PSI.

I turned off power to the pump and it seems to be holding pressure ok. When I turn power back on and open the output valve the pressure stays up for 30 secs and then drops to zero and will not rise until I shut off the water valve. I can feel the pump turning the whole time, and I don't see any major water leaks further down the line.

Reply:

Mike

It can be tricky to diagnose a submersible pump, but there's some help.

Some pressure control switches will shut down the pump if it's pumping air, and other more sophisticated pump controls will detect various pumping problems and also protect the equipment.

Without opening the well or doing more diagnostics we aren't sure if the problem is the pump, the well, the piping.

1. I'd start by checking the voltage to the pump, then the current draw when the pump is running - see ELECTRIC MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE in the ARTICLE INDEX found at the end of this article.
2. If you have to pull the well pump check for a clogged or damaged impeller.
3. Also have you checked that there is no burst pipe [e.g. a leaky pipe or pipe connection] or open fixture downstream of the water pressure tank?

mike said:

update to previous question, I am able to partially close the water valve to stock up on water but am only able to acheive 10-15PSI before the pump cuts out, it is steady until flow rate reaches a certain breaking point.

I can still hear/feel the pump vibrating through the well housing top even when it cuts out. I'm guessing the problem won't be solved unless the submersible pump is pulled? Please confirm.

(mod) said:

It sounds as if you are getting minimal pump output.

YOu can do the electrical checks I noted before pulling the pump;

We don't yet know if the problem is pump problems or low well water flow rate.

I suspect ultimately you'll need to pull the pump and also to check the well water level and the foot valve.

Also watch for well piping leaks

Mike said:

update to problem, Well service came out and everything tested ok.

They say there is a leak after the well house. It took some investigating but there was a pipe underground at the far end of the property that had popped loose.

It was a simple fix with some PVC primer and glue. I suppose I underestimated the time it takes to pressure up to 50 psi when I was trying to troubleshoot the well. Thank you for your help. Case Closed.

(mod) said:

Thanks for the follow-up mike and on reminding everyone that leaks can be tricky to locate.

Question: replaced pump and lots of parts but we still have no water.

Hello! So my old pump died. so i got a new one. replaced it with a Unti-Tech Convertible Jet Pump.

It worked and then stopped. now the pump is new and has new Piping to the well. New pressure gauge. The well seal is new. The Hose is cleaned out and the jet is new with long jet inserted into it. A new foot valve.

My pressure switch is 40/60 and My bladder tank is at 38.5 psi. I replaced everything from pump to well I have NO WATER!

the pump is a 2 hole jet pump.Ive filled the the hoses at the top of the well seal up with water and primed the pump as well each time. Ive checked the wring to the pressure switch and haven't adjusted it at all due to it being preset to my bladder tank.

Could it be a broke pipe to the house?
Thanks in advance

Reply:

Could be a broken pipe between well and house, but I'd try priming the pump more effectively using our garden hose method if you have a close neighbour.

See PRIME the PUMP using a GARDEN HOSE as a place to start.

...

Continue reading at NO WATER PRESSURE - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see NO WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-6 - more-recently-posted questions and answers about total loss of water pressure

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• WATER PRESSURE INTERMITTENT LOSS
• WATER PRESSURE TABLE 1: PUMP WON'T RUN, WON'T STOP, or CYCLES
• WATER PRESSURE TABLE 2: PUMP RUNS, WEAK or NO WATER PRESSURE
• WATER PRESSURE TABLE 3: PUMP RUNS, NO WATER or INSUFFICIENT WATER
• WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR
• WATER PRESSURE STOPS, RETURNS
• WATER PRESSURE TOO LOW
• WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
• WATER PUMP WON'T START
• WATER PUMP WON'T STOP RUNNING

Suggested citation for this web page

NO WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-5 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS

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