Pump PressureSwitch Adjustment FAQs

How to get higher water pressure
Pump turns off too quickly after turning on

Pump Always Turns On Immediately Whenever Water is Run Q&A

Goulds jet pump 3/4 hp, pump always comes on right away when water runs

i have a jrs7 goulds jet pump 3/4 hp, recently i have been encountering a problem which i cant seem to rectify. my pump is set that immediately when any tap is opened it will come on and cut off when closed. it will run for the period while the water is being used but, the pressure however drops sometimes while in use to 0 psi on the guage resulting in the pump cutting off immediately and no water is being delivered.

i have changed the pressure switch and am still experiencing the problem. the thing no matter what i try while it is off it will not come back on until it feels like it then the guage will build back up to 45 psi and it will run for a while and then do the same again. please help - Shawn White 7/23/11

Reply:

Shawn, if a pump always comes on immediately when you open a faucet and shuts off when you close the faucet, your water pressure tank is water logged - it's lost its air charge. See the article titled WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD (links at the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article )

You might also have a problem of sediment clogging at the pressure sensing switch and gauge both - even if you replaced the switch if its mounting tube were clogged the problem would continue.

Need Higher Water Water Pressure: Adjust both Switch & Tank Precharge Pressure

Reverse Osmose system installed, needed higher water pressure - RO works at 39 PSI

Great site! I installed an RO system to replace an old RO that failed because of pressure (new permeate pump booster).

After I did this I wanted to increase house pressure, thought I'll boost the air tank from 30 psi to 50 psi, then I pulled the pressure line on the jet pump to clean.

What a nightmare! water everywhere, crud from the sensor, got it all back together, turned it on a start-stop cylcling!

Turned out the tank pressure was too high without adjusting the pressure switch.

After all the helpful info here I just started dropping the tank pressure down to 39 and the problem was solved! Thanks guys, next I might try raising the cut in cut off. - Alan McKee 8/17/11

Reply:

Alan, glad our water pressure articles were helpful. Indeed the pressure tank air charge is not what determines house water pressure - that's controlled by the pressure control switch, as you observed.

Water Pressure Drops Immediately When Pump Stops

Water pump cuts in at 28 psi and out at 42 - gauge immediately drops to 30 psi!

First of all, my apologies if this question has already been asked and answered, I'm new to the site. I believe I have a short cycling problem.

This is a cottage application. The pump cuts in at 28 psi and charges to about 42 psi and then cuts out.

When the pump cuts out the pressure on the gauge drops immediately to 30 psi. Then of course after a short water usage the pump cuts in and repeats the above.

The cycle used to be charge up to 42 psi, cut out and settle at 40 psi, draw down to 30 psi and then the pump would cut in. This problem started after I needed to replace a foot valve in the cistern. Do you think it's a pressure problem in my bladder tank? If so, how can I return it the original cycle described above.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide. - Dan Lowry 8/27/11

Reply: Waterlogged pressure tank

Dan that sounds like short cycling to me. I've often seen that a pressure gauge reads higher when the pump is running and drops at pump shutoff.

But when you add that running just a few gallons of water turns the pump back on, that suggests that the tank has lost its air charge.

If your tank really has an internal bladder, that's not supposed to happen. So if you have indeed lost the air charge, the bladder may be torn or damaged.

And remember that it's completely normal for water pressure to drop immediately after the pump stops running IF at that moment you're running water somewhere in the building.

If you are NOT running water anywhere (check also for hidden use like a running toilet) then there may be a water leak in well piping. - Daniel

Pump pressure goes up to 70 psi then immediately falls to 40 psi, many times a minute

When I flush the toilet my well pump cycles on to 70 lbs then right off and drops to 40 lbs and back on to 70 lbs then drops down to 40lbs and back on to 70 lbs.

It does this 21 or 22 times in a matter of just a couple of minutes then it stays at 40 or 39 lbs.

I think it's doing this the whole time the toilet is filling back up? What would cause this?? - Jim Gale 10/17/11

what can be wrong with my well i put a new pressurer swithch the blader tank is good not lossing air but pump cut on and off ever two min what do i have to do to fix the problem - Anon 3/1/12

The pump is new and the pressure tank is old and the pressure switch is new. I run the water the pump clicks on and off every 10 seconds. I can see condensation line above the half way line on the tank. Whats the problem? - Rep 6/5/12

My switch cycles constantly and finally (sticks and holds contact. Is this an air pressure problem in my water tank? - Martin 7/19/12

My well is for outdoor irrigation only and has a very small (maybe 3-5 gallon?) bladder tank and pressure switch set-up.

When I turn on a hose the pump clicks on and then off immediately, just a few seconds then the water pressure from the hose dwindles down and then the pump kicks back on just for a second and right back off so I get a burst of water then the dwindling again & it just keeps going like that.

Isn't the point of the pressure switch & bladder tank to make the pump stay on while water is running, keeping the pressure constant? What adjustment to the pressure switch should I make....increase or decrease the cut-on or cut-off point? - Jen 7/20/12

Reply:

I'm not 100% sure of course, but I don't think it's an air problem.

Short cycling of a water pump describes the pump turning on and off too often when water is running, but not a sticky or misbehaving pressure switch.

Burned switch contacts, a failing switch, a loose connection in the wiring, or a dirt-clogged sensor port on the pressure control switch base or in the tube that conducts water pressure to the switch are more likely at fault.

Martin when you swapped in the new switch, if you left a clogged tube on which the switch mounts or that feeds water pressure to the switch, even the sensor port on the new one could be blocked as well.

I'd also check voltage levels.

And that the pressure tank is not waterlogged.

Jen when the pump turns on and then immediately off it's as if there is no air in the pressure tank - so as water is not very compressible, the system reaches cutoff pressure immediately. If the irrigation system draws water fast enough, or if the pressure tank has an air charge, the symptom you describe should not occur.

Take a look at WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING. I think your water tank may be waterlogged.

Inconsistent water pressure at lawn irrigation system pump: pressure suddenly drops dramatically

I have a 1 HP Red Lion jet pump with a 30/50 pressure switch. The Pressure tank is properly set 2 psi below the cut in (set at 28 psi). I have confirmed that it holds air at 28 psi. I only use it to irrigate the lawn. The pump and pressure switch is about a month old (purchased brand new) and the pressure tank is 2 years old.

Here's my problem/question:

When I run one of the zones, the pressure will kick on at 28-30, but then starts to drop.

The pressure will fluctuate around 20-25 psi, and runs constantly at that pressure until the time is completed (usually 10-15 mins per zone). Every once in awhile it will decrease quickly to 20 psi then fluctuate back up to 25psi.

All my zones do this. I'm not sure why the pressure drops to 25 psi in the first place. Is it supposed to drop below the cut-in pressure at 30 psi?

When the pump zone is done and the pumps turns off, it properly cuts off at 50 psi, but as soon as it turns off at 50 psi and the pump is off, I notice the pressure will decrease to 45 psi and stop. Can anyone help diagnose my problem or help me come up with a solution?

There do not appear to be any leaks. The check valve is close to the pump and is a few weeks old. So not sure what else to check. Should I get a new pressure switch or increase the cut in pressure on the current one? Will that increase my pressure? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! On 2018-05-07 by Shaun

by (mod) -

Shaun

What you describe - running along at a lower pressure - is common when the usage rate exceeds the well and pump output capacity.

When that pressure suddenly falls dramatically I would look for either a debris clogged or sticking pressure control switch OR some water outlet usage that's opening up sporadically, such as an intermittent jam-then-open condition at one f your sprinkler heads.