Bad Water Pressure Diagnostic FAQs

Q&A about weak or lost water pressure #3

Weak Water Pressure After Exhausting The Well - Is it the Pump or the Well?

OK, this is my problem. Woke up on 4th of July with very low water pressure.

Could not find a leak. Shut off power to well and called a well man.

Did a pressure test at the wellhead and said pressure was slowly rising but struggling from a possible leak.

Fast forward, found a hose to the end of the property got turned on and ran all night from around 7 pm to 10 am.

Pressure came back up and cycled like it should. Well man said to let it rest for a couple of hours.

Actually let it rest for a couple of days.

Before all this, had great water pressure, could run a full washer and water pressure would be up.

Now, water slows down to a trickle when filling the washing machine.

I don't know how old the pump, or pressure tank is, was here when I moved here 13 years ago. New pressure switch approximately 5 years ago. Tank is under house and can't exactly reach it to check the tank. When you take a shower now, you can feel the water pressure kick on which it didn't do previously.

Meaning, I can feel the well kick on because water pressure goes back up. I can hear the pressure switch short cycling, which I never did before. I can by pass all of this if it's the tank. I have a new setup, which includes a CSV (cycle stop valve) and a new small bladder tank.

I just need to know if it's my pump. Like I said, don't know the age of it.

The well guy who was here cost me $300 for the hour and a half he was here on the holiday.

If it is the pump, need to find a reasonable well company that isn't going to charge me 5K to change the pump. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks On 2020-07-14 by Audrey

Answer by (mod) - probably the pump

Audrey

From what I can read in your note, we have the following concerns:

We surely would agree that if you've given the well plenty of time to recover its water and you still have poor or no water pressure then most likely there's something feels wrong.

1. Damaged pump impeller:
   
   The most likely explanation is the running your pump continuously for a very long time may have damaged the pump impeller or motor so the pump simply can't deliver water under is fishing pressure. On occasion the impeller can be cleaned cleared or repaired. Or the problem could be with the pump motor itself./li>
2. Piping or Casing Leak to be found:
   
   It's also the case that you could still have a leak or water running somewhere that you haven't found - a leak in well piping, leak in the well casing, or elsewhere
3. Aquifer has fallen:
   
   On occasion we can exhaust a well and it does not recover - for example the water table has dropped. To continue this digression I've seen that happen in Mexico when a large factory farm moved into an area where they were small farms.
   
   The factory farm pumped so much water and dropped the aquifer so far that the local wells all simply went dry. You can drive down the highway and see all the dead trees. The only solution: drill deeper wells and keep taking out water until the aquifer is exhausted.
   

See also WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLE STOP VALVE to protect your pump from damage in teh future.

Why is water pressure good in some areas of the house and not others?

My water pressure in the kitchen is great but my end of the house the toilet sink or shower none work however on the other end of house it's fine.. it's like the pipes on my end don't even try to draw any water..Pls help On 2019-12-30 by Anonymous

Suggestion by (mod) -

If the elevations are all the same then the difference is more likely to be due to clogged pipes or a partly closed valve or clogged elbow in piping.

Wrong water tank air pre-charge means pump never runs

My water tank is pre-charged to 38 psi, gauge is 30/60, and we have no water

My well electric and pipe an tank were blown over in a storm.

I have fixed everything all new pump switch and gauge.

The water pressure tank is charged to 38 psi.

The pump pressure control is a 30-50 unit.

When power turned on gauge raises to 30.

Turn on faucet fast and water stops and gauge drops to zero. What should i do? On 2017-03-22 by Amy

by (mod) - Wrong water tank air pre-charge

Amy

This is a submersible pump, right?

Start by correcting your pressure tank air pre-charge.

A water pressure tank air pre-charge should be 2 psi below the pump pressure switch CUT-IN pressure (30 psi in your case). So you water tank is over-pressurized.

That means that the pressure switch never thinks that the water pressure has fallen low enough to turn on the pump.

Details:

If your pressure control is a 30/50 switch, then the air precharge pressure in the tank (when water has run until no more comes out while the pump is switches OFF) should be 2 psi below the cut-in pressure. That means your air pre-charge needs to be 28 psi.

When you set the tank pre-charge pressure ABOVE the pump CUT-IN (38 is above 30) then the switch thinks there's plenty of water and it'll never turn on the pump.

Water pressure gauge shows normal pressure but flow is weak at the faucets

I have a well system with bladder tank. Recently experience low pressure at faucets. Pump runs and gauges shows normal where do I start. On 2016-06-22 by Mike

Probable Solution by (mod) - clogged faucet aerator/strainer

Look for clogs in the system starting by pulling off those sink faucet aerators.

If you see good water flow with the faucet strainer/aerator removed, try soaking the aerator in vinegar to soften any mineral build-up, then disassemble the aerator and clean its screen and othe rparts.

Pump Pressure Switch Doesn't Turn Pump On or Off at Proper Pressure

Signs of a Clogged Pressure Switch or Pressure Switch Sensor Tube

Water flow stops, returns, pressure tank leaks, relief valve blows: is my well going dry?

Water goes off and doesn't come back on right away even when pressure tank seems to have water in it.

There is a steady leak from the bottom of the pressure tank where the pump is connected.

Could this leak be causing my system to run dry?

Also my pressure relief valve keeps blowing on the water heater for a minute at a time every day. On 2016-03-01 by Nick Wellenstein

by (mod) - Safety Warning & Diagnostic comments

Nick

In addition to a leaky pressure tank that needs repair (if it's a fitting) or replacement (if the leak is in the tank itself or if its bladder has failed), do you think your well may be suffering a low flow rate?

What pressure relief is blowing?

Watch out: if the leak is from the pressure relief valve at the water tank? If so check for water hammer (search InspectApedia.com for WATER HAMMER) and watch the pressure gauge to confirm that your pump is not delivering over pressure (that is unsafe).

Abnormally high water pressure (causing leaks at the water heater) AND failure of the pump to turn on when it should could BOTH be caused by a debris-clogged water pressure control switch for your pump.

The switch doesn't properly sense water pressure when it falls NOR when it gets high.

Replace the pressure control switch and clean or replace the tubing that conducts water pressure to the switch.

by Nick Wellenstein: water heater relief valve leaks - not from overheating

Its the water heater pressure relief valve that blows. It did it on the old water heater as well.

How do I know if the leak is the fitting or the pressure tank? It drips from the connection.

by (mod) - safety warnings

From your note I suspect a water hammer problem though other pressure surges can also open the relief valve (in addition to over temperature of course).

Dry the water tank and then inspect the tank carefully to see exactly what's leaking.

Watch out: a leaky water heater relief valve can eventually clog and then your water heater is very unsafe, risking a BLEVE Explosion! Water hammer can also cause relief valves to leak. But if the leak is continuous then there's bigger problem. If the water pressure in your plumbing system is less than the pressure rating of the water heater relief valve and the valve is leaking, there's an overheat or another problem at the water heater.

Whole house water filters can cause low water pressure.

Whole house water filters can cause low water pressure. if it gets too much sediment, it can lower water pressure.

This can happen even if you have just changed your water filter. For example, a line break can fill the water with sediment, which when it hits the filter clogs it immediately.

This happened to me. If you have low water pressure and a whole-house water filter, check the filter and see if it looks brown. If so, replace the water filter and check the pressure at faucets. On 2015-11-10 by Michael T Robinson

by (mod) -

Thanks, we agree. A quick diagnostic is to remove the cartridge and check water flow before installing a new filter. Readers should also check other obvious clog points such as faucet strainers.

We have to change the water filter everyday or we have no pressure

Hi there, (I have a filter in my home but do not have a filter at the well)

We just bought a home and it seems that we have to change the filter everyday or we have no pressure at all.

When we change the filter it's disgusting in mud and sediment. Then we have pressure for a little bit of the day then goes back out. What would cause the well to not be working properly. When I cut the faucet on I have no water, but I go out to well and I turn it on the water comes out there. On 2017-07-14 by Jessica

by (mod) - sediment clogging is the most likely cause

Jessica,

I suspect that there is a problem with the well or its water supply, or less likely a well piping leak. Sediment will quickly clog a water filter unless it is properly sized for the building's whole water supply, and sediment may also be clogging your faucet strainers and shower heads.

Before installing a larger fancier sediment filter I would want a well expert to look over the well itself to see

- if there is damage to the well casing (admitting mud and sand)

- if the water level in the well is sufficient that the pump or water pickup is sufficiently above the well bottom so as not to pick up sediment from the very bottom of the well

- that there is no piping damage

Then we can decide (if the water supply is adequate in quantity or flow rate but dirty) what water treatment is needed.

Meanwhile try cleaning some faucet strainers and shower heads.

by Jessica Davidson

Thanks for the reply and yes we're gonna have to get someone out here to look at it. It's just frustrating because we just bought the home and the well is not covered under warranty. We have only been in home 2 weeks :/

by (mod) -

The folks who write the terms of warranties know perfectly well from field data what parts have what failure rates on their products, thus they are able to determine which items are most-likely to cost the insurer and thus which they may prefer to exclude from warranty coverage.

For this reason in my OPINION I'm not a big fan of home warranty policies, viewed more as a comfort-giving marketing tool than extensive protection from expensive surprises.

More about the limitations of some warranties is in this example: WARRANTIES for ROOF SHINGLES at https://inspectapedia.com/roof/Roof_Warranties.php

It's unfortunate that no water test or septic test (that would have run some volume of water) found the condition of the well earlier - not as a reason to avoid buying the home but rather to reduce the surprise that was coming.

Let me know what you're told about the well and we may be able to offer other suggestions