Low water pressure blamed on low well level

We have been experiencing very poor water pressure recently. We had our plumber out a couple of weeks ago and were told that our well is critically low. We have ~100 ft well, and apparently only a few feet of water. He said the recovery rate was not keeping up with the demand, and that we would need to call a well driller.

Several people we have talked to say that although our water levels may be very low, this should not be causing the constant water pressure problems we have seen (pressure does not improve after several hours of non-use). We are hesitant to spend the money on drilling a new well if that is not the real (or complete) issue. Any opinions?

Do you have a whole house filter in line? Take out the filter, or put it in bypass. Do you have a water softener? Put it in bypass. Have you checked your pressure using one of those gauges that screws onto the hose bib? Do you have a pressure gauge at the pressure tank, if so, what is the pressure?

Rancher

No whole house filter. We do have a water softener and tried to put it on bypass a couple weeks ago before the plumber came out. We don't have one of those gauges, but currently the pressure at the tank is 44. A couple weeks ago it was all over the place- the plumber's assistant said it was 80 when he first showed up (apparently because the pump was continuously running, trying to meet demands?).

If the pressure was 80 psi then the pressure switch was not shutting off, or the gauge was wrong.

You need a pressure gauge you can rely on. You should also have a multimeter (voltmeter/ohmmeter).

I assume that you have a submersible pump. You should try to find what the capacity is, and if possible the model number. If the water is very low it could be causing the pump to deliver less pressure at the tank, but most submersibles have a lot of pressure margin.

With a reliable gauge, check the start and stop pressure settings of the pressure switch. Then, check the flow by running the pump and a hose bib with nothing else turned on and determine the flow (using 5 gallon bucket and a watch with sweep second hand) when the hose is adjusted to result in a steady constant pressure somewhere between the pressure switch settings.

After you have some of that data, come back with it and we can make some more suggestions.

How did the Plumber determine that your water level was low? Did he pull the pump and drop a weight on a string down the well and listen for the splash?

Do you know anything about the well depth, water level and where the pump is setting?

bob...

hp2 said:

We do have a water softener and tried to put it on bypass a couple weeks ago before the plumber came out. We don't have one of those gauges, but currently the pressure at the tank is 44. A couple weeks ago it was all over the place- the plumber's assistant said it was 80 when he first showed up (apparently because the pump was continuously running, trying to meet demands?).

Click to expand...

What does we tried to put the softener in by-pass mean?

If it isn't in by pass, it could be plugged up, and if you can't get the by-pass to go into by-pass, that proves a blockage or other type restriction problem etc..

Shut off the power to the pump and the water to the house. Drain the pressure tank.

Take your gauge off and replace it after cleaning teh nipple of any rust all the way down into the water line it is screwed into. A new gauge is like $5.00.

Then with the pressure tank drained, check the air pressure. It must be 29-28 psi, with no water in the tank, for 30/50 pressure settings.

This takes two people. Then turn on the water to the house and the power to the pump. Note the pressure reading when the pump shuts off. Then run water in a large sink or tub and watch the gauge go down noting the reading when the pump starts and shut off the sink/tub water. Note when the pump shuts off.

Then repeating the running water and shutting it off, adjust the pressure switch to on at 30 and off at 50. Short screw's nut is high switch setting only and the tall screw's nut moves both on and off. Use the tall one to move both on and off, and then fine tune the off with the short screw's nut. Tightening the nuts raises and loosening the nuts lowers.

Then if you still have a problem and you need to do more troubleshooting but you have a solid place to start from.

Bob NH: The plumber did say he adjusted the pressure switch when he was out. Our submersible pump (put in about 2 years ago replacing indoor jet pump) is a Goulds Pumps Model # 7GS05422.
How do we check the start and stop pressure settings for the pressure switch? When we remove pressure switch cover, are the settings obvious? Plumber checked flow, we don't think he recorded the flow rate, however we will try this bucket test.

Speedbump: Plumber did pull the pump and drop a weight on a string down the well and listen for the splash. He showed us the water level (we would guess less than 15 feet), well is about 100 feet (I *think* 108). Submersible depth is 95 feet.

Gary: We put the softener in by-pass a couple weeks ago, and the flow and pressure did not improve. Again, we think plumber adjusted the pressure switch, but will confirm.

We plan to try these recommended tests this weekend. Do we need to treat our water after opening the well (bleach)? And if so what quantities?

Apparently you don't have a gauge. If you did the pressures would be obvious.

If your Plumber pulled the pump and reinstalled it but didn't improve your pressure, he is a moron. He either didn't know what he was doing or he would have discovered what the problem was long before taking your money and leaving you with the identical problem. You need a pump man or well driller to check this out.

bob...

So, it is NOT true that low water level in the well can cause low pressure within the house?

low water level in the well should cause intermittent NO water pressure in the house.

Gary, I believe your suggestion is what did the trick. My husband had to manually backwash the softener (if I got that right- apparently it is a very old softener), and now our pressure is back to normal.

I don't quite understand what went on with the plumber. He is a reputable guy. They spent several hours and charged *SEVERAL* dollars to blame the issue on the well. I am guessing the well level must be a real problem also. If it is in fact as low as 10 or 15 feet of water, can we expect it to recover if we modify our usage temporarily? Or will we need to modify usage permanently? Or are we doomed to drill?

Thanks to everyone for the input and the recommendations.

If your pressure is normal now, I don't see where you have any problems. Except for the Plumber. That is a problem and he was a Moron. I would let him know that your husband had to fix what he was too stupid to figure out.

bob...