Low Water Pressure

My house has low water pressure and I was hoping to get some help either diagnosising the problem or coming up with a fix. Here are the details.

Our well is in a pit beside the house. The well has a deep-well jet pump that (my guess) is about 8 years old. The problem first became apparent because the pump was running all the time (should have seen the electric bill). I did the following:

Checked the water inlet to the pressure cutoff switch, which was clear.
Checked the pressure cut off switch itself, it was fine. I had replaced it a couple of years before and it still looked fine and it worked fine when I manually actuated it.
Checked the pressure in the well tank (with the tank empty) and it was as expected about 2 pounds below cut-off, or 28 pounds of air pressure on the 30-50 PSI pressure switch.
At this point, I felt like I could either replace the switch w/ a 20-40, but didn't want that low pressure.
I then adjusted the internal screws so that the pump cycles. It now cycles between ~25 and 35 psi. Readjusted the air pressure, so everything is fine, except the water pressure stinks. So I'm left with a couple of questions:

Why the original drop in pressure? Pump used to cycle just fine at 30-50.

Another odd thing, unrelated but annoying is that most of the house has ok (though low) flow, the kitchen has annoyingly low flow. The kitchen and the external spigot outside the kitchen were part of an addition and are furthest away from the well. This has always been this way and is real annoying with the pressure drop. Ideas?

Is there anything that I can do to boost the pressure? In internet searches, I've seen these "Pressure Booster Systems" (Torrium, Davey), basically a booster pump that you put on the outlet of your well pump. Are these any good? Replace the well pump w/ another jet? Replace the well pump w/ a submersible? Like the booster pump idea, because I hate messing with a well that gives water just fine and it seems the least expensive of the options.

Anyway, if folks want to weigh in on other things to try and/or whether anyone has had good experience with a booster and if so, which brand, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

For better pressure, replace the deep well jet with a submersible, at 8 years old it is nearing it's end of life anyway. For better pressure in the kitchen, check the screen in the faucet, other than that you could run a separate line to the kitchen.

Rancher

Any thoughts on these pressure boost pumps? Literature says that it can boot pressure to 60 or so PSI.

I have no personal experience with them, I've heard nothing good about them, that said, I'm not sure why they won't work, some have said if you don't have the water in the first place...how are you going to boost it.

My adding a pump experience is limited to a solar system, where one pump wouldn't produce the flow it was rated at, I added another pump in series with it and wa-la, more flow. But then I had unlimited water at the source of the pumps, you will still be limited by what the deep well jet can produce, you will gain some flow because you are reducing the head pressure for the jet pump.

Give it a try, and report back.

Rancher

Your problem is in the Jet assembly!

More than likely something is partially plugging the nozzle in your jet assembly or the nozzle is washed out from wear. I suggest you replace the jet assembly (not the pump).

Low pressure in the kitchen sounds like the plumbing pipes are to small.

A booster pump is just a place for another problem.

The best overall solution is to install a submersible pump if possible. It will give you the pressure, volume and be the least troublesome now and in the future.

Is this about you?

Mr. Spaceman
The Byrds

Woke up this morning with light in my eyes
And then realized it was still dark outside
It was a light coming down from the sky
I don't know who or why

Must be those strangers that come every night
Those saucer shaped lights put people uptight
Leave blue green footprints that glow in the dark
I hope they get home all right

Hey, mr. spaceman
Won't you please take me along
I won't do anything wrong
Hey, mr. spaceman
Won't you please take me along for a ride

Woke up this morning, i was feeling quite wierd
Had flies in my beard, my toothpaste was smeared
Over my window, they'd written my name
Said, so long, we'll see you again

Hey, mr. spaceman
Won't you please take me along
I won't do anything wrong
Hey, mr. spaceman
Won't you please take me along for a ride

Hey, mr. spaceman
Won't you please take me along
I won't do anything wrong
Hey, mr. spaceman
Won't you please take me along for a ride

You can't boost something that isn't there. Your jet is doing all it can to get you the amount of water and pressure you have. You can't help it with another pump behind it to increase volume. I have never seen a jet pump get above 30 psi with a plugged jet, so unless your gauge is inaccurate (which wouldn't be a hugh surprise) it might be something else. Like a drastic drop in water level.

If your well is large enough for a submersible so like the other guys recommended. You will see a night and day difference in pressure.

bob...

speedbump said:

You can't boost something that isn't there.

Click to expand...

Bob, you keep saying that, and I choose to disagree, pumps are like batteries in the electrical world, you add two in series and you get twice the voltage (pressure).

In this instance, if you put a second pump in series with the first, then the first pump is no longer pumping against the air pressure of the bladder tank, and since the second pump is not having to draw the water up out of the well, it can create greater pressure.

It works for my solar system...

Rancher

Your right, you will get the pressure from the first pump plus the pressure from the second pump. The max pressure from each pump can be added together to get total max pressure. Problem is, you can't get any more volume that the first pump is giving, so you don't have any more pressure until you use less water than the first pump can produce. Make sense?

bob...

Not really... because if you look at a pump head curve, you will get more water (volume) at a lower head pressure, as you increase in head pressure, your volume goes down. So if you have 1 GPM at 60 psi of tank pressure, what you're saying is that you still have 1 GPM at a much lower pressure (5psi) into the second pump.

Rancher

What you don't understand is: Let's say this guy is using 6 gpm at 30 psi. The pump can't do anymore than the 30 psi, because 6 gpm is all the jet pump can produce at 30 lbs of pressure. So; if you add a second pump (centrifugal, single stage, two stage, jet or booster type pump, it will not pull any more water from the well than the jet pump is already pulling because it's maxed out. No more pressure can be made because no more water is available to make more pressure.

bob...

How many GPM was that jet pump making at 0 psi, i.e. no pressure tank?

Rancher

Not much, since deep well jet pumps need backpressure to operate. Even though the gauge pressure by the tank is at zero, there is still 30 or more lbs on the pump and the pipes going to and in the well.

bob...

Thanks

Finally got back to my pressure issues and this thread. Thanks to all for the response(s). Sounds like the best solution is not to complicate my life and replace the jet pump with a submersible. Frankly, I'm a bit out of my league and would likely call a well company.

Anyone want to venture at a ball park $ figure?

Anyone want to venture at the risks associated with this replacement? I have this fear that I am not leaving well (excuse the pun) enough alone. Assuming that I use a reputable firm, do these replacements usually go smoothly? Thanks again

pump

If the pump is shot, then it will never raise the pressure to a higher setting and will run "forever" possibly getting overheated in the process. It would also work harder to achieve a lower pressure although it would eventually turn off. A second "booster" pump would just address the symptoms, not the disease. Get a new pump of some kind it wouldn't matter which kind, or have yours rebuilt/repaired.

You would never add a booster pump to a well system, upgrading the existing pump is what you do.

If you want to install a submersible pump, you need to find out what the diameter of your well is. It needs to be 4 inches or bigger.

If it is the right diameter, you can spend anywhere form 1800.00 to 3000.00 depending on how deep the well is, if your tank needs to be replaced, casing extended above grade,electricity upgraded to 230 volts etc.

Sammy