Low Water Pressure Throughout - Private Well - Diagnose or Things to Check

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Skoby

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Hey guys,
I am in the process of purchasing a house. On inspection we noticed low water pressure throughout the house. At that time I had no understanding of wells, pressure tanks, or anything of that matter.

House was built in 1976 and is original water tank (as far as owner knows). When asked about the pressure her reply was "It does seem that the pressure is not as good as it used to be". At time of inspection the water was run for a good 15 minutes (not sure if pump was cycling too often or not).

At the faucet the filter was checked and I also turned on the shower to make sure this wasn't isolated just at the faucet which it isn't.

Questions:
How quick should the pump be coming on and off when running the water?
Will there be a pressure gauge visible to check that the pump is coming on when it should?
Could the low pressure be as easy as replacing the whole house filter?
If so, would I be able to pull it off quickly to check if that solves the pressure issue?

Unfortunately I won't be able to do much with testing the pressure tank bladder only because it is unfamiliar to me. If needed I may call a plumber in to look at it.

I'm ok with having to replace a pressure tank or a water pressure control switch. I just don't want to buy the house and then find out I need to dig a new well. Any thoughts on worse case scenarios?

Sorry with the limited information, I hope to take some pictures just to get an idea of what I'm dealing with. Thanks for any help.
 

Valveman

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If the pump builds pressure and shuts off while running the shower and a sink, it can build more pressure and flow than you are using. You may just need to turn the pressure switch up from 30/50 to 40/60. And yes there should be a gauge on the tank to show you what the pressure is.

The filter may also be the problem. Either by-pass the filter or just take out the filter element and see how much pressure you have.

Either way there is no reason for a house with a well to have low pressure. You are in control of how much pressure you have. As long as the pump is large enough, you can turn it up to supply as much pressure as you want.

Many people say adding a Cycle Stop Valve to get “constant pressure” gives “city like pressure”. If set up correctly, a house with a well can have much better pressure than any city water system. So the saying should be that city people wish they could have pressure as strong as the “constant pressure” from a well pump with a CSV.
 

Skoby

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So I should probably remove the filter first and if that doesn't solve it I should run the water again and watch to make pressure gauge on the tank is reading correct pressure. Once again, I'll be limited no how much I can actually check but this is a start anyway.

One other question off-topic.
The water test did not pass due to excessive coliform bacteria. E.coli bacteria was absent. The woman that lived there neglected the property for the past 10 years. A new septic is being put in due to not passing Title V.

I hear it can be treated easily but what if comes back? I'm always thinking worst case like installation of a new well. What are the best/worst case scenarios and how much could this end up costing me? Thanks
 
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Skoby

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I'm sure you will be getting more responses to your concerns, but do GOOGLE how to get rid of coliform bacteria. It is easily done in some cases ............... but not all!

Here is one "basic" link for you to look over ......... not very indepth, but it is a start: http://www.ehow.com/how_5028467_treat-water-presence-coliform-bacteria.html

I guess my concern is why is there choliform in the first place?

Some things I have found are these:
Loose well cap, open holes or cracks in the well pipe, damaged grout seal around the well pipe, shallow well drawing water from the surface, standing water next to well.

Seems the biggest issue would be cracks within the well pipe. Is this common? Looks like it would benefit me to find out the design on the well or perform a better inspection of the well head (if I can find it).
 
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