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low low water pressure

18 years ago

I have very low water pressure in my home. I have a well. Can anyone tell me about water booster systems? Will they give me more pressure? In the whole house or just one water source? Just bought this house -looks like it will be a nightmare if I cannot get more water pressure. I also heat my hot water by way of my boiler (do not have a hot water tank) My hot water leaves much to be desired-any suggestions? Like always, thanks for all input

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Comments (5)

barbara_2245
18 years ago
Call a plumber and find out how old and deep the well is. The seller of the house should have info. A building inspecter should have been call before finalizing the sale.
Good luck.
maryland_irisman
18 years ago
With a deep well system, your water pressure is governed by the pressure tank. The pump is turned on and shut off by the pressure switch located on the manifold connected to the tank. Turn the pump off, drain the water from the tank by turning on a faucet at the lowest point in the house until water no longer comes out. Take a tire pressure guage and check the air pressure in the tank. If the pressure switch is rated at 20/40, the air pressure should be 18psi There should be a label on the tank with pressure information. The tank supplies water pressure to the house, when the pressure in the tank reaches 20psi, the pump comes on. The pump will pump water into the tank until it reaches 40 psi and then the pressure switch will disengage the pump.

Sometimes a tank becomes "waterlogged" and pressure begins to drop. A good indicator of this is when the pump comes on almost immediatly when the water is used and then cycles on and off quickly. Other tanks use a bladder where either the air or the water enters and air pressure increases as the water enters the tank. The bladder then supplies pressureized water into the plumbing between the 20 and 40 pounds mentioned above. Sometimes a bladder will develop a hole or crack and become waterlogged. In some case, the tank will have to be rplaced. Other tanks allow you to replace the bladder.
Be certain you understand that if you desire to increase water pressure, your tank and pressure relief valve must be rated for the increased pressure. Also know that your faucets and other fixtures are tested at a pressure of 60psi. As you near that pressure, the fixtures will tend to drip as they get older. A pressure of 20/40 should handle just about any household. Some of the newer washing machines require a pressure of at least 20psi to fill or, they will go into a default mode and shut down.

There's more to know should the above not apply to you or if you have questions you think I may be able to help with, feel free to contact me via email.
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thanks much for this information. yes, we do need to get a bigger tank for the well.... however, this problem has been solved with a pressure valve near the tank. wish i could tell you more specifics...but i can tell you that the installer tried putting in a valve (he heard that this would cure the problem) and it didn't help at all. when he returned after a few weeks, he decided to call rinnai again, and he talked to the right person. he needed a bigger valve of some sort.... installed it... and it fixed the problem! i'm so happy about this.... and we will work on getting the well in check as soon as po$$ible!
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good one racket! poolguynj - sorry, didn't mean to confuse the uninitiated. This topic has been hashed out in lots of detail on this forum in the past. There is some good stuff related to this topic if you search for it. Pentair has posted some real world field test data taken over a few weeks time comparing variable speed to 2 speed technologies. The differences are not as great as you suggest and depend largely on the speeds the pumps are used and the length of time at each speed. Didn't mean to hijack....just thought that UK should know the biggest contributor to power consumption with pool pumps is pump speed. Keep the speed low and the power consumption is reduced exponentially regardless of pump technology. This is so important but yet I see variable speed owners on this forum who are running their pumps at higher speeds thinking they are saving money because it's a variable speed pump....not entirely true. The true savings come with low pump speed operation which can be achieved with a variable speed or a 2 speed. Obviously the variable speed has more flexibility than the 2 speed. Take advantage of the variable speed and keep the speeds lower than 1725 rpm whenever possible. This is where the variable speed pumps really have an advantage over 2 speeds. The 2 speeds cannot be designed to go much lower than 1725 rpm without efficiency falling off sharply as you suggested. By the way, I work for a major US company that manufactures variable speed motors and drives as well as standard technology PSC motors with multi-speed capability. I sell these components to the HVAC industry and work with their engineers daily to help meet their performance and efficiency needs. Hope this helps.
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cat_ky
18 years ago
Do you by any chance have galvanized water pipes in your home? Years ago, the house we bought had them, and also a well. We had very little water pressure, but pump tested just fine. When we took the waterpipes apart, they were clogged up so tightly, only a small hole for the water to run through to the faucets. We replaced all the water pipes with copper, and lived there 30 yrs with no more problems. Good Luck Cat
baymee
18 years ago
The Irishman just about said it all, but I will add that you might have cartridge filters for sediment that are clogged. Also, an acid neutralizer which uses a granite stone bed also gets clogged up.
timwood_83301_yahoo_com
13 years ago
can you tell me anything about air coming out of my well pipe? I was in the back yard and heard air being pushed through the top of my well pipe, I removed the half cap and the air really began to blow out so I immediately returned the half cap but the air still blew out the bolt holes.

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