Free Troubleshooting Guide for Low or No Water Pressure Situations
If you notice a change in the pressure of water coming from your home’s faucet or shower, there are simple ways to troubleshoot the performance of your well and pump. When someone calls us with a low or no pressure situation, we usually walk the caller through these steps over the phone first. Taking a few minutes to run through this troubleshooting guide might save you from the expense of a service tech visiting your home.
If you have low or no water pressure at your fixtures:
- Put a hose on your tank’s hose bib (see photo)
- Run hose outside
- Turn the hose on until water just begins to flow.
- The water should flow, and the pressure gauge (see photo) should show the pressure cycle with a 20 pound spread. (30 to 50, 40 to 60, etc.)
If the water flows and the pump cycles:
- Look for a water filtration system of any type. A water filter may be clogged.
- Replace the cartridge filter (if applicable) or put the filter in bypass mode.
- If you are in need of filters, call us for a replacement filter.
If it doesn’t flow water and run the pump:
- Check the circuit breaker
- Check the wall switch (picture)
- Check for a low pressure cutoff switch or an electronic pump protection system.
If you have an electronic pump protection, you will have to let it run through its time cycle, or reset it by snapping the circuit breaker off and then on again. It is set for a predetermined amount of time in the off cycle to allow the well to recover after it has been over pumped, thus tripping the shut off.
If you have a low water pressure cutoff switch:
Low pressure cut off switches are one way to protect your water well pump from running dry. They are the cheapest, they are not fool proof, and they can cause “false alarms” when pressure drops. This is not necessarily because the pump has run dry. Some of the causes of the switch being tripped are:
- Pressure dropped due to using too much water at one time
- Pressure dropped due to power outage
- Pressure dropped due to water line breakage
- Pressure dropped due to low water in well
Basically, any time your pressure drops 10 psi below the cut-in pressure, the switch will trip. To reset the switch, you must hold the lever on the side of the switch up at about a 30 degree angle to restart the pump. If the switch makes an audible "click," the lever is too far. Hold the switch in the on position until the pressure builds back up high enough to reset. The pressure can be read on the pressure gauge, which is usually mounted next to the pressure switch.
A low pressure cutoff switch can be problematic because the homeowner may not always be aware of its existence or how to attend to the switch in a no water situation. We strongly suggest removing a low pressure switch device and replacing it with the electronic type of pump protection systems.
Before you call for service – click here http://info.forwater.com/no-or-low-water-pressure/ for a quick troubleshooting guide.
There is a chance that a few minutes of your time could fix your problem.