Pressure Tank Tested - Still Low Water Pressure

Users who are viewing this thread

Al Grasso

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Pennsylvania
I'm trying to figure out why I have poor pressure from my well system. We recently had a new submersible pump and tubing installed. Since then, water pressure has been inconsistent and getting poorer. I drained the pressure tank and pumped the bladder to about 4 psi less than the cut in psi on my pump switch. Water pressure seemed to get better at first, but has since gotten poor again.


I drained it again this morning to see if the bladder held it's pressure, and it did. Additionally, the cut in, cut out on the switch seem to be working properly, and are about 20 psi apart, so that seems ok. The pressure gauge seems to be alright as well.


A couple of questions:


-First, I noticed that a large amount of sediment comes out of the line each time i drain the pressure tank? is this normal? It seems as if maybe the sediment is partially blocking the line sometimes and possibly causing the drop in pressure? Is this possible? If so, could it be possible that the submersible pump was installed too deep, too close to sediment? Again, I had a new tubing line put in as well, so I don't really have a way to know if it was installed at the same depth as the pump was originally.


Secondly, when I drained the pressure tank the pressure gauge went to 0. But, when I closed the draining valve, it rose back up to about 20 psi, without the pump being on to fill it. What is causing this pressure? Is it typical that the empty tank carries enough pressure from the inflated bladder that it would register pressure on the gauge, or is something else going on?


Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks-

Al
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,749
Reaction score
4,400
Points
113
Location
IL
Your clogging theory has merit. It is not normal to have a lot of sediment when you drain your pressure tank.

Perhaps the well should have been cleaned in hindsight. It could be that the pump is at the same height , but the activity got things stirred up. This is not to say that the pump was not placed deeper and is sucking accumulated sediment.

I think you need to "develop" the well by pumping out a lot of water for maybe 48 hours. Open your hose spigots and route the water out into the yard/ditch if you are not in a drought area. Ideally the pump will not shut off.


After the 48 hours or so, clean out the nipple and entrance to the pressure switch. Drain the pressure tank a few times to try to get sediment out of there.

My comments are based on reading and not experience.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
Staff member
Messages
14,583
Reaction score
1,296
Points
113
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Website
cyclestopvalves.com
Anytime you pull a well pump it stirs things up. Like Reach said just pump it hard with a wide open pipe for a while. Make sure to run enough water that the pump never reaches the shutoff pressure and shuts off. How long you run this depends on conditions. You may have to do this in spurts if you have a week producing well. Or you may be able to run it a few hours straight and be good. Or it could take days, but if that is the case you should be checking for other possible problems.
 

Al Grasso

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Pennsylvania
Anytime you pull a well pump it stirs things up. Like Reach said just pump it hard with a wide open pipe for a while. Make sure to run enough water that the pump never reaches the shutoff pressure and shuts off. How long you run this depends on conditions. You may have to do this in spurts if you have a week producing well. Or you may be able to run it a few hours straight and be good. Or it could take days, but if that is the case you should be checking for other possible problems.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. The pump was replaced about a month ago. Any thoughts?
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks