Well pressure gauge randomly reading above 100 PSI

[Wellwaternoob]

Greetings!

I am fairly new to owning a home with a well, and I'm a bit perplexed by the issue I'm facing.

Earlier today, I had the main water valve shut off for a few hours so that I could fix an outdoor spigot. I finished the job and turned the valve back on, and noticed the pressure gauge was above 100.

One mistake I made today was not checking the gauge before I shut the valve off. However, a few weeks ago when I was filling a pool (and regularly checking the gauge), it was somewhere around 60.

The water pressure throughout the house seems to be normal, and the well pump seems to turn on and off normally as water is used. I'm getting some odd faucet behavior now, but I figured that was just due to air in the lines (once a faucet is running for 10-15 seconds, all is normal). One thing I noticed that seemed odd was that the gauge never seems to move when the well is pumping (I noticed that the last time I looked at the gauge too).

According to paperwork with the well, the pump is at 190', the well is at 140', and the pump is a 3/4 hp Fairbanks Morse. The pressure switch is marked that it was replaced in 2014.

Any ideas what could be up?

 

[Valveman]

Start with a new gauge so we can see what is actually happening.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Is the water from the well coming in at the left of your photo, or is it coming in from the lower right?

When I see a Shrader valve on a manifold I tend to be concerned that there is some funny business happening.

Replace your existing pressure gauge, but also get a garden hose thread to measure the pressure elsewhere, and to serve as a backup reading.

 

[Wellwaternoob]

The water comes in to the lower right.

I ended up calling someone to come take a look, as I was too busy to troubleshoot the issue myself. It turns out that there was sediment collected where the pressure switch threads into that pipe, which caused the switch to behave erratically. After cleaning the sediment and putting a new switch (and gauge) in, everything seems to be okay.

Is cleaning the sediment out of that pipe (where the switch threads in) an annual maintenance item? Or would that be overkill? I suppose it could depend on the water quality.

 

[Reach4]

Flushing your pressure tank should be an annual chore. There should be a drain valve in that area for the purpose. That might get rid of sediment in the area. Also, you might post a wider picture including the input to the pressure tank.

If the 1/4 inch nipple is getting clogged, you could run a 1/2 inch nipple up, and would need to figure out how to hook that up to your manifold.

So the water from the well comes in through that union.

You might ask your someone why that Schrader valve is there.

But anyway, I am glad it is working.

 

[Wellwaternoob]

Flushing your pressure tank should be an annual chore. There should be a drain valve in that area for the purpose. That might get rid of sediment in the area. Also, you might post a wider picture including the input to the pressure tank.

If the 1/4 inch nipple is getting clogged, you could run a 1/2 inch nipple up, and would need to figure out how to hook that up to your manifold.

So the water from the well comes in through that union.

You might ask your someone why that Schrader valve is there.

But anyway, I am glad it is working.

Yeah, I'd be curious to know the purpose of that Schrader valve as well, since it doesn't seem to serve a purpose at that location.

Thanks, I'm glad it is too. Attached is a wider view that shows the entire setup (less the well itself, lol).

 

[Reach4]

Which line brings in the well water -- upper right?

If you replace that pressure tank some day, take the opportunity to get rid of the galvanized plumbing.

 

[Wellwaternoob]

Which line brings in the well water -- upper right?

If you replace that pressure tank some day, take the opportunity to get rid of the galvanized plumbing.

Yep, the upper right is where the water comes in.

It was recommended that I put in a larger pressure tank when a replacement for this one is needed, so I can replace those pipes as well. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Valveman]

A lot of times a Schrader will be used just to plug the hole when the installer doesn't have an 1/8" plug. Whoever recommended a larger pressure tank is about 30 years behind the technology available today. A smaller tank and a CSV would be a much better choice.