How to Diagnose Water Pressure that Stops then Recovers on its Own InspectAPedia® -
How to diagnose intermittent or periodic loss of water pressure or loss of water in a building
How to decide if water pump replacement is needed
How to decide if water tank replacement is necessary
Typical cost of various well, pump, and water tank repairs.
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This article describes questions and answers from and to a homeowner who lost water pressure.
The basics process of diagnosis and the costs of the repair are explained. Consumer advice on saving money on well repair costs
includes a review of the parts and labor costs of a typical well pump and pressure tank replacement case.
More water pressure loss diagnosis: how to diagnose loss of water pressure that later improves or returns "on its own"
When you lose water for some time period but later it returns we think immediately of the following possible explanations:
The well is being pumped "dry" and you're waiting for the well itself to recover water. With age however some wells deteriorate and deliver less and less water as their flow rate from the water table into the well diminishes. This occurs as minerals clog the cracks or passages through which water is entering the well.
A well may be pumped "dry" - and the pump stops delivering water, or the well may be pumped down to a low flow rate - or a low recovery rate, which in some installations may permit the pump to continue to run but it will deliver water only at a reduced rate.
Low Well Water well pipe tailpieces:
Some wells that are known to have intermittent low water problems may be equipped with a special tailpiece on the water pick-up end of the well pipe precisely to prevent the well pump from becoming damaged when water level in the well drops too low. The tailpiece permits the in-well water pump to continue to run by recirculating well water within the pump but by halting delivery of water or slowing delivery of water to the building.
This is a very likely cause of the intermittent loss of water or water pressure symptom.
A pump is shutting down on thermal overload and you're waiting for it to cool down and automatically re-set it's overload switch.
If the well pump is visible in the building you can diagnose this condition:
If the pump keeps running and you have no water there is a problem with the well or well piping or foot valve in the well -- maybe. See contrasting cases after this list.
Or on occasion, the pump could itself be damaged - it's motor is spinning but the pump impeller is broken and the pump is not moving water.
Explanation: If the well pump keeps running and you have no water it is also possible that the pump itself is defective, such as having broken internal parts so that the motor runs but the pump does not move water. But if the impeller blades in the pump are broken, the pump may spin but no water is moved inside the pump housing - the water supply system would have poor water pressure or it may have no water and never recover.
By contrast with cases where you lose but then recover water pressure in the building are cases where you lose and do not recover water pressure or flow:
You'd have either no water or only very low pump output no matter what conditions in the well.
Or the pump has lost its prime. If the water tank is empty the pump may need to be primed. See WELL PUMP PRIMING GUIDE
If the pump is in the well you can't see these conditions directly but an electrician or plumber can do some diagnosis from the building by noting the amperage draw on the pump circuit.
If inside the well there is a leaky or broken water line rising from the pump, the pump could run but deliver less or no water to the building. If this defect is present, the system will not recover to normal operation on its own. In may cases the pump will deliver some water pressure but it's poor.
If the well pipes come disconnected completely, the pump may run but no water will be delivered.
Bad or No water pressure? See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS GUIDE for a step by step detailed guide to diagnosing and correcting bad water pressure or total loss of water pressure. Before changing a water pump or control, we need to know why the water pressure or water flow is poor.
How to boost water pressure in a building by installing a pressure booster pump and pressure tank is discussed in detail at PUMP, WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER
If the building water supply stops and takes minutes to hours to recover,
you may have problem with the well flow rate. But the problem of lost water supply and pressure could be
more mechanical: a bad well pump. The well pump, in turn, could have been damaged or hastened to the end of its
life by a bad water pressure tank which has caused well pump short-cycling. Short cycling of the pump motor can burn up
the pump relay control.
Readers of this document should also see
Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air,
stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
The illustration at left is courtesy of
Carson Dunlop, Inc. in Toronto.
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General water testing and corrective measure advice: contact your local health department.
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