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This article describes the steps and methods to improve or increase the quantity (amount) of water available at a property. When water quantity is insufficient at a property, the basic steps and options for improving the water quantity include the following (all of which are discussed in detail at this website):

• Determine the actual water quantity you are using or need - see WATER QUANTITY USAGE GUIDE
• Determine if the problem is water pressure or water quantity
• Diagnose and repair problems with water pressure: examine well pump, water tank & controls as well as water piping and fixtures; and if it's a water pressure problem, determine if the pressure problem occurs for both hot water and cold water
  and/or
  Diagnose and repair problems with water quantity: find and correct the reason why you run out of water - well pump or tank or piping equipment problems, piping leaks, well flow rate limitation
• Repair or adjust water supply equipment, pump, control, piping, leaks, water pressure tank, water storage capacity
• Add additional water storage tanks without addressing the well flow limitation
• Take steps to increase well yield - such as hydrofracking
• Drill a new well (risky, costly)
• Connect to municipal supply if one is available

If your concern is for the quality of drinking water (contaminants, odors, etc) see WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT and the diagnostic suggestions listed there. Our page top photo shows a very large water storage tank - a system that is installed when the well flow rate at a property is very limited. By using a large water storage tank the building occupants can have plenty of water for regular use. The tank is filled, slowly, during periods when water is not being drawn from the system.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

How to Improve the Quantity (amount) of Water Available at a Property

If the Water Pressure is Too Weak in a Building

Water pressure or water flow rate in a building plumbing system describes the water quantity and water pressure delivered at individual plumbing fixtures. The in-building water flow rate or water pressure is determined by the pressure capability of the well pump, the settings of the water pressure tank control, and by the length, diameter, and clogs in building piping - not by the quantity of water available.

WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS GUIDE - a description of the procedures used to diagnose the cause of poor water pressure or the cause of running out of water entirely at a property served by a private well

• WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT - how can we measure water pressure and flow in a building?
• Water Pressure Intermittent - what does it mean if water pressure comes and goes at a property?
• No Water Pressure - what to do if water pressure is lost entirely
• Well Tank relation to Water Pressure - what are the functions of a water pressure tank and how does it affect water pressure in the building?
• Shaking the Water Tank? - a quick simple way to find out if there is water in the water tank
• Water Pressure Tank Problems - causes of problems with the water tank
• Water Pressure Tank Diagnosis - how to determine what's wrong with the water tank
• Water pressure Later Returns "on its own" - more details about intermittent water pressure and what to do about it
• Water pipe clog diagnosis - how to determine if building piping is responsible for bad water pressure and flow
• Water pipe clog repair guide - what to do about clogged building water supply piping
• Making the "right" repair - how do we know we have made the correct repair while avoiding unnecessary water system costs
• Typical Water Tank & Pump Price

WATER PRESSURE REPAIR GUIDE & COSTS

• Questions about lost water pressure
• Advice to a homeowner
• Adjusting Water Pump Pressure Control - how to adjust building water pressure at the pump or water tank
• Right Repair to Pump & Tank?
• Well Pump & Tank Replacement Costs
• Reliability of Pump & Tank Repairs
• WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE - how to get the water pump working again
• WATER PRESSURE REGULATOR ADJUST - how to adjust a municipal water pressure regulator

If the Well Water Quantity is Insufficient at a Property

Water quantity describes the total amount of water available at a property served by a private well.

The total amount of water available is the sum of the static head in the well (the water inside the well casing or well itself when the well is at rest), the water stored in piping and in water pressure or water storage tanks, and the well flow rate (the rate at which water flows into the well).

If you run out of water at a property this means that you have drawn off all of the static water storage and that the rate at which water flows into the well is less than the rate that the pump is trying to send water out of the well and into the building.

Well flow rate or well yield is the rate at which water flows into the well from surrounding rock and ground water sources. The flow rate of a well is a complex number - water enters the well from various rock cracks or fissures at different depths. The sketch at left, courtesy of Carson Dunlop, outlines what happens during a well drawdown or well flow test procedure.

At each point where water enters the well the rate of water flow may vary over time, and may slow or even stop as water is drawn from the well. When a new well is drilled the well driller measures the actual flow rate of the well (the sum of all of these individual flows) by using a calibrated pump installed right at the well itself.

Well depth does not tell you much directly about the ability of the well to deliver water (the well yield or well flow rate). Rather, the depth of an individual well was determined by the well driller who drilled ever deeper until the well flow rate appeared to be adequate (typically 5 gpm or better for new wells). However a very deep well probably indicates that the driller had to do a lot of drilling to hit an adequate water supply.

• How Much Water is In the Well? - we describe the well flow rate and water quantity of a well, including well flow rate, static head, and the effects on well yield when we install a new more powerful well pump.
• How to Test Well Water Quantity - we describe how to test the ability of a well to deliver water
• How to Get More Water From a Well - we describe how to increase the water flow rate or quantity from a well - improving the well yield

Hot Water Problems & Solutions

Hot water problem diagnostic basics: If cold water pressure is adequate in the building but the hot water quantity or pressure and flow are inadequate, see these articles listed below. The sketch at left, courtesy of Carson Dunlop, shows the installation of a tempering valve at a tankless coil used for making hot water.

A useful water pressure and flow diagnostic in a building is to compare the hot water pressure and cold water pressure at individual fixtures.

If hot water pressure and flow are the same as cold water pressure and flow at some fixtures but at others the hot water flow rate is less, we suspect a local problem with the piping, faucets and valves at the fixture.

If hot water pressure and flow are poor throughout the building, the problem could be at the hot water source or in the building piping.

• HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS - how to get more hot water pressure, flow, or temperature in a building
• HOT WATER DELIVERY SPEED UP - how to get hot water more quickly at a plumbing fixture
• HOT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT - how to increase the amount of hot water at a property
  • Alternative Hot Water Sources & Methods
  • Anti-Scald Valves & Hot Water Quantity
  • CLOGGED PIPING & Hot Water Flow
  • Extra Tanks to Increase Hot Water
  • Insulate Hot Water Piping
  • Insulate Hot Water Tank?
  • Larger Diameter Water Supply Piping
  • Temperature of Hot Water is Too Low

Water Quality - is the Water Safe to Drink, Contaminated, Smelly, Discolored, Sedimented?

Water quality describes what is in the building water supply: contaminants,odors, etc. If your concern is for water quality (contamination, odors, water tests, water treatment) see these articles:

• WATER TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT
• WATER TEST CHOICES & WATER TEST FEES
• WATER TESTING GUIDE
• WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES

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• Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
• Thanks to readers Linda and Tim Quinn for suggesting clarification of water flow and water quantity problems (July 2009).

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