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WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS

FILTERS, WATER
GREYWATER SYSTEMS

WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS
WATER FILTERS
WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE
WATER HEATERS
WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE
WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE
WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING
WATER PURIFIERS
WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS
WATER TANK REPAIR PROCEDURES
WATER TANK: USES, TROUBLESHOOTING
WATER TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT
WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES
WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS
WELL FLOW RATE
WELL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS
WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT
WINTERIZE A BUILDING

More Information

How to Diagnose & Fix Lost Water Pressure - Testing the Well Tank
     

  • Water pressure tank test & troubleshooting: how to diagnose loss of water pressure or loss of water in a building - shaking the well tank to see if it contains water
    • Shaking the water tank, a simple gentle test can start the process of troubleshooting why a building has lost water pressure
  • Questions & Answers about diagnosing lost water pressure at a home or other building
  • References

Click to Show or Hide Related Topics

  • WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
  • AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES
  • AIR VOLUME CONTROLS, WATER TANK
  • COSTS: WATER PUMP & TANK
  • MUNICIPAL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS
  • MUNICIPAL WATER PRESSURE IMPROVEMENTS
  • WATER PRESSURE GAUGE
  • WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT
  • WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE
  • WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS
  • WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR
  • WATER PUMP ELECTRICAL SWITCHES
  • WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
  • WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
  • WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home
  • WATER PUMP PROBLEM DIAGNOSTIC TABLE
  • WATER PUMP CAPACITIES TYPES RATES GPM
  • WATER PUMP CONTROLS & SWITCHES
  • WATER PUMP INTERMITTENT CYCLING
  • WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING
  • WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING
  • WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS - home
  • WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING - home
  • WATER TANK: USES, TROUBLESHOOTING - home
    • WATER TANK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
    • CISTERNS
    • FIBERGLASS WATER TANKS, BLADDERLESS
    • ROOFTOP WATER TANKS
    • STEEL WATER TANKS, BLADDERLESS
    • WATER TANK AIR INLET VALVE
    • WATER TANK AIR VALVE REPAIRS
    • WATER TANK AIR LOSS SIGNS
    • WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD
    • WATER TANK BLADDERS
    • WATER TANK PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT
    • WATER TANK DRAIN VALVE
    • WATER TANK PRESSURE CALCULATIONS
    • WATER TANK PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE
    • WATER TANK vs WATER PRESSURE
    • WATER TANK REPAIR PROCEDURES
    • WATER TANK REPLACEMENT
    • WATER TANK SAFETY
    • WATER TANK SIZE & VOLUME
  • WELL FLOW RATE & WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
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Water pressure loss diagnosis, first steps in troubleshooting loss of water pressure: this article describes gently shaking the well tank to determine if it contains water as part of diagnosing lost water pressure at a building. One can become easily confused by the diagnosis offered by simply "shaking" a water pressure tank. Shaking the tank can tell you that the water tank is empty but not why the water tank is empty. There may be a trick to this but we don't see how shaking the water pressure tank diagnoses a ruptured bladder or other very specific causes of the absence of water, but as a starting point, gently shaking the well tank can, however, tell us some things about the state of the building water supply system.

Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.

How to diagnose loss of water or loss of water pressure in a building: gently shaking the water pressure tank - are we out of water?

Water pressure tank check procedure (C) DanieL FriedmanWe use this procedure often, by gently shaking or wiggling the well tank to see what's going on.

If the well tank is at its normal "full" level of water it will be heavy and chances are you won't move the water tank at all. We also know that the water pump has probably shut off at its normal "cut out" pressure recently since running water in the building will empty the well tank in just a minute or three.

If the well tank is empty or nearly so, it is quite light and can be easily moved. Recently when we were restoring water to a home that had been winterized, we tried turning on the well pump and we heard the pump motor run.

We gently wiggled the water tank and learned that it was empty, so we figured that the pump was not delivering water - in fact the pump had lost prime. We quickly shut off the pump motor so as to avoid damaging it. Then we primed the well pump. That was all we needed to do to get the water system working again.

Be careful: do not wildly shake the well tank nor any other plumbing component since doing so can cause a pipe to break or at least leak.

What Does it Mean if Our Well Tank is Empty?

The water tank could be empty simply because you ran all of its water out into the home and the water pump never came on to replenish the water supply. Some of the possible causes of an empty water tank and no water in the home include:

We discuss in detail how to diagnose loss of water pressure or how to diagnose and fix poor water pressure at Diagnosing loss of water - be sure to read that article. Some examples of what we discuss there are listed just below:

  • Loss of electrical power to the pump or pump control - nothing is running the water pump. Is power turned on? Is there power at the pump control and is there power to the pump?
  • A bad water pressure control switch on the water pump - perhaps the switch is not turning on the pump. This can be checked by manually closing the pump relay - DON'T TRY THIS YOURSELF - SHOCK HAZARD - unless you are qualified and trained. Pressure Control Switch problems are discussed further at CAUSES OF SHORT CYCLING
    Also be sure to review ADJUST PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL for instructions on how to adjust the water pump pressure control switch.
  • A bad water pressure regulator could be at fault (though not usually if the water pressure loss is sudden. Details are at WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR
  • A clogged water filter cause rapid pump cycling on and off - discussed further at CAUSES OF SHORT CYCLING
  • A well water supply pipe failure in the well or between the well and the building, so water is not being delivered to the home. (Or in cold climates, the line may have frozen).
  • Loss of prime in an in-building pump, or an internal pump failure such as broken vanes - the pump motor runs but no water is delivered. (An in-building pump could also run and no water be delivered if the well has run dry.) A shallow well jet pump well line could have a bad foot valve (in the well) and so be losing prime. A leak in the well line can also lead to loss of prime. See WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE and see Repeated Loss of Pump Prime for a discussion of well piping foot valves.
  • A bad water tank bladder: on occasion a water tank bladder will collapse and stick to itself, failing to permit water to enter the well tank. See WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR.
  • A Failed Water Pump: A failed or failing in-well submersible water pump stops delivering water at all, or periodically overheats and temporarily stops working. Such a pump is probably at end of life, unless the problem is traced to a voltage, switch, or wiring problem. See WATER TANK REPAIRS. Also see WATER PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY.
  • Bad or No water pressure? See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR 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. Also see our separate WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE in summary table form.
  • Intermittent water pump cycling is discussed at Intermittent Water Pump Cycling When No Water is Running - this means that the water pump comes on for no apparent reason.
  • Short cycling of a water pump means that the water pump turns on and off too rapidly or too frequently when water is being run in the building. See What Causes 'Water Pump Short Cycling' and Water Tank Repairs: Diagnose 'Water Pump Short Cycling'.
  • Loss of water pressure means that the pressure with which water enters a plumbing fixture has become too slow, or is sometimes too slow or weak in water flow rate, or water flow may stop entirely. See Water Pump Problems? How to Diagnose & Repair Poor or No Water Pressure.
  • Details on how to repair the water pump pressure control switch are discussed at How to Repair the Water Pump Pressure Control Switch The illustration at page top is courtesy of Carson Dunlop, Inc. in Toronto.
  • How to boost water pressure in a building by installing a pressure booster pump and pressure tank is discussed in detail at WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER PUMP

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about checking the water tank as part of figuring out what happened to water pressure or flow

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

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Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

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  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
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  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
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  • Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost
  • Water pressure tank failures & water pump short cycling diagnosis and repair
  • Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost
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