Water Pressure

[cloudsplitter]

I have a well and holding tank in my house. I used to be able to run washer, take shower, and do dishes all at the same time. Now, when I do this the pressure is so low it barely comes out of the faucet. Pressure readings on the holding tank are set properly and the air pressure is right. Should my concern be the TANK or the PUMP? Tank is about 4 years old, and the pump is about 10.
Thanks for your time, Paul

[bee_pipes]

We went through an adjustment recently with the pressure switch on our well pump. To find out where the problem is, you have to test it. Do you have a spigot on the pump plumbing or on the well house? If not, you need one, but you can still do the test with a spouse or friend and a set of walkie-talkies. Have you drained the pressure tank recently? To remove any sediment that may be in the bottom?

Someone - you if a spigot is handy, or your helper if you can't reach it, needs to open the water until the pump kicks in. You should be in a place where you can watch the pressure gauge. You may want to cycle it a few times to see if it always acts the same. Listen for noises.

If the pump can keep the pressure up while water is running, and can restore pressure and kick back off in a reasonable amount of time, you may have a problem with the plumbing between the well and the house.

If the pump has to struggle to maintain pressure, or can't keep the pressure up, you may be looking at a pump problem.

You can compensate by adjusting the pressure switch, so it has a higher cut-off, but I wouldn't recommend it. The question is "What's changed?" since it worked satisfactorily. If you messed with the pressure switch, I assume you wouldn't be asking. If the plumbing has somehow degraded - mineral build up, digging in the yard, etc.; or the pump has somehow degraded - age, miles, dirt or other contaminants in the impeller, etc.; or the pressure tank - freezing, draining, etc.; water usage - new or replacement appliances or plumbing fixtures - they may be heavier drinkers than the old stuff.

I don't know what sort of pump you have, what the options are for rebuilding, etc. Ten years isn't too shabby for a pump - it's only a teenager. Ours is an ancient 120v AC affair. It still keeps working - the motor looks like something you'd see for a backyard pool. It is going to have to be replaced. The good news about that is you can get a lot more bang for your buck nowadays. When we do get around to replacing it, we should see an improvement returned from a new pump in the way of power bills and pressure.

Water is something you can't compromise on either.

This isn't all the answers you need, but hopefully it will get you thinking of other stuff you may have forgotten.

Regards,
Pat

[flatwater]

I had a similar problem and just changed the filter and everything came out ok.
Flatwater

[fredfl]

If the pump comes on immediately when you start to draw water and runs continuously then I would say your bladder in the holding tank is punctured. I believe you can test this by draining the holding tank and putting a tire pressure gage on the air inlet on the tank. You didn't indicate whether you had a pump in the cellar or in the well.

[blackpowderbill]

I had a similar problem and just changed the filter and everything came out ok.
Flatwater

Like flatwater says, check your filrters 1st! You can burn up a pump if the flow is not correct.