I am buying a new home outside of town. The water comes from a well with the pump inside the well. There is a tank in the basement that the well water comes into. I guess it is a storage tank. Everything works fine, but the water pressure is so low. I don't know if the pipes need to be enlarged to allow more water through, if I need a more powerful pump, bigger tank, or if I need some extra equipment to increase the pressure...

Does anyone know what might be the cause and cure for this type of system??

 

There are a couple different types of pumps you might have but it really does not matter too much. The water pressure in all systems can be adjusted but generally 50-60 psi is the maximum for most home well water systems which can be less than some city water supplies.

Basically to increase the water pressure you adjust it on the pressure switch which is usually located very near the base of the pressure tank. Then once you've turned up the pressure switch you adjust the air pressure inside the pressure tank. If you have an air pump and the tools it can be done in 5 minutes, 10 minutes if it's you'r first time trying it.

 

Thank you for your response.

I looked at the tank last night. It is a goulds pumps hydropro v100. I found the pressure gauge and it was reading only 40psi. I found some info on this tank online and it says the max for this is 100 psi. So it sounds like I can increase it safely to see if that helps.

While looking at the tank, I believe I have found the pressure switch at the base of the tank. Is this inside a metal box? I didn't dare open the box to see what was inside before I ask. I am assuming this pressure switch will have some kind of markings to indicate the desired pressure.

Also, at the top of the tank, I found what looks like a valve stem type are connection. Is this how I adjust the pressure in the tank after setting the switch pressure? Also, is the air pressure different then the water pressure? As I increase the air with a compressor, with the previously mentioned gauge on the tank raise or do I need to check the air pressure on the valve stem?

 

Before removing the pressure switch's cover turn off the breaker for your well. When you remove the cover there will be live electrical connections right next to where you adjust the pressure so make sure the power is off.

There are two basic types of pressure switch. One has a single nut that adjusts the cut in and out pressures together, usually about 20 psi apart. The second type has two adjustments to you can independently adjust the cut in and out pressures. In both cases you tighten (turn clockwise) to increase the pressure.

After adjusting the pressure switch you need to turn the well back on and you should hear water running and entering the tank. Then you'll hear the pressure switch click and the water sound will stop. If you look at your gauge that is your cut out pressure. Now open a spigot wide open and go watch the gauge. When you hear the pressure switch click to turn the pump back on that's your cut in pressure (remember it). The air in the pressure tank does not need to be adjusted until you get the pressure switch where you want it so save that for last.

Now that you have the pressure where you want it and remembered the cut in pressure turn the circuit breaker back off and open a spigot to drain all the water out of the system. Once water stops flowing from the system the pressure gauge should read zero. Now use a air pressure gauge on the fitting on your pressure tank to check it's pressure. You want to add or remove air to get the air pressure 2 or 3 psi BELOW the pump cut in pressure. So, if you saw a 40 psi cut in water pressure you want 37-38 psi air in the tank. Once you've adjusted the air pressure close the water spigot and turn the pump's circuit breaker back on.

 

Just so you know, 40psi is quite a bit of water pressure. Does your system have a filter cartridge on it by any chance? If there is a filter there and it is clogged up you will get very low pressure and increasing it at the pump will not help you all that much.

When you run your water now, what pressure do you read when the pump switches on and what pressure do you read when it switches off? Also, can you estimate or measure how much water you draw between a full pump cycle. A pump cycle being the water drawn between it just switching off and the pump switching back on. Lastly, how big is your pressure tank?

 

I looked and couldn't find any filtration systems.

I will test the pressure and cycle and try to calculate the amount of water draw when I go there again. Might be later today if I get some time.

I couldn't find any readings to the size of the tank. It looks fairly large to me. I did snap a few pictures of the tank.