When showering pressure is great for about 3 minutes then drops and stays that way unless you turn off water for a minute. Pressure tank is fine and set correct. 40/60 switch and gauge is new. Replaced all this over a year ago and all been good til about a week ago. What else should I check? The line going to the switch is clear also.

 

I would turn the shower and adjust flow as normal, and then go to the tank and watch the gauge and listen to the ON/OFF clicks of the pressure switch while using a watch second hand. That would probably give you more information.

 

I actually did that this morning. Pump kicked on around 42 psi. When the pump kicks on though shouldnt the pressure build back up in the shower? It stays the same after it drops

 

The needle should keep climbing from 42 up to 60 and then the pump should shut off. If that happens and the water pressure is still low at the shower there must be blockage somewhere. If the needle stays at 42 until you turn off the shower OFF then I would guess there is something wrong with the pump.

 

What type of pump system do you have? Is your pump down in the well or is it above ground? Are there one or two hoses/pipes going from the pump to the well?

 

Pump is in the basement with 1 pipe going to it. When the pump kicks on and the shower is running it hovers around 45 AMD only builds back up when water is turned off

 

Try opening a outside spigot all the way and see if you have the same problem. If so then it sounds like the pump simply cannot deliver enough to build pressure while water is being used.

Has this problem been getting slowly worse over time or did it start suddenly?

 

Suddenly. I dont notice it in the kitchen though

 

You might not notice the problem when running a faucet which might not consume as much water as filling the tub or opening an outside spigot. If you open a couple faucets in the house you might have the same problem. Basically that the pump can't supply water as fast as you are using it.

If the pump is turning on and off properly then I would look for an obstruction or something wrong in the pump. Does the pump vibrate more than normal or make any unusual sounds? If yes that could mean that something has gotten stuck in the impeller or a piece of vane may have broken off.

Did you have any trouble with muddy or dirty water or sand? If so the well may have collapsed and the intake become partially clogged.

Are you getting air or spurting from faucets or the shower? If so there could be a crack or hole in the line from the well and the pump is sucking in some air.

Do you have any shutoff valves or check valves between the well and your pump? They might be partially closed or obstructed.

 

No valves. I did notice a couple times air spurting from the bathroom sink. Nothing major though. So when using water and the pump kicks on it should have enough power to build pressure to 60psi and turn off even while the water is running?

 

I think if you are taking a shower you are using about 2 – 2.5 gallons/minute. I think that’s the case. Your pump should be able to do better than that. So while you are taking a shower the gauge at the pressure tank should eventually rise up to 60 and the switch should turn the pump off.

In other words, while you are taking a shower the pump is (or should be) pumping more than the 2-2.5 gals/min the shower is using, so the pressure tank is taking in the excess and eventually the pressure hits 60 and the switch turns the pump off. You keep using the shower and the pressure at the tank eventually falls to 40 and the switch turns the pump on and the whole process repeats. What you see at the shower is a pressure that continually varies from 40-60.

As Pilot Dane pointed out it is possible to try to use more water than your pump and well can supply, and in that case you would never reach 60 and the pump would just continue to run as long as you are using all that water. But your pump and well should be able to keep up with a shower.

 

Ok. The pump is loud but always has been. Think it's like 20 years old

 

Removed the gauge and it stays on 10 psi so its bad. Looked into the pump and there was a lot of scale buildup. How hard are these pumps to take apart?

 

If you have a check valve at the tank the check valve can mask a leak. You could have a leak between the pump and the check valve at the tank such that some water makes it into the house – but not full flow. The check valve at the tank keeps the water that makes it past the check valve from draining backwards and then out of the leak area.

But if you don’t have a check valve at the tank, and you do have a leak between the pump and the tank, then your pump will continually come ON and OFF even when you are not using water. The water in the tank drains backwards towards the well, the pressure drops and the switch turns the pump ON, the tank is pumped up to full pressure, then the water from the tank again drains back towards the well (i.e., towards the leak), and the whole process continues.

https://www.zoro.com/campbell-check-...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

20 year old pump, I think you got the best of it.

New pump and motor will be much more efficient that it's not worth attempting to rebuild!

 

I missed that. I thought it was a submersible pump. Maybe your water depth dropped in the well and the pump is having a harder time pumping. I think those jet pumps can’t handle water below a certain depth.

 

Yeah . . . . 33 Feet, (or two gravities) is the most you can ask a pump to suck water up.

Lower than that and you're asking the pump to create a vacuum so much lower than atmospheric pressure that the water would rather vaporize (boil) than to be drawn up vertically in the form of a liquid.

 

Ok so if I get a new pump how do I know if I need a deep or shallow and are there better brands or styles? Id like one thats a lot quieter than the one I have now.

 

You may just need to ascertain the depth of your well (static water level) and the recharge rate, and then lengthen (deepen) the suction pipe to accommodate that depth . . . . recognizing that you shouldn't plan on anything much deeper than 25 to 30' because the laws of physics will prevent that from working.

Is your area experiencing drought conditions, as this poor pump performance may just pass as the drought recedes ?

Noise may be the result of the pump spinning in vain while awaiting the well to be recharged . . . . or was it always noisy ?

 

Its always been loud. Yes there is a drought right now but were about to get a week of rain straight

 

You would need a single pipe shallow well pump.
A deep well pump would have two incoming ports and would require two pipes to the well.