When you move into a home in the country, you’ll notice a significant change in your water pressure. While city water has an average pressure of 60 PSI, well water pressure is not uncommonly below 40 PSI.
What’s the problem with low water pressure? Showering, washing clothes, and cleaning dishes will become much more difficult. Your pipes won’t be able to supply your appliances with enough water at a quick enough pace if the pressure is low. As a result, doing water-based chores will take considerably longer, and you’ll probably notice a poor flow from your shower and faucets.
To minimize your water usage, even more, you may discover that utilizing certain water-based appliances at the same time, such as washing while using the dishwasher, results in little to no water flow to either device.
Contents
- How to Increase Well Water Pressure
- Inspect Your Pump and Pressure Tank
- Check Pressure Tank Settings
- Check the Air Fill Valve
- Get Your Pipes Inspected
- Confirm Water Filter or Softener Systems Sizing
- Check Faucets, Aerators, Showerheads & Fixtures
- Install a Higher Flow Capacity Pump
- Install a Booster Pump
- Install a Constant Pressure System
- What is Good Water Pressure for a Well?
- Is there a difference between water flow and water pressure?
How to Increase Well Water Pressure
Fortunately, raising your well water pressure isn’t a matter of “could I?” – it’s more a question of “how could I?” Because lots of other people have had the same problem. And where there’s a widespread issue, there’s always someone making money off a solution.
Before we get into the more expensive options, let’s look at how to improve your well water pressure by simply changing how things are done in your house.
Inspect Your Pump and Pressure Tank
Before you do anything else, check to make sure your pump is turned on. Please note how long it runs and how much water is being drawn. If the well pump is only running for a brief amount of time, there may be an issue with the pressure tank. When the well produces more water than what’s coming from the pressure tank, the pump won’t shut off as quickly as it should – if at all.
Checking for debris or mineral deposits in or around your pump will also help solve this problem. Clean any obstructions out before putting the pump back together and trying it again.
If both of these things turn out to be working properly but your well still doesn’t have adequate water pressure, move on to the next option.
Check Pressure Tank Settings
The pressure tank settings may be modified rapidly to improve low water pressure. The tank’s pressure must be between 40 and 60 PSI. Therefore you should only change your settings if your pressure gauge reads lower than this.
Please look at your pressure switch; it should clearly show the tank’s pressure setting. When the pressure in well water systems changes, a pressure switch immediately recognizes it. Most tanks are set at 30/50 PSI, which indicates that the cut-on pressure is 30 and the cut-off pressure is 50.
If your pressure switch is at a lower setting and you want the pump to turn on at 40 and off at 60 PSI, set it to 40/60. Then follow the procedures below to adjust your tank’s pressure so that it matches.
Drain the pressure tank and turn off the power. Take a reading of the air pressure using a pressure gauge, such as a tire pressure gauge. The pressure in your tank should be 2 PSI lower than the low cut-in point of the pressure switch.
Your pressure should now be around 38 PSI, assuming that the pressure switch is 40/60. You may increase the pressure in the tank with an air compressor if need be; be careful and don’t add too much pressure, or the tank won’t hold as much water.
Check the Air Fill Valve
Another quick diagnostic task is to check your well be air fill valve.
Switch off the circuit that connects to your well pump, then test the air fill valve with a gauge. As you now know, the usual water pressure to aim for is between 40 and 60 PSI. Once again, keep in mind that your pressure should be at least 2 PSI below cut-in pressure and ideally 1 PSI less.
If your pressure is lower, adjust the pressure switch. Then turn on the circuit and test your water flow from a faucet to see if it works. If necessary, you may change the pressure switch again.
Get Your Pipes Inspected
You might not consider this, but clogged sediment and debris in your water pipes can sometimes create a low water pressure problem.
When well water is used, it’s important to remember that the mineral content in your home’s water supply may be significantly higher. Because well water is richer in sediment than city water, this can be particularly true in homes with a well water supply. Reduced water pressure can also be attributed to hard water mineral deposits or limescale. The friction of the flowing water against the limescale inside the pipes might reduce its flow by a significant amount.
Purchase a high-quality sediment filter and a whole home water softener, and install them at your house’s point of entry to avoid future issues. Hard water problems will be dealt with, as well as the pipes and plumbing in your home.
Confirm Water Filter or Softener Systems Sizing
If you already have a water softener or water filter in your house, it may source your low water pressure. An undersized installation may require a flow rate that you cannot deliver.
A filter or softening system that is too large, for example, may need a higher flow rate to move water through the system at enough speed.
Check Faucets, Aerators, Showerheads & Fixtures
Sometimes, the things we forget about are the ones that cause the problem. Probably, they aren’t as clean on the inside as they once were if you’ve been using the same faucets, showerheads, aerators, and fixtures for more years than you can remember.
If the shower is slow, there might be a blockage in the drain or another problem with the pipe itself. A simple fix for this minor issue is to clean out the equipment. If you have limescale, soaking the appliance in a pail of baking soda and vinegar overnight should eliminate it. If your machine is particularly gritty or appears to be decaying, consider purchasing a new one instead.
Install a Higher Flow Capacity Pump
Low pressure might be caused by a lack of flow capacity in your present well pump or submersible pump. If you’ve verified that your pressure tank is already set to maximum pressure and the problem persists, there’s a chance that your well pump is the cause.
There are many different types of well pumps. If you have a well pump with a current flow rate of 8 gallons per minute (GPM), for example, upgrading it to a new one with a greater capacity will make a difference.
Install a Booster Pump
A booster pump is one of the most common ways to increase water pressure.
Pumps that are used for booster pumps can assist you in a variety of ways. For example, if your house’s ground floor water pressure is significantly lower than the water pressure on an upper floor, this might be useful. Because pumps cannot defy gravity and send water above the ground level, private well users frequently experience this problem.
Pumps that are used to boost water pressure require power to function. You have the option of putting your pump wherever you wish on your main water line. If the low water pressure prevents the system from operating effectively, you may want to install a booster pump before a water filter, such as a reverse osmosis system.
Install a Constant Pressure System
In place of a booster pump, a continuous pressure system is an alternative option. A constant pressure system at your home’s entry point will raise the water pressure throughout your property.
This device’s function is to prevent your water pressure from plummeting when you operate multiple fixtures at once. It accomplishes this by keeping the well system tank pressure from decreasing any lower than 2 PSI before it causes the pump to activate.
It’s typical for pressure tanks to vary in pressure by 10-20 PSI when they’re not kept under constant pressure.
What is Good Water Pressure for a Well?
The optimum water pressure for a well is 40/60 psi. You may struggle to send water throughout the plumbing system in your house if you have a big family and use more gallons per minute than the average household, even if it has a higher pressure.
Is there a difference between water flow and water pressure?
Yes – The term “water pressure” is often used interchangeably with “water flow,” but they aren’t the same thing. Water flow rate is the quantity of water generated in gallons per minute (GPM), whereas water pressure is the speed at which water is produced and measured in pounds per square inch (PSI).