Well Pump Service: Causes & Solutions to Poor Well Water Pressure
With over 80 years of plumbing and HVAC experience in our service area of Washington and Waukesha counties in Wisconsin, we’ve encountered every type of well water and well pump issue. Here are many things we’ve learned over the years that can help you decide if and when to schedule a service call.
Dirty Aerators
Are your aerators clean?
Dirty faucet aerators can commonly be the cause of reduced water pressure at the sink in homes throughout Wisconsin. Aerators can accumulate hard water calcium and frequently plug up with small pieces of debris.
To clean a faucet aerator, simply remove the aerators and soak them overnight in undiluted vinegar.
Next, rinse them off while gently brushing them with a fine copper brush or stiff bristle toothbrush to remove any remaining debris.
Attach again to the faucet and test the water pressure.
This is the quickest and easiest solution to reduced water pressure.
Conditioner Needs Service
Water softening and iron elimination equipment can frequently cause low water pressure.
A frequent criticism found with water conditioners is that the flow of water reduces to a trickle over time.
Most water conditioners have a bypass valve installed in the piping system. When bypassed, you may notice water pressure increase in the residence.
Frequently, reduced water flow is a result of water conditioners needing some level of service.
Well Pump Service Can Fix Conditioning Equipment Full Of Air
Do you hear your well pump kick on and off frequently or more often than you think that it should?
A possible solution is that your pressure tank may need to be serviced.
Over time the air and water mixture gets out of balance. This is referred to as “short cycling”, which causes the submersible well pump to turn on and off frequently. This short cycling condition can cause damage to your submersible well pump or your shallow well jet pump.
If proper service and maintenance is not performed, your well pump can prematurely fail.
Plugged Older Piping
What type of water pipes do you have in your home? Are they copper, CPVC or galvanized?
Many older houses have galvanized pipes for the water supply, and many of these dwellings also have galvanized pipes going in and out of the pressure tank as well.
Well water can vary in hardness and iron, and it changes from city to city.
Older piping, whether galvanized or copper, will clog up with hard water calcium or iron build up. This causes a reduction in the flow of the water resulting in poor water flow and pressure.
In some situations, when we change a small section of the pipes around the pressure tank area, it will increase the amount of water and pressure you receive in your home.
However, the type of water pipes you have is sometimes only half of the reason for poor water flow. The size or diameter of your water pipes can also be a cause of reduced water flow in your house.
Plumbing codes have changed over the years, including the proper size of water piping to use. Depending on the year your house was built, you could be dealing with a dual cause for your poor pressure.
When Is It Time To Schedule Service?
If you’re tired of low water pressure when watering your lawn or when multiple people are using multiple faucets, we can help! There is no reason to have these irritating situations in your dwelling.
There can be many reasons for poor water flow in your house, and the plumbers at Austin Plumbing Heating & Air have serviced plumbing and well pump systems in Washington and Waukesha counties for over 80 years. We have helped many people with bad water flow problems and water quality issues.
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