Does anybody know how I can increase the water pressure in my house? Right now I'm getting less the 1GPM from the tap. Appreciate your help!

-- James Calderara (jcaldera@charter.net), May 20, 2001

Answers

Hi James:

Can we get some more info? Are you on a public water system or do you have your own well? How deep is that well? Does it have a submersible pump? How old is your house? What kind of water pipes do you have? Galvanized, copper, pvc? What size are they? How far is your well from the house?

-- Jim (catchthesun@yahoo.com), May 20, 2001.

Dito to the above post. Until we know some basics its hard to give a good answer. God Bless and have a Great week.

-- Charles Steen (Xbeeman412@aol.com), May 20, 2001.

First off, check the obvious. Is there a leak somewhere? A bad leak sometimes will only show as a damp spot on the surface of the ground. If you are on a well, make sure the pump you have is rated to the depth of your well and delivery to your home. If your on city water, the lower pressure could be from multiple households from one line tap or a defective pressure reducer unit at the tap/meter head. A more sever possibility would be clogged lines comming into your home, however this is not a common problem with pvc water lines.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 20, 2001.

You could try turning off your water and cleaning the valves and screens at every sink. Sometimes they clog at the valve and slow the water flow. Has it always been this slow or is this a new problem?

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), May 20, 2001.

I have an artesian well with a jet pump located approx. 125 feet from the house. The well hose is 80 feet long, not sure exactly how deep the well is. The house is twelve years old. The pump kicks on at 20 PSI, goes to 40 PSI, then shuts off. When the pump kicks on the pressure inside the house is fine but when it is off the pressure drops. I couldn't locate a leak and have checked for clogs. (Water Ace Jet Pump, 1HP pump, 115V, 3485 RPM. This was a direct replacement for the original pump that was supplying ample pressure.) Sure appreciate everybody's help.

-- James Calderara (jcaldera@charter.net), May 20, 2001.

James,

I redesigned the feeds at a freinds house with a similar configuration. We installed a second in line resevior tank with one way valve between his house and existing pump tank to maintain pressure.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 21, 2001.

James,

Did you try adjusting the setting on the pressure switch? I would have it engage at 40psi and disengage at 60psi. This should not pose a problem for properly installed plumbing. How are you reading the pressure? What your seeing may not be what your getting if the guage is off. Also, if you have a bladder tank make sure it is properly pressurize or if you have a hydropneumatic setup, make sure you have the proper ratio of air in the tank. Good luck

CQ

-- carter (chucky@usit.net), May 21, 2001.

One more solution is to enlarge the input lines, doubling the size increases the flow by 4 times, also check the pumps electrical useage with a meter, if the amerage is well below the rating the pump may be partly burnt out. Lastly, you can install an additional tank at the farthest point from your well, this way your pressure will increase while the second tank is discharging but keeep in mind that once discharged the pump cycle time will increase.

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), May 21, 2001.

P.S. James, is it possible that you have a 220 pump wired to a 110?

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), May 21, 2001.

When we had a well, it was hooked to the well pump, holding tank, water softener(useless piece of equipment), and chlorinator. Someone told the original owner he needed a water softener to be able to sell the house. As soon as we moved in, I turned a lever on the back of the softener to 'bypass'. Lots easier than disconnecting it. It about doubled the water pressure. I also noticed the water pressure was highest when the holding tank was full. When the pressure would drop off, the pump would be about ready to kick on. Also, a lot of people with wells think you can't have dishwashers (never had one, never missed it), it used to be appliances like dishwashers and waashers worked off water pressure. Now they fill until they're full, it just takes longer. I've heard some dishwashers come with a 'watermiser' cycle. I think fancy appliances are just something else to break. If you have hard water, try simmering those little screen parts in your faucets in vinegar to get rid of calcium deposits. Carol

-- carol (fchambers@mail.janics.com), May 21, 2001.

James:

When you say you have an artesian well, I assume you mean that this source was originally under significant pressure without any additional aparatus. Artesian sources tend to either come to the surface on their own due to this great pressure or will become almost geyser-like when tapped by a drilling rig. Is this still the case or could it be that the source is producing less than it used to? If the jet pump can only draw 1 GPM from the source, then this is all you'll get at the house - if you're lucky.

I would check the well, if I were you. Granted, a shallow aquifer is more prone to dry up than a deep, artesian source, but it can still happen and that could mean a redesign of your system. You may find yourself in a situation where any of the following might need to happen:

- Deepen the well - Add a submersible pump - Add a holding tank - Add a pressure tank or replace your existing one with a larger one and perhaps a better jet pump

How are other homes in the area faring? Have there been any extended dry periods in the past couple of years? Are there neighbors nearby that could be tapping into the same source or at least near it?

It sounds to me like pressure is not the problem, but volume.

But as Dennis Miller says, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Dave

-- Dave (david@toledotel.com), May 22, 2001.

My thanks to everyone that responded to my question. Good news! I was able to get the water pressure to increase by making an adjustment to the pressure gauge, cleaning the screens in the taps, and cleaning the outlet line from the tank. (I opted for easiest suggestions first!) Thanks again. Your help is certainly appreciated.

-- James Calderara (jcaldera@charter.net), May 22, 2001.