If you’ve recently moved out of the city, to the ranch you’ve always dreamed of owning, it might be disappointing to find a drop in water pressure. A home’s water pressure is typically 60 pounds per square inch (psi). You may rely on a water well, and the low water pressure may result in having to run around inside the shower to get wet or experience scalding water temperatures when someone flushes the toilet in another bathroom. Increasing your home’s water pressure takes center stage.
Increasing Your Home’s Water Pressure
Fixing low water pressure on a water well system can be tricky. Some causes of low water pressure are easy to fix, while others could require a professional well water expert. Regardless of the cause, low water pressure is not something you just have to put up with.
Water pressure is the term used to describe the force behind the water that pushes it through the home plumbing system. For homes with a private well, water pressure is controlled by settings on the well pump. It is measured by pounds per square inch (psi) and should fall somewhere between 40 psi and 60 psi. To improve the well water’s pressure requires a few quick adjustments to the pressure tank and pressure switch.
The well pressure tank maintains consistent water pressure into the home without continuously running the pump. An inflated air bladder inside the storage tank imposes pressure on well water in the tank. As the water level in the tank drops from household demand, pressure in the tank declines to a preset minimum. The well pump then actuates to pump more water into the tank and restore pressure. An under-inflated air bladder results in lower water pressure output from the tank. Well-pressure tanks provide an automotive-style Schrader air valve on the top or the side where bladder pressure can be verified with a standard air gauge.
Changing the Range of Your Home’s Water Pressure Tank
The instructions for changing the range the well pressure tank operates in are quite lengthy. A quick way to learn how to change the pump’s pressure settings comes from viewing this video on YouTube or read the artile in SFGATE: How to Get More Pressure Out of Well Water
Sometimes what seems like low water pressure is actually low water volume. Less water makes it through the pipes than had been flowing previously. Do you have problems with sediment, hard water or iron in your water? The cause could be clogged pipes or a clogged well casing from a buildup of sediment and minerals.
In this case, adding water pressure will not help the problem in the long term and can lead to water system damage or catastrophic failure. It is important to rule these causes out before taking any steps to increase pressure. Always ask a professional, knowledgeable about water wells to inspect your system.
