Drop in water pressure...is it this pump?

[gronendael]

I'm the business manager in an animal hospital and about 6 months ago we noticed a drop in water pressure. It has not been an emergency for us because we're still able to do what we need to do. But it's starting to become a nuisance.

We're not the most plumbing-savvy guys here but we get by. We replaced plenty of toilets, faucets, & piping as well as fixed leaks and other minor issues.

One thought was there may be a major leak somewhere, but there's no evidence for that anywhere inside and our water bill hasn't changed. So now we're at a loss.

The one thing we're looking at is this pump that is in our utility room, and we're not sure it's function...pics below. There is a valve that we have turned both on and off that goes to this pump that hasn't changed anything. We don't ever remember this thing making any sound, so we can't tell if it's working or not. It's always been there, but we've never really looked at it that closely. We have a feeling that this thing may have something to do with the water pressure. Could we be on the right track?

Any other thoughts or suggestions would be great. Thanks!

 

[gronendael]

Thought I should include that we are on a county water supply.

 

[johnjh2o]

That has nothing to do with your water pressure. It is a recirculating pump for your hot water. A picture of were the water enters the building may be of some help.

John

 

[gronendael]

Hi John,

Thanks for the info. We were wondering what that pump was for. When we switch it On, it doesn't do much. Sometimes it will make a noise for a second and sound like it's about to start up but then it stops. I'm nervous about leaving it on over the weekend, so hopefully it's not critical.

Anyway, back to the water pressure issue. Here is a picture of where the water enters the building. It's actually right next to the recirculating pump. Hope I'm showing you the right thing here.

 

[gronendael]

Just read up on the recirculating pump. Sounds like this is what it is probably supposed to do. Just push a little water through the pipes occasionally as it tries to keep hot water readily available. Thanks for the name of it. Made it easy to find what I needed.

 

[phishfood]

What John is trying to find out is if there is a pressure reducer valve or something similar that might be malfunctioning and causing the drop in pressure. Is there another point, perhaps outside the building, where the water main is exposed with any valve arrangement?

 

[gronendael]

I was wondering if he may have meant outside, but I couldn't think of anything visible that I'm aware of. I will look around a bit. Thanks!

 

[IFIXH20]

If that's your water service (main water line for the building) coming up through the slab floor, the gate vave (water shutoff valve) on the service could be bad.

 

[gronendael]

Thanks Ifixh20. Can you suggest a way to test this?

 

[IFIXH20]

Turn the valve off to see if the water stops flowing. (Righy Tighty Lefty Loosey)

 

[Beni]

Assuming the drop in pressure is everywhere and not just due to a clogged aerator on a faucet or two; if there is no pressure reducing valve on the system, then the water meter could have issues. You would need to contact your water provider and have them check the meter and or strainer on the inlet to the meter for clogs.

 

[gronendael]

Assuming the drop in pressure is everywhere and not just due to a clogged aerator on a faucet or two; if there is no pressure reducing valve on the system, then the water meter could have issues. You would need to contact your water provider and have them check the meter and or strainer on the inlet to the meter for clogs.

Thanks for this thought. I called them and they had some guys come out. They said that everything in the meter looked fine. They came in to take a look and the guy I spoke with said he thought that pump from my original pictures was the problem. He said that in my area, the pressure is not as good and many businesses have pumps to help with the pressure. Upon turning it on, it appears to start and then stop. Start/Stop...start/stop...about every few minutes. I thought this must have just been the pump recirculating the hot water, but he thinks it's attempting to run but is actually not working.

I'm going to see if I can find any writing on it to find a brand/model to hopefully determine what kind of pump it actually is.

 

[gronendael]

Bell & Gossett Booster Series 100 BNFI H68

 

[johnjh2o]

That is a circulator pump. It is not used to boost pressure. All it is capable of is making a slight differences in pressure to circulate water.
Take a look at the horsepower of the motor it's 1/12. That can do nothing for your water pressure if it ran 24-7.

John

 

[gronendael]

Yeah, thanks John. I had a feeling the guy didn't know what he was talking about.