Low pressure issues

[RegionRat]

Hello all!

Brand new to the forum! Past few months we have been having some
Low water pressure problems at my home. House was built 11 years ago. The problem that is occurring, is when two faucets are running, or if someone is in the shower and someone flushed a toilet or turns on faucet, the pressure just drops, it doesn't drip/trickle but it's still crap.

About 2 months ago we had a really bad low pressure, the problem was determined to be a bad bladder in the tank, which we replaced and went bigger(20 to 35 Gallon tank). That fixed some issues.

Recently I replaced the pressure switch from 30/50, to a 60/80 switch, and im wondering in that process if I didn't pressurize the tank enough or something? Could a under pressurized tank be causing the problem mentioned about? What else should I look at?

 

[speedbump]

What happened when you raised the pressure to 60/80?
When you raise the pressure that much without adding air to the tank, depending on the brand, you can rupture the bladder.
Generally low pressure caused by turning on a second faucet means the plumbing is either too small or it is getting plugged. It's more of a reduced flow problem than a reduced pressure problem.

 

[RegionRat]

Hi speedbump,

I did add air to the tank, I just worry I didn't add enough, I believe I did tho, -2 psi below the cut on for the pressure switch. If one faucet, the pressure flows greats, strong, but let's say someone's washing dishes, someone turns on another faucet and it's just a weak stream of hot water.

So how would I determine if it's a blockage or if piping is to small? Where do I start?

 

[speedbump]

Figure out what kind of plumbing you have. Galvanized, Copper, Pex and there are a few more. Then determine the size. For me, no pipe feeding water to a home should be smaller than 3/4". Then it branches down for individual usage. If it starts off with 1/2", that's too small. Pipe is measured by it's inside diameter.

 

[Valveman]

What is the pressure on the gauge when you are seeing low pressure at the faucets? If it is between 60 and 80, you have a restriction. If the pressure is low, you have a pump problem.

 

[RegionRat]

Going to work on this tomorrow. ! Will have some more information to report back to you all. Thanks so far for all the help and insight!

 

[RegionRat]

So I had some time today to work on the issue, I checked the PSI on the tank and everything was good/in order. I had my dad with me, and he mentioned that the water on the outside of the house was coming out strong and full pressure. Which lead us to the actual problem of the issue at hand....the filter next to the water softener was clogged up. Replaced that and boom water pressure stronger then ever all around the house, no issues at all after filter change.

I always tell myself at work to follow KISS(Keep It Simple Stupid) except in this case.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[speedbump]

Your biggest mistake was replacing the filter. You should have left it out. It's not catching anything harmful anyway.

 

[Chris]

I was gonna mention a filter. I don't have one but I do have a wye strainer just past my bladder that picks up any sand and sediment that come through and if I don't clean it every month or so I loose a lot of volume.