well problem?

[iansky]

i woke up today with very little water pressure in all of the sinks/showers in my house. only a very tiny stream came out, and over the day even the stream stopped.

i checked the shut off valve to my house to make sure it wasn't off, and opening it a bit more made the water flow again, but weaker than normal. the water stopped flowing again after awhile so i checked the well water tank outside and the pressure on the gauge reads 65.

i have absolutely no knowledge of plumbing...so can anyone give me suggestions as to what is wrong and if it is "DIY"-able?

thanks!

 

[phishfood]

Do you know if there is a water filter on your water supply line?

Also, tap the side of the gauge to make sure it is not stuck. And if there is a hose faucet by the well tank, check to see if you have water pressure there.

 

[iansky]

ah! the gauge was stuck, tapping it made it read 0.

so maybe it needs a new pump? there is a hose line attached and no water is flowing, and i don't know if it has a filter, how would i check?

 

[iansky]

also, the air pressure on the valve at the top for the bladder is at 20psi.

 

[phishfood]

Sometimes the pressure switch will stick. While goofing with it may bring it back to life, that is dangerous, as you are playing with 220 volts of electricity.

If there is no filter present at the well, and you don't have pressure there, then a clogged filter is not your problem.

A bad pump may be your problem, but it is usually a bad pressure switch or control box.

 

[iansky]

well messing around with the electronics or pump itself is beyond me so i'll go ahead and call a repair man. thanks for helping me narrow down the problem!

 

[speedbump]

One easy thing to try is tapping on the pressure switch with the cover still on. You can't get shocked that way and if you have a bug between the points, sometimes a little tap is all it takes to burn it enough to get the pump to come back on.