The low water pressure in your home can be a sign of a deeper problem. It may be caused by something as simple as a leaky faucet, or it could indicate that your well needs to be redrilled or that the pump needs to be replaced. In most cases, we can easily improve the water flow through your home and make life more comfortable for you and your family. Let’s dive into what could be causing the low water pressure in your home.
Well Pump
If you’re having low water pressure, the first thing to do is check your well pump. The well pump is usually inside the well casing, but you might have a jet pump somewhere inside.
If you’ve determined it’s time for replacement but feel uncomfortable doing it yourself, call in an expert. C&J Well Co. specializes in installing new pumps for people with low water pressure issues; We will come out promptly—often the same day—and make sure everything goes smoothly for both parties involved. This means no more worrying about whether or not someone will show up when they say they will.
A leak in your well system can cause low pressure.
If your well system is leaking, it can cause low water pressure. A leak in your well casing, underground waterline, or indoor plumbing can be hard to detect because it’s underground and out of sight. You may not see signs of a leak once you start experiencing problems with your water pressure.
Leaks in well systems often occur at connections between pipes and fittings that have been improperly installed; over time, these connections will wear down and begin leaking as they corrode or erode completely. Another common cause of leaks is faulty pressure tanks. If there are cracks in their seams or valves, they’ll develop small pinholes where air seeps into the tank, causing it to lose its capacity over time (thus lowering how much water comes out when you turn on faucets).
Low Water or Dry Well
If you have a well and your water pressure is low, one thing to check is the water level in your well. According to the USGS, “A well is said to have gone dry when water levels drop below a pump intake.” This does not mean that a dry well will never have water in it again, as the water level may come back through time as recharge increases. The water level in a well depends on a number of things, such as the depth of the well, the type (confined or unconfined) of aquifer the well taps, the amount of pumping that occurs in this aquifer, and the amount of recharge occurring. Wells screened in unconfined water table aquifers are more directly influenced by the lack of rain than those screened in deeper confined aquifers. A deep well in a confined aquifer in an area with minimal pumping is less likely to go dry than a shallow water table well. The problem could be due to several different factors:
—Your pump is malfunctioning and needs to be repaired or replaced. Your well might not be out of water, but it can seem like that if your pump isn’t working properly. Pumping a well lowers the water level around the well to form a cone of depression in the water table. If the cone of depression extends to other nearby wells, the water level in those wells will be lowered. Few drilled wells ever actually go dry. Rather, what occurs most often is that the water table has dropped to near or below the pump intake because the pump intake is not set deep enough to allow for a potential decline in water levels. Alternatively, the small strainer that covers the end of the pump intake could be partly clogged, so it takes longer to pump the same amount of water. In either case, when the pumping rate exceeds the inflow to the well, the air is pumped, and no more water is produced until the pump is shut off and the well recovers.
—There’s an obstruction in your pipes, such as tree roots growing into them or a clogged filter screen on your outside faucet. Again, your well might not be dry, but you still need water in your home.
—Your well has indeed run dry, meaning there’s no water beneath the surface of the ground where your well is located. This can happen if the aquifer (the layer of rock or sand through which groundwater flows) is depleted due to overuse from other wells in the area. Most of the void spaces in the rocks below the water table are filled with water. Wherever these water-bearing rocks readily transmit water to wells or springs, they are called aquifers. Groundwater is that part of precipitation that infiltrates the soil to the water table. The unsaturated material above the water table contains air and water in the spaces between the rock particles and supports vegetation. In the saturated zone below the water table, ground water fills the spaces between rock particles and within bedrock fractures.
Most rural water problems are related to old dug wells, septic systems, and too-dense housing developments. Drilled or deep wells are generally less susceptible to sewage or surface-contamination sources than shallow wells are, but water from bedrock wells is more likely to contain gas or minerals than water from shallow deposits. Most well drillers are aware of common local problems and generally locate wells properly. If you suspect you have a dry well, contact a professional well contractor immediately to avoid further damage to your well system.
Water Well Screen and Wellhead
A well screen is a mesh that keeps debris from entering the well. If your screen is damaged or rusted, debris could enter your well and clog it up. This can lead to several different problems—slower water flow, water that tastes bad or smells funny, and leaks in pipes leading up from the well to your home or business. It is best to use a stainless steel well screen is best to prevent rusting and corrosion. Also, if your screen is clogged, a well cleanout can rejuvenate your system and remove sediment and other buildup.
The wellhead is another important part of your water system, which protects your home from contaminants in soil and groundwater (if it’s not properly sealed, it could lead to contamination. The well cap is the cover on top of the well casing that sticks out of the ground. It serves many purposes. Most caps—usually aluminum or thermoplastic—include a vented screen so that the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the well casing may be equalized when water is pumped from the well. However, the cap’s main function is to keep contaminants out of the water supply. The well cap may also need repair if it has been damaged by rusting or corrosion and won’t do its job properly.
If you suspect a problem with your well screen or wellhead, contact us today for more information.
Faucet Aerator
Faucet aerators are devices that control the flow of water into a faucet. They are installed in the faucet spout and can be adjusted to control the water flow from the tap. If your aerators are clogged, it could reduce water pressure at your home’s low points by up to 50%. Aerators may get clogged when dirt and debris build up inside them. You should clean the aerators on your faucets regularly or have a professional do it for you. If you have hard water, it can deposit minerals that can cause problems with your plumbing system over time.
If you need help with low water pressure in your well, having a professional come out and check things out is a good idea. They can make sure everything is working properly and address any issues that might be causing the problem. If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us—you don’t have to live with low pressure any longer!
