Question about a well

[Andrew Faukner]

I'm looking at buying a house with a well. In the house I noticed that there was barely any water pressure with the cold faucets, but the hot water faucets seemed to have plenty of pressure. Any ideas why that may be happening?

[Brent Paul]

1. Low flow coming from the well pump.

This can be caused by an aging well pump wearing out, clogged well screens, or a partially stuck check valve, broken well pipe, or corroded well pipe. 

2. Pressure switch set too low, or bad pressure switch.

For standard systems, one question we get is: can I turn up the pressure switch, or adjust the pressure switch to get higher pressure? Yes, you can adjust the pressure switch, however, you have to be careful because when you adjust it, it decreases the amount of drawdown in the pressure tank. Your well pump may not be able to build higher pressure than what your pressure switch is set to, so adjusting it higher might not work.

Pressure switches may need to be cleaned and inspected to make sure there are no ants or insects present.

3. Failed pressure tank or low pressure in the captive air tank.
Your pressure tank has a captive air bladder or diaphragm, which holds a certain pre-charged amount of air pressure. To check it, turn off the well pump power, and drain out any water pressure in the tank by opening a hose bib or faucet. The pressure switch can also be bad, that is a very common problem.

4. Clogged piping.

You might need a plumber or well contractor to identify this, but one way to tell if it is your plumbing is to take out a section of the pipe and look inside. Is it filled with orange sludge, or scale or sediment? This can cut way back on your water pressure.

5. Partially clogged or stuck gate valves.

Gate valves and ball valves need to get turned on and off periodically. Sometimes gate valves get stuck and cannot open or close, especially if they have not been used for a long time. Replace these types of bad valves. If the valve is full of sludge it can be cleaned, but generally replacing it is better.

6. Clogged or malfunctioning pressure regulators.

You may have a pressure regulator on the main pipe coming into the home. These can go bad or become fouled with sediment or rust over many years and may need to be replaced.

7. Clogged aerators, shower heads, faucets or fixtures.

Remove faucet aerators and shower heads and see if those are plugged with scale or sediment. You might have good water pressure and flow but have partially clogged aerators. These can be cleaned with vinegar or citric acid or replaced to restore pressure.

8. Poorly sized or clogged or malfunctioning filter cartridges, water softener or iron filters etc.

Check and change filter cartridges and inspect your backwashing filters and water softeners if you have them. Check pressure before and after to troubleshoot if you have a problem with pressure loss through your filter system.

I know they can get a sediment or mineral buildup in the casing or pipes.  

Be sure to get it inspected.  Could be a few hundred dollars or thousands.  Absolutely no way to know without looking at it.