I recently bought a house with a well (well is about 15 years old). I have found that the water pressure often surges and then gets very weak (especially in the shower on the 2nd floor) any ideas of the cause?
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Uneven pressure. Most likely your pressure tank is waterlogged.
Thanks. What do I need to do to fix this?
Turn off the breaker or switch to the pump, or twist closed the valve from in line to pressure tank. Then drain the tank down. It wil drain faster with a faucet open upstairs. Once it is empty, close al drains and open the valve or turn on the pump again.
But that is dependent on this being the right diagnosis. A 15 YO tank is more than likely a bladder type that should be replaced if it has failed.
Another possibility is that you need to adjust the high/low limit switches on the pressure reguilator.
Finally, I have known of two rare cases where the puimp ( a submersible) had frayed wires down in the hole. When it came on, it torqued slightly (this is what caused the fraying in the first pace) and with that little twist, the wire came into contact with the casing. The resulting loss of current wound the pump speed down so it lost some of that torque twist and the short quit shorting out. The pump motor then resumed full power and twist, where the process repeated itself...
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Sometimes with a bladder type tank it has simply leaked air out the air fill valve. IIRC (have never done this personally), the recovery is to turn the power off, open a faucet to depressurize the tank, then fill the air valve (like a tire valve) to a pressure equal to the low pressure setting on the pressure switch (typically 20-25 lb).
This procedure will also sometimes work with a failed bladder, giving you a little time to hunt up a replacement.
Another use for the compressor!
Admittedly , there is a limit to what we wood burners know about the mechanical arts
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