How To Increase Well Water Pressure

Are you using a well water tank for your home’s water needs? And are you facing some unfortunate inconveniences in that regard – namely, a lack of water pressure? If you are underwhelmed by the water pressure of your water pressure tank of your well water system, then you have come to the right place.

How To Increase Well Water Pressure

Here, we’ll talk about how to deal with an under-delivering well water tank – basically, how to increase the well water pressure. To that end, you will first want to know why your well water tank is malfunctioning in the first place.

Why My Well Water Tank Is Malfunctioning

Rust

Corrosion is the death of water pipes. Galvanized or not, steel rusts in due course, and then breaks off when hot water flows through them. There are ways to remove rust, for which we recommend professional plumber service. Just keep in mind that rusting can be one source of problem.

Clogging

Clogging by what? By sediments, by minerals. As time passes, the water flow also brings with it more and more sediments which accumulate. This is a very common source of declining in well water pressure. To combat this, we recommend maintenance of the well water tank every 6-8 months.

How To Increase Well Water Pressure – A Step By Step Guide

Now let’s move on to how the maintenance or troubleshooting is done. Keep in mind that the following steps could be a little technical, but by following this guide and a little experience at dabbling with household chores involving mechanical parts, you will easily be able to do maintenance. When the process is too technical and delicate, we will point it out and suggest calling for a plumber.

How To Increase Well Water Pressure - A Step By Step Guide

Drain The Well System

First, turn off the electricity. Yes, that’s the smart and safe way to handle anything electronic. Doing so will serve two purposes:

  • save you from possible electric shocks (very viable)
  • freeze the water level in the tank in place (not freeze as in freezing water solid, but to make sure no water enters the tank)

After making sure it’s safe and that the water level won’t rise again when you are draining it (that would be hilariously counter-productive!), attach a hose to the water spigot to drain the water tank dry.

Before you drain the water tank though, there’s a pretty important step. Once the water tank is empty of water, what’s to stop air from getting into the pipes? Well, you can stop that by stopping the water shutoff before draining the tank. There should be a handle between the tank and the pipes. Turn the handle so that the water shutoff is stopped.

Another smart step to take while draining the tank is to keep an eye on the pressure gauge. What should happen is the water pressure should be declining slowly at first and then rapidly till it reaches 0. If there are any out-of-place pressure readings or surges in the middle or , well… know that these are indeed out-of-place. We recommend calling for professional help in that case, as the problem is most likely electrical.

Check The Water Pressure

It is now time to open up the water tank to inspect inside once water pressure is 0. There will be two caps. Most probably the smaller one is the air fill cap, the other one being the well cap. Unscrew the air fill cap by hand, or use a wrench if needed.

Now take out the pressure gauge and attach it to the air valve. This is a crucial step so don’t mess up. Make sure to tightly attach the pressure gauge. Have your ear close to it for some seconds to verify whether there is any air coming out – this would signal leakage, one reason why the well water pressure has been low all this time. If there is a leakage, then the air valve might very well need to be replaced.

Now take out your manual of the well water system and crosscheck its psi level with the reading that you now get with the pressure gauge. Ideally, it should be 1-10 psi below the cut-in pressure. Why below? That’s because the water tank is empty now. If you do find the ideal reading, then your tank is A-OK.

Adjust The Pressure Level

If not within the ideal parameter though, and is a lot below the cut-in pressure, then you now have to manually adjust the pressure level. Bring out an air compressor or bike pump to the air valve. It will take around half a minute. Always keep an eye on the pressure gauge and stop when you are two psi below the cut-in level.

Why stop a bit short? That’s because there is such a thing as excessive pressure. Filling in more psi than the cut-in pressure means that you are going beyond the capacity of the water pipes. If you accidentally fill in more pressure, don’t panic. Just press lightly from the side of the air valve to let some air go.

Test It

Now it’s time to test if everything runs smoothly. Detach all the equipment except for the pressure gauge. Turn the power on and see if the psi is correct now (see on the pressure gauge). If the pressure is a bit lower than the cut-in, then add a bit more air and then crosscheck again.

If the psi shown on the control unit is lower than the psi you just measured with the pressure gauge, then tighten the screws. Now that you’ve got the wrench in hand, you should go about tightening the pressure-reducing valve as well. That is responsible for how much water reaches your home, so if it leaks or is damaged, you may have to replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is psi?

It stands for pounds per square inch. When we talk about water pressure, we use the psi unit.

2. What psi is good for a well water system?

Typically, the cut-in pressure for well water systems is 30/50 or 40/60.

3. What should be the psi of the air valve?

It should be close to the cut-in pressure. We recommend keeping it 2 psi below the cut-in level.

4. How much maintenance does a well water tank need?

Twice a year is plenty.

5. What are the tools needed for maintenance?

We recommend having the following tools, and we have given a suitable product for each:

1. Wrench: Check Price On Amazon

2. Pressure Gauge: Check Price On Amazon

3. Hose:

4. Bike Pump / Air Compressor: Check Price On Amazon / Check Price On Amazon

Final Words

Not so difficult, is it? And doing it will be easier. Of course, you are welcome to call for a mechanic to handle things, but we just wanted to point out that it’s nothing complicated if you own some basic tools.

We will cap things off by offering some suggestions. Using a pressure booster will give enhance and increase your well water pressure significantly – by way of an electric pump which artificially adds more water to your water supply. It can be installed if you have a 3/4 inch supply pipe or bigger. Another great tip is to buy a constant pressure system which will always keep your water pressure stable.

Last update on 2024-03-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. WaterFilterly is user-supported. We might receive a commission on any purchase you make through clicking links on this page.

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4 Comments

  1. I found your post about well water tanks very informative. I am currently considering installing a well water tank for my home’s water needs, and I would love to hear more about your experience with it. Could you please expand on the benefits of using a well water tank and how it has improved your water supply? Additionally, I would appreciate any tips or advice you have for someone who is considering installing a well water tank for the first time. Thank you!

  2. Yes, I am using a well water tank for my home’s water needs. We live in a rural area where access to municipal water is not available, so we rely on a well for our water supply.

    A few years ago, we experienced a major issue with our well water tank. The tank had been in use for over a decade and had started to show signs of wear and tear. One day, we noticed a significant drop in water pressure throughout the house, and upon inspection, we

  3. There are no errors or inaccuracies in the post. It is a simple question asking if the reader is using a well water tank for their home’s water needs. No sources are required to support this claim as it is a general question.

  4. Yes, I am using a well water tank for my home’s water needs. It has been a great investment for me as it provides a reliable and consistent water supply. One real-world application of using a well water tank is in areas where there is limited access to a municipal water supply. Many rural areas rely on well water tanks to meet their water needs. These tanks store water that is pumped from underground wells and provide a steady supply of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other household activities

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