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There's a pump in the well that runs to a pressure tank which feeds the house.

I moved here from the city and find the water pressure is just nowhere near what I'm used to. Showering with low water pressure is no fun.

What do I need to change to get better water pressure? Add a pump after the pressure tank? Bigger/better pump in the well? Different pressure tank?

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5 Answers

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I grew up in a house on a well with poor water pressure. When my parents built a new house (also on a well) they did a few things to improve the water pressure:

  • Buy a better, more powerful pump for your well. Obviously, this is an expensive option for an existing well.

  • Take the "water efficient" screens and flow constrictors out of your shower heads. You don't always need to buy new shower heads to get better water pressure. I had a pressure problem and called a plumber who came to my house, popped the shower head off and pulled out a couple of little rubber pieces then put the shower head back on. Voila better pressure! (I still had to pay the plumber $70 for his advice though.) He said that new shower heads have these energy efficient flow constrictors that slow the water rate down. The flow constrictors have tiny holes and the holes can get blocked with mineral deposits, which further reduces water pressure (he said that was why my pressure had diminished over time.) This site has examples of removing flow constrictors.

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I have seen shower heads that are designed to provide more pressure. I have never used one myself but it might be an option for you.

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Could be the pressure tank isn't keeping pressure or the pressure switch needs adjusting.

There's some good information on this here:

http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/well-pump-pressure-switch/

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In many cases, this is because your bladder tank (typically looks something like a blue propane tank in your basement somewhere) is old and needs replacement. Once we replaced ours, with the same size as the original, the pressure was much better.

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Assuming first that there isn't a problem with your pressure tank (check it with a tire pressure gauge to check) and that your pump isn't underpowered for the depth of the well or the length of pipe it has to push the water to reach your house. You might want to check the pressure switch.

There is a pressure switch on attached to the plumbing between the well and the pressure tank that may be adjustable. However, beware of increasing the pressure, adding too much extra pressure can cause weak joints or older pipes to leak under the additional strain.

Another consideration is whether your problem is low pressure or low volume, the symptoms of both can be very similar the user of plumbing fixtures. Unfortunately the only good way to fix volume problems is to upgrade to larger pipes, which can be a major undertaking.

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