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People have basic needs: food, shelter, and clothes. Likewise, as a homeowner, you probably already know that it needs a continuous flow of electricity for a house to function well, most especially water. Everyone relies on water to fulfill daily household duties, such as cooking food, washing dishes, taking a bath, maintaining the garden, and more.
But if you’ve lived in your residence long enough, you might have also experienced a little trouble with your home’s water pump. There are times that the pump yields little or inconsistent water flow, and this usually happens at the most inconvenient time, thus hampering your productivity for the rest of the day. Annoying, isn’t it?
There are underlying reasons why this happens, and you need to be aware of them so that you can troubleshoot the causes and apply necessary repairs, chop-chop. Below are some of the most common problems you may have with your water pump and some suggestions of the kind of repairs you might need to fix them.
Low to No Water Pressure from Your Well Pump
Well pumps are an integral part of the electromechanical system, which supplies water to the home by extracting from sources deep below the ground. Sometimes, low water pressure could indicate a problem with your well pump. It could be that it has already worn-out or there has been a build-up that might have caused the clog in its pipes.
If this is left unattended, the entire pipeline system could be damaged by corrosion, and you don’t want that to happen. In this scenario, it is best that you contact well pump repair experts to diagnose and correct the problem.
Besides this, there are also a variety of other potential reasons for low water pressure:
Water Pressure Regulator Becomes Dysfunctional
Pressure regulators are important as they stabilize and control the water pressure in your plumbing system, keeping it in a safe range that ensures the pipes will not be damaged. When this control valve becomes dysfunctional, it can cause a significant reduction in water pressure or lead to the opposite situation where the pressure skyrockets.
Meter Valve is Not Fully Opened
One of the two primary shut off valves that controls water to the home is the meter valve. Most of the time, when the meter valve is not fully opened, it could result in reduced water pressure. Consider checking the valve if pressure is still low even after repairs have been made.
You will know if it is fully opened if the handle is parallel to the water pipe. If it is set at a different angle, then it is not.
Short Cycling Water Pumps
Another common problem that you might have encountered from your water pump is when it turns on and off too quickly or when it turns on, but you are not using water in your house. Like the low water pressure, this short cycling is also caused by a range of other factors such as:
Running toilet
Running toilets can be a cause of intermittent pump cycling. This is when water from the toilet continuously runs even when it is not in use and might be caused by a broken flush valve seal (also known as a flapper), leaky fill valves, or a damaged toilet handle.
In most cases, you can easily identify and fix running toilets on your own by replacing the damaged equipment that caused it, checking and cleaning the flapper seat, or draining the tank and bowl. But if the short cycling doesn’t stop after doing so, you may need to call for professional plumbing services.
Leaking Fixtures
Aside from the toilet, leaks from other plumbing fixtures like the kitchen sinks, bathtubs, and shower you have at home could cause the short cycle. You can quickly identify them due to the dripping showerheads and faucet spouts, usually caused by a defective washer, corroded valve seat, or a loosened O ring.
You can address this by thoroughly cleaning the valve seat or tightening the O ring. If the washer has worn out, you may want to replace it. In this situation, you need to isolate the water in that area first using isolation valves before disassembling the handle and taking out the washer.
Not Enough Air Charge
One of the root causes of water pumps running intermittently is the insufficient air charge inside the water pressure tank. If your tank is the older version or a non-bladder model, the air charge must be recharged every so often as it is being absorbed into the water. Other bladder type tanks also experience this problem if the bladder gets damaged.
To fix this, you can drain the water tank and let air re-enter or use the air inlet valve to pump air back into the tank. You can also check the tank’s air volume control if it is dirty or leaking.
Takeaway
Indeed, water pumps can become problematic as time goes by. The valves might get loose and worn-out, pipes become corroded or clogged, and various other problems you might encounter. Still, feeding yourself with a little plumbing knowledge can help you address these issues. But of course, you also must not forget to call for the professionals in the industry to help you with the repairs and fixes.
