I filled our water tanks yesterday after we had completely ran out of water. We noticed last night that the fresh water was slowly filling the bowl. This morning we've noticed a significant drop in water pressure. Where do we begin to try and determine the issue?
Water Pressure Suddenly Dropped
- Thread starter BugOutBoat
- Start date
Air in the lines from running dry.
Open the faucet furthest from the pump, like the head faucet, with the water pump on. Wait till it spits air and turns to solid water, then close the faucet with the pump still on. See if it cycles down and stops. If not, if the pump keeps running, repeat.
You'll have to be able to hear the pump, so open the access door to it if needed.
Open the faucet furthest from the pump, like the head faucet, with the water pump on. Wait till it spits air and turns to solid water, then close the faucet with the pump still on. See if it cycles down and stops. If not, if the pump keeps running, repeat.
You'll have to be able to hear the pump, so open the access door to it if needed.
I agree that it may just be air trapped in the line that has to get purged. If that doesn't work Check for debris in the union connection to the water pump and if you have a water tank selector valve or any elbows in the plumbing. Look for any type of debris that may have settled to the bottom of your tank that might have been sucked up into the pump supply lines.
I got some plastic fillings from when the mfg drilled into the tank to make water connections. They were lodged in a elbow connection and caused the water flow to become weak. I think they were floating on the top until the tank ran dry and got sucked up into the supply line.
Hope this helps
I got some plastic fillings from when the mfg drilled into the tank to make water connections. They were lodged in a elbow connection and caused the water flow to become weak. I think they were floating on the top until the tank ran dry and got sucked up into the supply line.
Hope this helps
Check the screen in the faucet aerator. Running low on water probably sucked the junk from the bottom of the tanks and it got caught in the screen.
Greg
Greg
This sounds a lot like the issue. I finally got some time to dig into it. So I'm going filters first, lines second.
Here is another "debug" trick.
Take a Kitchen ingredient Cup, measuring cup, clear if possible.
1) Run your pump till it stops.
2) Turn off Fresh water pump breaker.
3) Use Kitchen Cup, open up a faucet and measure the volume of the Cold Water. Record captured volume and time to finish the fill.
4) Do each faucet for steps 1-3
All should be the same approximate volumes and time.
The lowest volume is your problem faucet.
Jim...
PS: Water is essentially incompressible and you can't detect significant water on long runs of pipe.
Take a Kitchen ingredient Cup, measuring cup, clear if possible.
1) Run your pump till it stops.
2) Turn off Fresh water pump breaker.
3) Use Kitchen Cup, open up a faucet and measure the volume of the Cold Water. Record captured volume and time to finish the fill.
4) Do each faucet for steps 1-3
All should be the same approximate volumes and time.
The lowest volume is your problem faucet.
Jim...
PS: Water is essentially incompressible and you can't detect significant water on long runs of pipe.
- What type water pump and pressure accumulator do you have? Does the water pump cycle and come up to pressure? (Or, do you have a variable speed pump with no accumulator tank)?
- Do you have voltage measuring device (meter on panel or handheld one, can you just not be getting AMPS? (i.e. Not just volts) to the pump because of bad wire or connection to the pump. A sign of this with an accummulator might be immediate spurt of pressure and volume which would taper off. That would could also be the symptom of bad individual outlet or a supply flow issue; but it's just an question to ask in comboniation with others.
- Is it just one fixture that's the issue? Is it different with the hot or cold water? If it's systemic, it's probably between the tank and the discharge end of the pump accumulator.
- There is usually a filter or screen strainer between the tank(s and selector valve) and the water. That usually has a sight glass-like plastic cover.
- Sometimes there is a similar filter before the water pump. Then occasionally there is a strainer in the inlet hose to the water pump (it's conceivable it might be that, especially if for some reason you have no strainers between the tank and the pump).
- Aerators will som es be plugged up--an individual fixture issue.