Any plumber types know how I can increase the water pressure at the shower head in the upstairs bathroom? We have a shallow dug well. Small tank with pump in the basement. The pressure slowly builds until the pump kicks in then lasts a bit but not very well. Pressure then comes and goes. Would a reducer in the shower head help? Volume is okay. Would just like to be able to take a decent shower.
Make sure you're not leaking at the faucet.
What is the pressure switch set at on the pump?
Sounds like it may be the pressure tank is low?
Is this new or old construction?
If old and the second show was seldom used, you could have clogged pipes from hard water
It sounds like the air bladder in your tank is bad. It should expand as water is used in order to buffer the cycling caused by the pump running and stopping.
^Ding, ding^
I think Duke's got it.
Your tank is not a holding tank. It's a bladder tank.
It's not clogged pipes if the volume is fine.
One other thing- the water restrictor may have been removed/ modified. It's a disk in the shower head designed to limit water consumption. Sometimes people alter them to get more volume, but it wouldn't usually affect pressure greatly.
I'm with Duke on this one.
The pressure builds slowly? then the pump kicks in?
If that's really what is happening, you've got some serious buildup, and you're counting on thermal expansion to open it. Not a fun one, grandparents had a house like this, and showers were....weak.
Your simplest fix is to replace the showerhead with an extremely low flow type. Beware though that for these to work you typically need substantial pressure. Without the pressure they won't atomize well. Rinsing hair with these shower heads is frustrating because hardly any water actually comes out, so it doesn't wash away the suds quickly at all.
If the pump is not getting sufficient supply, nothing will help. If you have enough water from the well, remember that Pressure is Inversely related to Volume. The more pressure, the less volume. (This is a fact, law of nature, immutable, not negotiable) So if you have decent volume of water, a restrictor can increase the pressure. This will result in a nice, stinging spray, like standing in front of a pressure washer. Most people don't want that.
Large flow with no pressure is like the end of a garden hose without a spray head. Also not the most desirable for removing shampoo from long hair. It will work, but is not an enjoyable "shower experience".
I recommend one of these:
The little individual rubber nozzles create more of a laminar flow that is what most people really want.
People seem to be ignorant of that law.
pinchvalve wrote: The more pressure, the less volume. (This is a fact, law of nature, immutable, not negotiable)
Though in fact not true or accurate.
House was built in 72. Has been updated. Tanks is in crawl space. It's about 18 inches in diam and 3 feet tall. No gauges on pump or tank that I can recall. Their is an inline cartridge style filter and we have on demand hot water with out a tank. I will check the small tank when I get home tonight.
Actually pressure in the rest of the house is only moderately better. The kitchen sink has a new faucet with integrated spray head that works pretty well. And the downstairs shower (seldom used) has good pressure.
I will look into a different shower head and restrictor as well.
foxtrapper wrote:pinchvalve wrote: The more pressure, the less volume. (This is a fact, law of nature, immutable, not negotiable)Though in fact not true or accurate.
Um, Yeah.
Streetwiseguy wrote:foxtrapper wrote:Um, Yeah.pinchvalve wrote: The more pressure, the less volume. (This is a fact, law of nature, immutable, not negotiable)Though in fact not true or accurate.
Take a garden hose, put a sprayer nozzle on one end, and screw the other end onto your house. Leave the valve closed. Pull the handle on the nozzle. Nothing comes out. Zero pressure, zero flow.
Now open the valve at the house to let water into the hose. Pull the handle on the nozzle. Admire the squirting water! Pressure and flow have both...increased.
Have you cleaned the head? If not soak it in vinegar. It always helps my shower.
You still can have pressure with low volume or or low pressure and high volume.
Or something like that.
pilotbraden wrote: Have you cleaned the head? If not soak it in vinegar. It always helps my shower.
Occasionally our screened faucets and showerhead benefit from being removed and having the small bits of debris dumped out. Rust, rocks, moondust, whatever...
EDIT: Though it sounds like what you've got going is better described by some folks above. I just like how simple this stuff is to try 
So I checked the pump and tank. Pump has pressure gauge--reads about 37-38 psi with nothing in the house running water. No leaks in the system.
So while writing this I was interrupted. As a result I went back into the crawl space to look for the pressure switch. As I got to the pump the gauge was nearer to 45 psi and suddenly kicked on. It stopped when the gauge reached just under 55 psi, then the gauge settled at about 50 psi. The pressure switch is a spring loaded device with a water line running to it. No actually gauge on that part. Directions say one revolution of nut on spring is good for a 2 psi change. I touched nothing. Time to call in an expert?
Was someone in the house running water (or a washer/dishwasher running) or did it just kick on for no apparent reason?
Came on of it's own accord. Will do that semi regularly. I just ran the sink in the downstairs b-room and it took 55 seconds for the pump to kick on. Sink is not more than 40 feet from pump.
Do you have any faucets that leak or toilets that run? It sounds like there is a leak somewhere in the system if the pump comes on semi regularly. If it is not inside the house then it is in the line that runs from the well to the pump.
I also think the air bladder in the pressure tank could be a factor, causing the cycling of pressure that you are experiencing. In any case, it may well be time for an expert. Pun most definitely intended.
Two things.
First, all plumbing systems and wells leak. Some very little, some a lot, but they all leak. So the well pump will occassionally kick on to bring pressure back up. Since you've got a well, a very likely leak suspect is the footer valve.
Second are the numbers you describe. They don't make sense. Oh, kicking on at 45, off at 55, and stablizing at about 50 makes sense. That's a perfectly normal range. It's the earlier 37-38 that doesn't make sense, in light of the other numbers.
Conveniently, this all also told you how good the pressure tank is. If the tank is good and the bladder full of air, the pump would have run for a good 30 seconds at least. If the bladder has ruptured, the pump will cycle for just a few seconds. So, how long did your pump run for?
foxtrapper wrote:Streetwiseguy wrote:Take a garden hose, put a sprayer nozzle on one end, and screw the other end onto your house. Leave the valve closed. Pull the handle on the nozzle. Nothing comes out. Zero pressure, zero flow. Now open the valve at the house to let water into the hose. Pull the handle on the nozzle. Admire the squirting water! Pressure and flow have both...increased.foxtrapper wrote:Um, Yeah.pinchvalve wrote: The more pressure, the less volume. (This is a fact, law of nature, immutable, not negotiable)Though in fact not true or accurate.
Downstream, The flow has increased. Pressure has now dropped from what it was behind the valve.
Picture a pump, capable of producing a certain amount of pressure and volume. Open the valve further, volume increases, pressure drops with increased flow. Like an engine with worn bearings.
I have had similar problems, caused by mineral buildup in the small pipe to the pressure switch. Turn off the electric, disconnect the wiring and remove the switch. You will probably find the pipe is partially clogged with minerals. Clean or replace the pipe, make sure the minerals aren't built up inside the switch. Put it back together and you should be good to go. I have to do this every 2-3 years due to the hard water from our well.
Streetwiseguy wrote:foxtrapper wrote:Downstream, The flow has increased. Pressure has now dropped from what it was behind the valve. Picture a pump, capable of producing a certain amount of pressure and volume. Open the valve further, volume increases, pressure drops with increased flow. Like an engine with worn bearings.Streetwiseguy wrote:Take a garden hose, put a sprayer nozzle on one end, and screw the other end onto your house. Leave the valve closed. Pull the handle on the nozzle. Nothing comes out. Zero pressure, zero flow. Now open the valve at the house to let water into the hose. Pull the handle on the nozzle. Admire the squirting water! Pressure and flow have both...increased.foxtrapper wrote:Um, Yeah.pinchvalve wrote: The more pressure, the less volume. (This is a fact, law of nature, immutable, not negotiable)Though in fact not true or accurate.
Upon further inspection, we are, in fact, talking about a shower head, so in this instance you are kinda right.
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