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Water well running dry?

13K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Proulx06 
#1 ·
We own a colonial that was built in 1987. I'm the third owner of the house but we are good friends with the second owner, and there has NEVER been a water problem here. Water pressure has been great.

But the other night, while filling the tub for my son's bath, I noticed the water had very little pressure. Then all of a sudden it stopped completely. I shut off the valve, then two minutes later tried again and it was fine.

Last night the water pressure was low, but it didn't run dry.

Today, my wife took a shower first, then two minutes into my shower (which had very low pressure) the water shut off completely. I had to just keep waiting a few minutes then turning it on just to get all the soap off. 15 minutes later I was in the kitchen and the water was running fine.

We did no laundry last night, but we did do a load of dishes. But like I said, we could take showers while the dishwasher and washing machine was going, and it used to be fine.

I know it's impossible to determine from this what might be the problem, but I was hoping someone had an idea. Of course, we're hoping to put the house on the market soon, so I'm hoping this is something minor. We have a water softener and I'm going to check that when I get home from work to see if that has any errors.

Any ideas?
 
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#2 ·
If you have a deep well.
Does your well pump run constantly? If so, it could be a failed bladder in your pressure tank.Do you have particles in your water (Sand/Metal)? If so, it could be a failed back flow preventer,or a failed pick up screen.I am by no means a plummer,but I have had this problem once before. Good Luck
 
#3 ·
In our rush recently, I haven't had time to check the pump. I will today. I expected to see particles if the well was going dry, but the water has been crystal clear.

Quick question - I googled to find someone to come look at it. Plumber's don't seem to be the right people, and most local pump companies seem to service septics. Who should I call? Does it depend on where the issue is?
 
#4 ·
If it's a deep well, you may want to call a well drilling company. They will have the knowledge, skill and equipment to pull the submersible pump.
If it's a shallow well with an above ground pump, you might find a plumber experienced enough with them.
Check with your Health Department to see if they know of wells running dry or low in your area due to drought.
Good Luck!
Mike
 
#5 ·
I'm starting to think it's not the well running dry, but feel free to correct me if none of these things sound right. For one, I'm getting no sediment in the water. Also, sometimes I can wait a minute or two and I'll get the water back for a few minutes. Lastly, we have about 4' of snow on the ground right now, and we've had a few days of melting in the last week. Couple that with the fact that I've filled entire pools with this well in recent summers and I really don't think that's it. I think it's something mechanical, so I've put in a call to a local well company. Here's hoping it's something small, cheap, and easy to get to in the frozen ground :) Thanks for your help.
 
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