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In our house, if 1 water source is being used it works. But if the horse buckets are being filled (outdoor spigot) all you get is air sound on any other fixture. Even if you try and use hot water (with hot water heater tank full) which is not hooked up outside. Also if you flush the toilet while in the shower it turns to a trickle. Must have washer and dishwasher off for showers etc.

Is there an easy fix? What is causing this?

We have 2 wells one hand-dug and one artesian and a 100 year old home.

We also recently changed the artesian pump and around the same time the filter needed changing every 2-3 days cause was filled with sand and water would get slow even for 1 fixture. That issue seems to have resolved on its own but we're still planning on putting in a DIY bigger filter. This is a separate issue the other issue has been continuous.

hand dug well pump pressure gage

another pressure gage

Just added these pics. One picture is of the pressure switch on the 20ft hand-dug well reading 40ish. The other pressure gauge is at the base of one of the tanks reading 25 psi. Seems this may be low. How do we increase the pressure? Both wells are hooked up to the house we seem to have the same issue of whether both pumps are on or just one.

People are washing clothes it's now not filling and the pressure is reading 45psi on hand dug and 30 psi on artesian both up about 5 psi.

I just took off the cover of the pressure switch. Can I just turn one of these screws to adjust the pressure? Which one and how many rotations?enter image description here

I adjusted the pressure switch 4-5 turns with both pumps off. Dropped the pressure and turned on the drilled well. Still only gets to 25 psi without the help of the hand-dug well? I'm gonna put the pressure switch back to where it was and wait for advice.

Rohit Gupta
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Jomama
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  • is you valve on the street side fully open. Did you notice a leak somewhere. Is you pressure regulator working. – Ruskes Apr 20 '23 at 03:14
  • Is this a well or city water? – JD74 Apr 20 '23 at 03:15
  • 1 hand dug well 20 ft 1 450 ft artesian both run – Jomama Apr 20 '23 at 03:22
  • No leaks noticed. One other thing I noticed is the bathroom sink shoots a stream that is not solid and has been blocked up before. We removed the screen to clean where the water comes out to resolve. Maybe are plumbing is clogged? – Jomama Apr 20 '23 at 03:23
  • Th only other clog I have been sure of has been on the shower drain though not on the clean water side. – Jomama Apr 20 '23 at 03:25
  • What are the pipe sizes? Apart from clogged pipes, undersized pipes can contribute to this. Generally if it needs a pump, it's just a drilled well, not an artesian well (which would be pressurized without a pump. The very definition of artesian well. Though there can be edge cases where the well overflows without a pump, but has pressure so low a pump is needed.) The "Spin-down screen with debris reservoir and dump valve" type filters are handy for sand, as you can just dump accumulated sand in a few seconds of flushing, no need to take it apart, or replace a filter element. – Ecnerwal Apr 20 '23 at 14:15
  • Yes drilled well. Thanks for tip on filter – Jomama Apr 20 '23 at 23:18
  • See https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/129456/18078 regarding **how** to adjust the pressure switch. And always be sure the power supply is cut off before opening that cover. If the pump won't reach cutoff pressure, there's a problem with the (recent) pump. – Ecnerwal Apr 21 '23 at 12:22

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Seeing it's a well, you need to look at your well pressure tank. There should be a pressure gauge on it. Watch what it's doing, it should maintain between 40 - 60 psi. Possible problems is your well pump is wore out, or your pressure switch isn't maintaining adequate pressure in the tank. You say you have two wells. Are they both connected to the house?

JD74
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  • Add a flow restrictor to each faucet or spigot to keep pressure from dropping too low, allowing air to enter the system. Disadvantage: it will take longer to fill things. – DrMoishe Pippik Apr 20 '23 at 22:20
  • I see hints of galvanized/iron pipe, is the house plumbed with pipe or tubing? galvanized or iron pipe will corrode closed after many years causing pressure drops because of flow restrictions. Also check your gauges, there should not be that much pressure difference between two parallel pump systems. – Gil May 21 '23 at 21:16