How to Check Water Well Pressure

A simple pressure gauge can alert you to problems with your well system.

Extremely high or low water pressure can affect the performance and longevity of many of your household appliances. Low water pressure can cause water filters, particularly reverse osmosis filters, to have little or no output. High water pressure can cause early failure of the small valves found on icemakers and swamp coolers. Testing the water pressure from your well is a simple procedure that takes only a few minutes to complete.

Things You'll Need

• Pressure gauge

Instructions

1. Attach a pressure gauge to an outside faucet.

2. Shut the water off to all appliances and turn off all internal faucets.

3. Open the outside faucet with the pressure gauge attached. Read the water pressure from the gauge.

4. Open an inside faucet. A utility sink or bathtub faucet is best, as they usually have no filter screens and produce a rapid flow.

5. Watch for pressure variations on the gauge on the outside faucet while the well pump cycles on and off. This will give you an accurate reading of the working pressure in your well system.

Tips & Warnings

• Variations in pressure greater than 10 pounds between the pump's cut-in and cut-off cycle may indicate a waterlogged or undersized pressure tank.

• Most standard well installations include a pressure gauge on the tank fitting in front of the pressure tank. If yours is missing or broken, it is a good idea to replace the gauge.

References

• Rincon Water.org: Oh . . . the Pressure!
• IrrigationRepair.com: How to Check Water Pressure