Plumbing question

[jutaw22mu]

I live on a well and have been experiencing low water pressure for about 1 year +/-.  For example, if I run the washing machine, I only get a trickle out of my kitchen faucet.  If I flush a toilet, I have to wait 10 minutes to start the shower, etc.  The well pressure into the house is good.  It goes through a water softener and an iron sulfur filter. 

I had a plumber out last July and he told me to call the water softener guys.  The water softener guy came out and charged me $200 to tell me to call the well guy and said there was low pressure on the tank.  The well guy just came here and told me I  have 60 lbs of pressure so he is not the problem (they also replaced my pump and well tank 3 years ago).

I am at a loss of how to proceed.  It has to be the water softener because when we bypass it the water pressure in the house is reasonable with multiple water sources open.  There must be a clog in the filter as my plumber thought last year.  I am worried that I call them out here again and they charge me another $200 to tell me that the system they installed is perfectly fine.  Has anyone had issues with Guthrie and Frey before?  Any rec's on who I can contact to resolve this?  I just want to be able to take a shower or wash my hands while the washing machine is operating.

[The Sultan]

The only other thing could be your water heater, which I assume gets its water straight from the softener.

[jutaw22mu]

I hope its not that....that was newly installed in 2019.  Is there anything specific I should try to address that?

[Uncle Rico]

I hope its not that....that was newly installed in 2019.  Is there anything specific I should try to address that?

The plumber, a good plumber anyway, should have been able to deal with a water softener issue anyway.  I'd look for an all-inclusive repair service that can handle all those areas outside the well.  Not knowing where you live, look at some reviews online of local companies to find someone.

Whoever the plumber was, I'd leave a bad review.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I live on a well and have been experiencing low water pressure for about 1 year +/-.  For example, if I run the washing machine, I only get a trickle out of my kitchen faucet.  If I flush a toilet, I have to wait 10 minutes to start the shower, etc.  The well pressure into the house is good.  It goes through a water softener and an iron sulfur filter. 

I had a plumber out last July and he told me to call the water softener guys.  The water softener guy came out and charged me $200 to tell me to call the well guy and said there was low pressure on the tank.  The well guy just came here and told me I  have 60 lbs of pressure so he is not the problem (they also replaced my pump and well tank 3 years ago).

I am at a loss of how to proceed.  It has to be the water softener because when we bypass it the water pressure in the house is reasonable with multiple water sources open.  There must be a clog in the filter as my plumber thought last year.  I am worried that I call them out here again and they charge me another $200 to tell me that the system they installed is perfectly fine.  Has anyone had issues with Guthrie and Frey before?  Any rec's on who I can contact to resolve this?  I just want to be able to take a shower or wash my hands while the washing machine is operating.

I have a well and have dealt with the last 28 years.  I do not have a water softener nor have interest in one.

I had a tiny 2-bedroom cape and we made an addition to turn it into a 4-bedroom.  For whatever reason the hot water pressure has never been great in the new 2nd floor master bedroom shower.  The original bathroom and kitchen and the new 1st floor half-bath are fine as is the new 2nd floor sink.

A few things:
* My well water has high calcium, and I get silt bursts from time to time.  It leaves white calcification stains and will clog aerators and shower heads.  My mom had a well for 30 years and rejoiced when then ran city water down her street.  She had high iron content and it tended to leave orange stains.  I disconnect all my sink aerators and shower heads and soak in a bucket for 3-5 hours using de-calcification liquid that you can purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot.  Your supermarket may sell also.  My mom used Iron Ike from the same company which did the same thing in her case.
* Your water softer may be badly clogged with well silt somewhere.
* I'm unsure of your heating system but here in New England everything is Home Heating Oil with baseboard heating.  You have to drain and flush out the heating lines because they will fill with air bubbles and interrupt hot water flow.  In the warmer months I connect a garden hose and run it into my sump hole a little bit at a time to get the air out.
* The well tank should have an air valve on it as well as a pressure gage.  You may need to add some air.  Very important, make sure you don't over add. 
* If it seems worse with hot water, then where your hot water is stored may be clogged or simply need a new holding tank.  Depends on the age.  Mine is built into my boiler and is not separate. 

If I think of anything else I'll post.

[rocky_warrior]

I hope its not that....that was newly installed in 2019.  Is there anything specific I should try to address that?

*If* it's the water heater, then you'd only notice low pressure with hot water.  But you mentioned toilets are slow too, so that's probably not it.  Nonetheless, never a terrble idea to flush the water heater every few years.  Though, since yours is (likely!) after the softener, the softener should be collecting any sediment the well might be throwing.

Since the well guy apparently already confirmed the pressure tank has pressure, I wouldn't mess with measuring or adding air (it doesn't seem like you're very comfortable with your plumbing system as is). 

It certainly seems like the water softener may be a problem, but if you trust that guy, it seems unlikely that it clogged up since last summer.

What kind of water lines does the house have?  I'm wondering if they're galvanized steel instead of more modern/common copper or pex (plastic).  If that's the case, the inside could be severely rusted limiting the flow of water.   I'd personally also replace them anyway because they're likely throwing lots of rust through your faucets.  But that's just some speculation.

Your well pump system *should also have a pressure gauge (I've actually got 2) right around where the water comes into the house / around the pressure tank.  Depending on how fancy you well system is, the well pump will either try to hold continuous pressure (fancy!), or old school via a mechanical pressure switch like mine (turns the well pump on when pressure goes below 30psi, turns it off when pressure goes above 50psi).    That would look something like this..  The pressure tank acts as buffer to keep the pump from cycling too often.  If you turn on a faucet, and go stand near the pump switch / pressure tank, you hopefully would be able to tell if things are operating correctly (pump turns on for a bit, turns off for a bit).  The "bit" will depend on the size of your pressure tank.  I've got a pretty big 45gal version, so the well pump would run for a couple minutes to fill it, and then stay off for several minutes until pressure drops below 30psi again.  If the pump turns off, and then turns on again very quickly, the pressure tank isn't doing it's job correctly. 

As Rico said, maybe turn to another "professional".  I wouldn't expect all plumbers to be familiar with well pump systems, but they should be able to handle a water softener (especially if you're in an area where those are common). 

[NCMUFan]

Our water pressure through the faucets, toilets and showers was starting to get low at times.  My plumber replaced the pressure switch to tell the pump to come on and the pressure gage.  All works fine now.  Only other issue was once had to replace the submersible pump about 17 years ago due to deposits forming on the pump.

[rocky_warrior]

My plumber replaced the pressure switch to tell the pump to come on and the pressure gage.

The pressure gauge is just an indication of pressure, the pump switch does all controlling of pressure.  I replaced a 49 year old one (pump switch) with the one I linked above.  Probably won't last as long.  Though I did replace the old pressure gauge at the same time!

[NCMUFan]

The pressure gauge is just an indication of pressure, the pump switch does all controlling of pressure.  I replaced a 49 year old one (pump switch) with the one I linked above.  Probably won't last as long.  Though I did replace the old pressure gauge at the same time!

Right, the pressure gage is passive.  The plumber said it wasn't reading correctly so better to replace it.  The pipes close to the switch and gage were pretty fouled, so he also cleaned that out.  My plumber is 80+ years in age.  Pretty sure, he has seen just about everything more than once.

[Jay Bee]

I had new toilets installed six months ago and haven't had to use a plunger once. Quite an accomplishment, considering.......

[mix it up]

I tried to read this whole thread and may have missed this but is there a way to bypass the softener and eliminating that possibility?

[jutaw22mu]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!  Some easy things I can try myself (such as soaking aerators) before I call someone back.  Next time I buy a house, I will just do city water...

[jutaw22mu]

I tried to read this whole thread and may have missed this but is there a way to bypass the softener and eliminating that possibility?

I can bypass the water softener and iron curtain but if I do that, I don't really want to use the water for drinking, cooking, or washing since it has so much iron and other sediments in it. 

[StillAWarrior]

I can bypass the water softener and iron curtain but if I do that, I don't really want to use the water for drinking, cooking, or washing since it has so much iron and other sediments in it. 

I think what mix it up was suggesting was bypassing the softener solely as a diagnostic to see if it's the cause of your problem -- not bypassing it permanently. If pressure is restored when the softener is bypassed -- it's likely your problem. If pressure is still sluggish even when softener is bypassed -- it might not be the problem.

[jutaw22mu]

I think what mix it up was suggesting was bypassing the softener solely as a diagnostic to see if it's the cause of your problem -- not bypassing it permanently. If pressure is restored when the softener is bypassed -- it's likely your problem. If pressure is still sluggish even when softener is bypassed -- it might not be the problem.

YEah, when the softener is bypassed, it seems like the pressure situation is resolved (thanks for clarifying).  It has to be the softener.

[Skatastrophy]

YEah, when the softener is bypassed, it seems like the pressure situation is resolved (thanks for clarifying).  It has to be the softener.

Grats on finding the general area! IMO it's the softener, or the pipe material surrounding the softener.

There's a deep dive this thread hasn't touched around galvanized pipe corrosion problems, as well as corrosion due to dissimilar metals directly coupled without a sacrificial anode or sufficient grounding.

[mix it up]

I think what mix it up was suggesting was bypassing the softener solely as a diagnostic to see if it's the cause of your problem -- not bypassing it permanently. If pressure is restored when the softener is bypassed -- it's likely your problem. If pressure is still sluggish even when softener is bypassed -- it might not be the problem.

Exactly

[Shaka Shart]

This the thread we talk about prostate exams

[Skatastrophy]

This the thread we talk about prostate exams

Okay how many fingers do you guys prefer? I was surprised to find that I prefer three 

[rocky_warrior]

There's a deep dive this thread hasn't touched around galvanized pipe corrosion problems, as well as corrosion due to dissimilar metals directly coupled without a sacrificial anode or sufficient grounding.

Seriously man, I know TL;DR, but I was way before you.

I'm wondering if they're galvanized steel instead of more modern/common copper or pex (plastic).  If that's the case, the inside could be severely rusted limiting the flow of water.   I'd personally also replace them anyway because they're likely throwing lots of rust through your faucets.

Thankfully I think the OP resolved this before your insightful sleuthing   

[Shaka Shart]

Okay how many fingers do you guys prefer? I was surprised to find that I prefer three

Stretch 4

[rocky_warrior]

Stretch 4

slut

[Skatastrophy]

Seriously man, I know TL;DR, but I was way before you.

Thankfully I think the OP resolved this before your insightful sleuthing 

I have you blocked.

[Shaka Shart]

slut

If that's what it takes Rocky.