Is my well pump going?
Whenever I take a shower or do dishes, every now and then ( at least once per task), the water pressure drops to almost zero for a few seconds. Idk if it's the pump ( I have a well) or maybe the whole house water filter? Come to think of it I haven't changed the filter in a while. Guess I will start with that but any thoughts would be appreciated.
RAS Sounds like it might be your holding tank. I'd check to see if your air pressure matches your pump set pressure. If it does, maybe your well is not refilling fast enough. How old is the well? How deep is it? Is the pump in the basement or at the bottom of the well? Good luck. I just replaced my pump, cost me I think $400 from Lowes. My pump was only down 75 feet so it was easy to change. If your on a mountain it's possible your well can go down 400-800 feet.
Original Poster 
?what?Something to do with your pressure tank. Pumps themselves are simple durable units that basically run or fail to run...
iJay Check the tank first; especially if it is a "bladder" tank. These have a membrane "bladder" that fails ruining constant pressure. Sometimes you can re-charge it.
Other times its waterlogged and it's new tank time if that's the case.
http://www.watertechonline.com/drinking-water/troubleshooting-a-bladder-pressure-tank/
strangerdanger 
ianimal 
Calico696 I had the same problem. The holding tank was about 18 years old. Had to change it out for a new one. Problem solved...
boobalaa We have a well also and lately our water pressure speeds up. When showering or doing dishes, if I set the faucet, it runs normally for a short while then the water pressure gets very fast. Does this seem like the same problem as RAS?
justwondering Thanks everyone for the great feedback! I will check the tank (is it near where the water comes into the house? Only place I can think of- there's a gauge on the pipe with a t-valve before it gets to the house filter. I will check when I get home. Thanks again!
If you read that link you might see the even checking the tank "charge" is exciting, especially if you're not sure where the tank is :>)
If the tank does not say "bladder pressure tank" or something like that, google it from the model number to see if it is.
If you do opt to call the plumber, know your tank model and be sure the plumber has an appropriate replacement on the truck if they can. Saves the multiple visits, waiting for the part, etc. A lot of guys will have a replacement ready-to-go.
Anyone know of a better cost-effective, reliable, alternative to the bladder-tank. These things fail too often to my way of thinking
A good place to look first would be next to your water heater. Mechanical items are typically grouped together to save space.
Oh, thanks ianimal. The water heater is next to the boiler in another part of the basement. Are you talking about the expansion tank? I think that is overhead of the hot water tank and the boiler.
Are you sure it IS an expansion tank? If it is, then no, it's not. But, the two tanks are generally similar in appearance. One way to tell would be to determine where that tank is in the system. If it's a pressure tank then I would expect it to be on the supply side of the water heater, i.e. between the well and the water heater. If it's an expansion tank, it would obviously be after the water heater within the system.
Embryodad Wouldn't the tank always be the first connection where the water pipe comes into the house from the well? Just follow the incoming pipes?
maja If you need some one call JR water and well service they are in buttsville very good co they are in the phone book but it sounds like a tank trouble most likely under pressure in the tank
Caged Animal Usually the well water tank has water pressure switch (usually a grey box with wires going in and out of it). It sits on the pipe that comes from the well and goes into the tank.
Actually, there would be a water pressure switch and a pressure gauge (like a tire pressure gauge). Both sit not far from each other on the main pipe from the well.
Ned 
So I cleaned the house filter and no go. There is a blue tank (see pic) connected to the incoming pipes. The gauge on the pipes reads zero and the tank sounds empty. I can't believe it's been since July already when I started this topic! I know, I know, I need to get this done yesterday or a few months ago. It's probably going to cost a lot. Sigh, the joys of home ownership! Could it just be the valve or a switch?
botheredbyuu2 
Dean Oh my, I hope it's not the well! I'm going to call a plumber first. I saw on another thread some people had recommended repair champ.
You most likely need a new well tank. They have a bladder that holds air to keep the water pressure steady in the older ones like in the picture. After many years the bladder starts to leak and the whole tank becomes water logged so the pressure is from the weight of the water and not the air in the bladder. The newer tanks have a diaphragm now that holds up much better that the old bladders.
Homeowner There are several things that could be bad, the tank like everyone is saying, the pressure switch could be slow reacting because the nipple is plugged. It also could be the pump motor. Some one with well knowledge should be called to check it out for you. Let us know what the out come is.
We have a low yielding well. If we use too much water in a short about of time, we will run out of water. It usually takes about 3 loads of laundry along with taking showers and other things in a day to do it.
Since we're aware of it we almost never run out. But if we do it will come back in an hour or so. If I notice we're losing pressure, I turn the switch to the well pump off so it doesn't burn out.
I've had the bladder go in my expansion tank once and the water would pulsate out of the tap. Since the tank couldn't regulate the pressure the well pump would have to kick on and off every couple of seconds to keep the pressure up. The water would stream out for a second or two, then go down to a trickle for a second and then go back up to a full stream again over and over.
Joe M Thanks, I will report back how it goes. I always planned to but as you see I hadn't done anything yet to report back about. I'm sad I know, just hate dealing with this stuff. But as they say I've got to gitter done! Check back with y'all soon.
Being the tank doesnt look to old and its empty, the bladder is good. Take the nut off the pressure switch cover. Its a contactor underneath. You will be able to see if its open or closed. If its open then the switch could be bad, or the 1/4" brass nipple is plugged. If its making contact you either have a popped breaker, broken wire at the well, or a bad pump.
Forcefed4door It's either the pressure switch or the pump is bad.
Maxwell Pump & Water Services
973 229 6561
Htown Resident RAS, I've had this problem of water pressure low when showering and use Danny's Plumbing. It was an easy fix. Maybe the pressure valve?
I also have an older shallow tank and do laundry at the laundromat, so I don't run out of water.
Chickadee mobile RAS
Here is some decent information and links to help troubleshoot what may be wrong - don't panic yet, it may well be one of any number of relatively quick fixes.
http://inspectapedia.com/water/Water_Pressure_Comes_Goes.php
a Zero reading on your guage may just be a failed guage, I have found that replacing that first can help a lot in the diagnosis of the problem as you can now see what the pressure in the system is doing when the pump kicks on and off.
Kurt 
Funny lady just had my well-pump replaced as it was leaking. I had Gallagher"s Plumbing come in an replace the entire tank. Would recommend them in a heart-beat. RELIABLE & TRUSTWORTHY.
crp Okay here's the scoop! Had one plumber come out and said he thought it was the well pump, would be about 3,200! He recommended a well specialist but we were all set to try to do it ourselves. Decided to call another guy out and he replaced the gray electric box thingy and the pressure gauge- looks like it's fixed! Hopefully it stays that way. Taking a shower will tell the real story. Thanks everyone for all the help and links. I was not looking forward to digging and hauling up that pump on Sunday
RAS - that is frequently caused by sediment buildup in the tube (vertical brass line going from the main water line up to the bottom side of the gray switch housing) not allowing for an accurate sensing of the water pressure in the tank - the tank goes overly empty before the switch senses the drop in pressure and can then actually run low/dry before the pump kicks on and brings it back to operating pressure. Sometimes it is an occasional maintenance item, but if it occurs often it is an indicator of excessive sediment in your well head.
The only way to deal with the sediment and keep it from gumming up your switch is to put a filter between your incoming pump line and the switch controls - most house filters are installed after the holding tank and before the water is distributed to the house.
Hope the fix works - it is a lot easier and cheaper than the pump!
Yeah, the stem going into the box was very corroded and wet. There was also some issue about extra wires hooked up to the gray box. Previous owner hooked up a switch box on the wall that had a red light on it. The light would come on when water was being used ( or rather when the pump came on?). The plumber took that out as he said it wasn't legal to do. I don't doubt it as the prior owner had all kinds of electrical no no's. He was an engineer and told me he got things to work and that's what matters. For example, he had the water softener, and a freezer hooked up to a smoke alarm so he would know if the softener overflowed or the freezer gave out. So when the smoke alarm went off you didn't know if you were on fire, flooded or the meat was going bad! One thing I liked that he did was to hook up a wire from outside to his alarm clock so that if it snowed more than six inches, his alarm would go off an hour early so he could shovel. Weird but cool.
Ian
Believe it or not Rube's got his own website:
https://www.rubegoldberg.com/
While I couldn't find the device RAS mentioned in there, there is one for preventing oversleeping:
https://www.rubegoldberg.com/artwork/no-more-oversleeping/?c=45
Have fun if y'all decide to visit there. It was always one of my favorite comics to read growing up and of course the board game "Mousetrap" was pretty much based on his designs.
RAS
I hope what he found takes care of your problem and it's not anything more involved!
Phil D. RAS, Back in the 40's I had a neighbor like that. We used to call him Westinghouse Wille
Old Gent So far so good! I thought it worth mentioning that it was Danny's Plumbing that came out as my second call and was fast, efficient, confident and most importantly correct in his assessment! Thank you Danny!
RAS. So nice to get an update on your original post. Hope your problem is solved for now. With home owner-ship, it seems like it's always something. We've been using Danny's Plumbing for 30 years.
You just cracked me up when you posted about your home's previous owner: "One thing I liked that he did was to hook up a wire from outside to his alarm clock so that if it snowed more than six inches, his alarm would go off an hour early so he could shovel. Weird but cool."
No problem chickadee! I can't believe it took me like 4 months to get it taken care of. I just kept imagining the expense and the hassle it was going to be so I procrastinated like nobody's business. And unfortunately, the previous owner dismantled all his clever gadgets probably because the real estate agent told him to. I would have liked that alarm clock set up for when it snows.
RAS, I knew Luther for many years. He was a very intelligent guy and great with electronics and gadgets. He used to certify radar units for the area Police Departments for a long time before he moved. He also liked to make his own wine which was very good. He was kinda like a mad scientist but in a very funny way. I miss our conversations and hope he is doing well...
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