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I have a shallow well (1 hp pump) that feeds into a tank, and then travels another 200 feet to the house. If I turn on the pump, the tank does not fill up with water. If I let the air out of the tank it will fill properly. The gauge on the tank holds steady at 28 lbs of pressure.

I have a new pressure switch [30-50], and the new check valve never loses pressure. The prime gauges both read about 6 lbs with pump running.

Can anyone tell me if the problem is the tank, or is there something else I should pay attention to?

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    Either your pump is seriously broken or your ability to explain what's happening is. What's at 6 PSI? Where are those gauges plumbed in to? Where is the gauge that's "steady at 28 PSI" connected to? What's the water pressure at the house, pump running, pump stopped, pump starts? Can you post some pictures?
    – Ecnerwal
    Jun 26, 2017 at 20:27
  • If the pressure will not go above 28 psig. as you said then you have problems at the pump or it's related accessories. Also you need to answer Ecnerwal's questions.
    – d.george
    Jun 26, 2017 at 22:50
  • Hmm I was having some trouble here and was hoping to get some advice. I was'nt askng to be lectured or to be judged.i by myself put this system in to code24 yrs ago so I do no alittle about it,second of all these words that are wrote for some strange reason are not the words that I typed in when I wrote this question how they were changed I don't no but I do agree about what gauge is what when I wrote this there was more detail didn't read it til now but since you don't have any kind of help ive been without water for nearly a month so ill wait for hopefully some other advise and rewrite
    – woodcutter
    Jun 26, 2017 at 23:06
  • air pressure in the tank is set at 28 2 lbs below cut in pressure in the lines is enough for it to travel 200 ft up hil to the shower but not enough to operate the shower just trickles the tank is empty
    – woodcutter
    Jun 26, 2017 at 23:10
  • one gauge is on te pump 1 gauge is in the line to the house past the pressure tank and cut of valve there basically no pressure anywhere water wont go in the tank unless all air is out. since the pup was strong enough to push water 200 ft up hill and flow alittle without any help from the pressure tank I thought that it was ok ??
    – woodcutter
    Jun 26, 2017 at 23:14

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6 PSI amounts to 15 or 16 vertical feet rise, at most. 200 feet sideways and 15 feet up, not 200 feet up.

As such, I'd have to say your pump appears to be in need of service or replacement, based on what can be gleaned from what you've written. No water is going into the tank because the pump is evidently unable to make 30 lbs of pressure, much less 50. 6 PSI is not a functional well pump.

You described this as a shallow well pump - is it in fact a jet pump (recirculating, 2 pipes to the well), or is it in fact a straight shallow well pump (pure suction, one pipe to the well, less than 27 feet to the water surface)? A jet pump introduces a few more things that could be screwed up.

If you are facing replacement and it's a jet pump, I'd strongly suggest moving to submersible, as they are much more efficient than jets, (you could replace a 1 hp jet with a 1/2 or 3/4 submersible and pump more water in most cases) and with today's technology, also more reliable.

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  • thank you all for the advice but ill have to put this on hold ive got to go out of state my mother is failing will continue when I return,thanks again.
    – woodcutter
    Jun 28, 2017 at 22:21

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