We're having a bit of trouble with our well and water pressure, and I'm hoping you all might be willing to help us troubleshoot.
This is a residential home with a well and a tank with a 40/60 pressure switch. The home is around 20 years old, the pressure switch and gauge have been replaced in the past, and I believe the well pump and pressure tank have never been replaced. Tank pressure is at 38 psi. No water is running in the house. The pressure switch engages at around 40 psi, runs for about 12 seconds until it reaches 60 psi, then disengages. Over about 22 seconds, the pressure drops from 60 psi to 40 psi, and the process repeats. This has been happening for a couple of weeks now and would, at times, drop completely to 0 psi, though that hasn't been happening the past few days. Shutting off the water to the house does not change this cycle. (We have been cutting off the pump when water is not in use to reduce load on the pump.)
We have had two people out to troubleshoot the system (that's two opinions, and I guess posting here would be a third). Both folks watched the cycle, shut off the water to the house to rule out anything there, then went out to the well head and listened for water rushing back in. Neither heard anything, so they both concluded that there must be a break in the line between the well and the house. Does that sound right? Should we expect them to do any more troubleshooting (like pulling the pump) before having the line replaced?
The two things that give me pause are the following. I believe I have noticed surprisingly warm water coming from an outdoor spigot, even though the weather is cool here now (though I don't know what that might indicate). And, we haven't noticed any particularly wet spots in the yard, and I guess I'm surprised that the pressure could drop so quickly without leaving such evidence of a rupture.
Finally, we're interested in exploring our options and, of course, reducing cost as much as possible. Are there straightforward ways of locating the line between the well and the house? Would finding the rupture just include looking for wet areas in the yard? If found, is it reasonable to just dig up the area around the rupture and patch it? Failing all of that, if we have a professional run a new line, how much should we expect to pay in Virginia (assuming the well head is about 75 feet from the house)?
We appreciate any thoughts you all might be willing to provide.