# Water in shower stops and restarts intermittently



## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

No ideas for a cause but a possible troubleshooting step. Maybe the difference is the volume of water your wife uses to shower compared to you, rather than the time of day.

HRG


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## Proulx06 (Jan 8, 2007)

More info:

Yesterday we switched it up. We didn't run the dishwasher and I had my wife take a shower first. She showered without issue. Then I went into our guest bathroom and took a shower in there (different shower than we experienced the problem), and I DID experience the water shutting off for about 10 seconds towards the end of my shower. I didn't take any longer than usual.

So the fact that it's two diff bathrooms makes me realize it's somewhere in the well/water pump setup. We do not have a water softener. 

Is this what happens when well pumps go bad? Do they fade out? My experience at my prior house was that suddenly we had no water at all when the pump failed.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

The expansion tank associated with your pump and water system may be saturated (filled with water). You need to turn off the water (turn off the pump) and empty out the tank. 

If there is no drain valve on the tank one suggested way of emptying the tank is to open any cold water faucet and pressurize the tank to about ten PSI. (you can use a bicycle pump but will have to keep pumping slowly to maintain 10 PSI) After the water flow stops, disconnect the air hose, close the air valve on the tank if not automatic, and turn the water back on.

By the way, turn off the water heater before starting this (pilot position for gas, breaker off for electric) When done, run a hot faucet to be sure the hot water lines are pressurized before turning the water heater back on.

(You may have instructions for a more precise recalibration of the pressure tank.)


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