Have you ever experienced this? You’re opening up a faucet and instead of a steady stream of water, there’s a whole sputtering and spitting mess of water from the well? Have you ever wondered what the reason might be? Is it an issue with the water well, the well pump, the pressure tank, or anything else. It’s better to know the causes of this issue before consulting a well pump service even though they can determine the cause if you don’t. Follow below.

Air In The Pipes

One of the main reasons why well water may sputter is because of air in the pipes. When you turn on your taps or faucets, the water coming out in random gushes is the trapped air in the pipes. When there is a lot of air in the pipes, it can cause the water to spit and sputter out of the faucets. Now, introducing air in the faucets isn’t ideal, but it’s also inevitable. It can happen for a couple of reasons.

First of all, your taps and faucets might be very old and the pipes leading from the faucet to the pump are causing air buildup in the assembly. So, when you turn it on, the air will come out with water and gush uncontrollably.

Now, this can either go away after leaving the tap on for a bit and the water will return to the stream normally. However, if it doesn’t, then it’s a bigger problem and you need to do something about it.

Break In The Tube

This is also a very common reason why your well water might sputter from time to time. If you don’t know this already, the pump has a tube leading up from it to the place where you need water. Now, pumps don’t normally let air get mixed in with water, but it’s not that it can’t happen.

If there is a problem, break, or leak in the tube, then air can be introduced into the pipe and it can lead to sputtering. For this, you will need to call a professional and get it fixed because it’s not something you can do by yourself.

Well Pump Failure

Another common reason for well water sputtering is pump failure. Pumps, when they get old and they tend to malfunction a lot, are a key indicator that air can be introduced into the pipes.

If the pump is working fluidly, then air won’t be an issue and therefore sputtering will be non-existent too. But if there is a major problem with your pump or it has failed, then it is highly likely that your water will sputter in bursts, so if that happens, then you have no choice but to consider well pump replacement Knoxville.

Mineral Buildup

Did you know that if you get plumbing work done, the minerals in the water can settle on the pipe walls and cause problems? Well, that’s exactly what leads to the sputtering of well water. If you’re using a faucet after a long time and it’s blocked and needs to be fixed, then you will experience sputtering of water.

This is normal and it can either go back to normal after letting the water run for a bit and letting the air find a way out naturally or you will need a professional to get the air out.

Using Water After Too Long

If you have not been using your faucets for a long time, and you go ahead and turn it on, then something you will experience is sputtering. This is common and you need to get it fixed. This is why it’s recommended that you always keep the water in the house running, especially if there are some places that aren’t used as frequently as other places.

So, always make sure that the well water coming into your house is well circulated. You will thank yourself and sputtering won’t be an issue in the long run for you.

Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure can also lead to sputtering and spitting of water. This is something that has to do with the well water pressure tank. If pressure tank is bad, then the pressure of the water coming into your house will also fluctuate. You want to check the pressure tank as soon as you see fluctuation in the flow of the water.

This is important because you will need to figure out the problem with the tank. Either the gauge isn’t working or the diaphragm might have been torn, so you need to get to the bottom of the problem before it’s too late.

Clogged Pipes

If there is an obstruction in the pipes from which well water is flowing from the well and into the house, then that can be an issue too. Clogged pipes won’t let all of the water flow freely and it can lead to irregular flow, random bursts of water when you turn the faucet on and there will also be discoloration.

Clogging in pipes mostly occurs when they are very old and they haven’t been replaced in a long time. This is why you need to change your pipes every so often so that you don’t run into this issue.

Low Water Level

The well can also be a part of the problem if you are experiencing sputtering in the faucets. You might not be able to notice it at first, but there might be extremely low levels of water in the well.

This can cause the tube to suck in a lot of air and it can cause sputtering of water in this case, you will get a lot of air and some water, so you know that something is wrong and you want to troubleshoot it before things take a turn for the worse and something else goes wrong.

Water Is Dirty

A lot of times, if the water is very dirty and it has a lot of sediments in it then it can also cause sputtering. It can cause sediments to clog the pipes and the stream of water won’t be continuous.

This is a big problem because sediment clogging is a nightmare to get rid of, which is why a lot of people tend to case their wells, especially if there is a lot of loose sand around the perimeter of the well. So, if that’s a problem, then you have to do something about it.

Your Well Has Sand In It

This cause ties in with the previous one. Yes, water can get sediments in it, but how does it happen? Well, it can be either because the well is made out of loose sand sediments or it hasn’t been cased.

Either way, this is the perfect way for sediments and sand particles to get suspended in water and they can make the water dirty and they can also lead to clogging of the pipes, which in turn will cause sputtering of water. It’s like a domino effect of the worst kind. So, it needs to be solved.

Conclusion

Well water sputtering is really common to occur and it can be unpleasant to deal with. Consult an expert so they can inspect the water well and all the components and carry out the required repairs such as pipe replacement or well pump repair Keedysville.