So anyway I've had crappy water pressure lately. It's like, going good for a few seconds and then cuts out for a few seconds, etc...and even when it cuts in its crappy.

I've known for a little while that the hastily installed pressure switch I currently have is a 30/50 everbilt, and the old one was a 40/60. So today I decide I'm going to make everything right (uh-oh!). So this is what I did step by step, per the youtube video I watched.

1) Killed the power.

2) Turned the screw on my pressure switch 3 turns counter clockwise. According to the manual, each turn adds 3 PSI, and its one of the ones where this one screw will adjust the cut in and cut out. And the guy at the hardware store said I could adjust it up to "about 40/60" so I figure hey, 39/59 same thing right?

3) Drained the pressure tank until pressure gauge said 0 psi.

4) Got my trusty wal-mart tire pressure gauge and stuck it in the valve at the top of the tank. It read 0. The guy on the video, his was like, 30 or something. So I went to a buddy and borrowed his good pressure gauge, and tried it and still read 0. So for whatever reason there's 0 air pressure in my tank.

5) Used my bike pump to add some air to the tank, checking it every 50 pumps which seemed to give it about 5 psi. At about 25 PSI, well shy of the 35-37 I was aiming for, it became to hard to pump in and i was afraid i'd break something. Figured good enough, we'll try it out.

6) Put everything back and turned the power back on. Nothing. Because I guess my pressure switch is the annoying one with the lever on the side of it. So I made my peace with god, said goodbye to my family and very gingerly touched the lever and switched it on. Yay! everything works.

Except, the pressure doesn't seem any better. It's a little more constant I guess, but not really any better.

Sorry for the long version, but I hope I didn't leave anything out. Where did I screw up? (Besides the obvious answer of "Get a professional"...I gotta learn this stuff somehow!)

The air in the pressure tank doesn't just disappear. It's either leaking at the Schrader valve or the bladder has a pin hole in it. The tank problem needs to be solved first, then you can proceed with the pressure switch. The pipe under the switch needs to be checked as well, if there's a blockage there it will cause problems. Everything else you did seems to be correct. Drain the tank again tomorrow and see if your air pressure is where you left it.

Normally, you turn the screw IN to increase the pressure, and when you pump air into the tank, you need to have a faucet open somewhere because the tank is full of water and it has to go somewhere when you pump air in. I am not sure I would want to use a hand pump because of the amount of air it would take.

I forgot to mention, I did notice the Schrader Valve (where you pump in the air, right?) was leaking a bit as the tank got more full, but putting the cover on it when I was done pumping made it stop.

I'm also dealing with the fact that the guy who built this house is an @#$%&. He did it mostly himself, and he's pretty good with tools and handiwork and all that but he's not really the guy you want working on stuff, know what I mean? So when I look at something going wrong, it could be one thing, or it could just be that it was never right to begin with.

Also, upon seeng the other reply and proofreading my own post, I said I turned the screw counter clockwise. I turned it clockwise. Righty-tighty.

well i looked at the tank this morning. nothing fancy but the gyage reads about 60 psi and it clicks on at about 40 psi. not exact but close enough i guess.

quote; not exact but close enough i guess.

You probably could NOT afford a "perfect" switch. Close is good enough.

OP -- "I forgot to mention, I did notice the Schrader Valve (where you pump in the air, right?) was leaking a bit as the tank got more full, but putting the cover on it when I was done pumping made it stop."

OP's Last Post "well i looked at the tank this morning. nothing fancy but the gauge reads about 60 psi and it clicks on at about 40 psi. not exact but close enough i guess."

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If everything is working to your satisfaction I suppose you should leave well enough alone It seems you have everything under control -----

However, if you do have reason to do any rework you may attempt to "repair" the leaking Schrader valve with the special tool designed to insert/install the core. Google "Valve Stem Core Remover tool" for example. Available for $2 and as much as you want to spend. Some much older auto metal valve stem caps have this exact tool built in on the end.

Just attempt VERY small adjustment (tighten) the core. If major adjustment or core replacement is required work must be done with NO pressure within the tank. Also spray a little WD-40 into it. Wipe with soapy water -- no bubbles -- no leaks.

Once the system is turned on it will ALWAYS indicate the "design" pressure until ALL the air has leaked out of the tank. The pump will just start turning on sooner as it leaks out.