My water went out last night. I replaced the pressure switch today and it doesn't turn on automatically. When I move the lever to build pressure it goes up to 30psi but then when I let go it drops back down to zero. Can someone please help me... I need my water back.

Is this a 40/60 switch?

Yea I bought it at Lowe's. I just had a plumber come out to look at it and he couldn't figure it out either. He had to call another plumber and they said it's the pump. He checked the voltage and stuff coming from the pump and he said its putting out the right ampage and voltage but he said that its probably the propeller in the motor. Another odd thing is that when he shut the water off to the house the pressure switch turned on but when he turned the water back on the pressure switch turned off. Then the pressure goes all the way down again.

Where is the tank located, at the well head or at the house? Where is the valve that was turned off, between the switch and the tank or between the tank and the house?

The big white tank is on the side of the house and the valve that was shut off was to the left of the switch and the tank.

Think about this. Your 40/60 switch has a safety reset lever on the side. The purpose of the reset is to disable the switch any time pressure falls 10# or more below the cut in pressure. That is because it would indicate the pump is running dry. Now, that would mean the switch would disable anytime the pressure falls 10# or more below the 40# cut in point. And 10# below the cut in point of 40# would be 30#. If I understand you correctly, you are saying the pump will not pump over 30#. So, it is quite possible that the reset feature simply keeps the switch turned off.

If all of that is correct, then the question becomes this: Why can't your pump get over 30# of pressure? It sounds like you have a leak upstream (between the tank and the house). The leak prevents the pump from getting over 30#. When you turn off the valve, the pump is able to get up to cut out pressure.

There is no pressure at all it is at 0. If I hold the lever it builds pressure slowly up to 30 but then when I let go of the lever it stops and the pressure drops back down to 0.

Correct. The switch will continue to kick off until pressure gets closer to 40. Turn off the valve to the house, hold the lever until pressure gets to 40, then see if the switch will get to 60 and cut off. If it gets to 60 and cuts off, see if it holds pressure. If it does, then open the valve. If pressure falls at that point, then you know your problem.

I think that's what the plumber did. He shut the valve off and then the switch turned on and built pressure. After that he turned the valve on and the switch turned off and the pressure dropped back down to zero. So what's the problem then?

Can you show us a picture of the tank, switch and pump? Is the pump a surface pump or is it down the well?

The pump is in the big white tank. Ill take a pic tomorrow.

Kreeper, if everything is fine with the valve off, and then pressure drops to nothing with the valve on, that would seem to indicate a leak somewhere past the valve. But like HK, I'd like to see a pic of the system. It is possible that the valve is actually between the pump and the tank, not the house and the tank.