Purchased old house with submersible water pump well. Previous owner just used well to pump water to above ground holding tanks and then by gravity watered his garden. We have done the same. However, this year when we went out to turn on the well we had a problem. Problem: When we hold up the lever on the pressure switch the pump starts to pump the water into the holding tanks. As soon as we let go of the lever everything stops. Pump won't keep going to fill the tanks without us holding the lever. Do we just need to replace the pressure switch. The pressure on the gauge reads 30 lb at rest and when holding the lever will pump up to 55 lbs. Thanks for any advice. Connie

Our pump eexpert will be along shortly but if this were my call I'd replace the pressure switch with a new 30/50 PSI pressure switch. Good luck, Tom

I'm a little confused. You say you are pumping into holding tanks and then by gravity feed to the garden, but then you state that the system has a static pressure of 30 psi. That would require a holding tank around seventy feet high. So then I think you might be referring to pressure tanks. Pressure tanks would not need to feed by gravity and would have a static pressure. Which way is it?

One way or the other, why are you using tanks to water a garden? Why not get rid of the pressure switch, put on an on/off switch, and just pump directly to the garden?

If you want to continue to use the tank, or perhaps you are using it now for your primary source of water in the house, then replace the pressure switch.