I have a plumbing/well water question. Recently our water flow has been stopping (during a shower or in the sink). The entire house water supply stops. Sometimes there is a noise - like air - as if we've been away for a month. Sometimes there is no noise at all, the flow goes down to a trickle and stops. It usually starts back up within a minute or two. We have a well and our house is about 12 years old. ---Also, this may be unrelated but the water coming into my washing machine has begun to smell sour, like sulfer. We have a neutralizer and water softner system which is up to date. I'm wondering if this is my washing machine, which is 13 years old. - Thanks for your help.

When you lose water, have you checked your pressure tank to see if you still have pressure there or if the tank is basically empty?

The pressure gage reads about 55 and there is a slight drip coming from a connection near the gage. I am a novice at this. How can I tell the volume of the tank? Also, I don't know what the pressure number should be. I do know, however, that the small leak is somewhat new and is probably a bad sign. I checked the areas around the leak and nothing was loose. The problem has remained the same - and occurs about every other day. Any advice? Thanks.