EXPAND on well pump fixed

rocko

Member
Reading the post below reminded me my pump has started acting up again. Preasure on bladder bleeds down and pump continously cycles off and on when tap is running. Been doing this for couple years. I solve problem by pumping air into bladder again with compressor about every 6 months or so. If what I understand from reply's below bladder must have a hole in it and water could be entering tank side causing it to rust out and eventually leak?? Should I be looking at replacing tank or at least bladder in tank if it is available? Thanks Rocko. BTW gonna read further back for original post.
 
It could be different things causing that. One is a hole in the bladder, allowing water to enter the chamber where there should be only air. Another would be that the old rubber bladder has "turned hard" and no longer flexes to allow air to build up. And another cause could be that the air is leaking out of the air side of the bladder. Whenever I had to add air pressure to the air chamber, I always changed the valve core (depends if yoyu have a closed system with no valve core).

These are different things to check.
 
It may be possible to replace the tank bladder, but that job is not easy, and the replacement bladder will probably not last nearly as long as the original did. If the problem has been going on for some time, I would expect the inside of the metal tank to be rusty and rough--not easy on a new bladder.

When I had a similar problem, I tried to replace the bladder in my old tank, but when I got in there, I found a real mess, including places where the bladder had bonded to the inside of the metal tank. I took the replacement bladder, which was a very expensive part, back and got my money back.

I ended up buying a new captive air tank that was recommended by a friend who had a pump service business. It cost about 4 times what the replacement bladder cost, but also is a much larger tank. That tank has worked fine for about 10 years (hope that doesn"t jinx it!!!) and it was a whole lot easier than fighting that new bladder into the old, rusty tank. And maybe needing to do something to it a couple years down the road.

If I was doing it, I would just bite the bullet and buy a new tank. I would also buy the largest tank that is practical, since that allows the pump to cycle less than it would need to with a little tank. Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
Dick2, Thanks for your input. I haven't changed valve stem yet and it is a good idea. I did do the finger fulla spit test with no bubbles but I suppose a real slow 6 month leak wouldn't show mutch. Could you explain a little more on The "turned hard" Theory, not sure I'm understanding that. Thanks Rocko.
 
As rubber or any rubber-like substance gets older, it loses its flexibility. It's no longer soft and pliable, it's hard and brittle.
 
Rocko,

Do you have a controller Box on the wall or is yours controlled inside the pump.
Took it to the local electric shop to have it checked.

I had the same problem as you describe recycling, I got a new one, if I had just changed the parts needed almost the same cost.
 
I had a tank that just about quit working after several years. Out of curiosity, I cut the tank open and discovered that particular bladder had hardened like a dried up piece of leather so there was no flex to it so it couldn't function like a bladder.

It might have been just the material used in that particular bladder, but if you get to the point of replacing the tank it might be interesting to cut the tank open and see what is going on inside with the bladder.
 
The difference between Your tank problem and mine is your's is actually losing air pressure. It must be leaking down and needs service or replacement. Mine was fooling me because the air pressure was always correct but, there was no room for capacity because it was full of water (waterlogged). Mine is holding (SO FAR) Good luck with it Rocko.
 
A small tank isn't that expensive and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a new pump. If it's cycling that often, that's where you're headed. I doubt it's a capacitor because that would prevent it from starting, especially if it's short cycling.
 
I had a similar problem...continuius cycling. I had a steel pipe from the pump to well head. It rusted through and leaked down causing the pump to cycle. I put a check valve between the preasure tank and the pump. Solved the problem for a short time until the pump finally packed it in.
 
Bladder tanks aren"t all that expensive. Mine needed replacing because a leg was rusted off of it plus it was short cycling the pump. I was looking for one the same size that had a mount on top for the pump so I didn"t have to do too much plumbing work.
Looked on line at Home Depot and Lowes as well as a few other places. Home Depot had the exact same one as I had (It was marked Sears). Called local store, they didn"t have it. Closest store was 60 miles away. Figured I could get by for a while if needed, so I ordered it online. They shipped it UPS, had it in 3 days. No charge for shipping. Same price to pick up at store as it was ship to home. Matched exactly to the old one, no plumbing work at all. Just unhook old and remove, install new, prime and go. Back in business and no more short cycle.
 
I had to have my well worked on this summer, and the guy that did it told me that back in the 70's when this one was put in, the company that did it used some old surplus marine buoys. It's just buried in the ground near my well. They didn't have a bladder in them at all. I have that exact same problem you do, and he told me that it probably wasn't leaking, but that under pressure the air in the tank will be absorbed into the water, thus needing occasional re-pressurizing. I just turn the power off, open the hydrant and blow air into the tank until the hydrant starts to sputter. It works good again for nearly a year or so.
 

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