Wells Pressure Tanks - Long

Over the last month, I have been getting a fair amount of air in my lines.

Given how wet it has been, and the fact that the well has been here a long time without any problems and that a related spring is running strong, I don't think the well is running dry.

I replaced the pressure switch about a month ago.

After I replaced the fuse this morning, the tank filled right up. I shut the water off to the house and the tank bled down very slowly - maybe 1 lb in 5 minutes. Cutting off the water to the house didn't make a difference in the leakdown.

I am not getting any air in the lines now, but the water is very rusty. The lines to the house are copper, the lines in the well are plastic and other than a few fittings, the only steel is the pressure tank.

I am guessing that I need to replace the pressure tank, but hate to drop close to $300 if I don't need to. I could have a leak in the well supply line.....but doesn't seem likely.

What am I missing?

Thanks! Tip

If your tank were losing air, as in leaking it through a rusted seam, you'd have no air in the tank, and your pump would be cycling constantly for a second at a pop. No air means it would build up pressure almost instantly, and drop it about as fast. Since you don't mention that problem, I doubt you're leaking air out of the tank as the pressure goes down.

Instead, I'd suspect you're losing the water by having it flow back down into the well or line. Be it a fracture in the line somewhere, or a leaking footer valve in the well (if you have a jet pump). I've had to repair a line fitting damaged by roots, and I've still got a leaking footer valve.

Rust flakes could well be from your tank, but if you're seeing the brown rust stained water, it's more likely a bacteria contamination of your well itself. Also, root damage to the pipes that lets in small amounts of dirt can often look like rust flakes.

Do the bladder test as Nolan described. If your shows good which I think it will, then your air is coming from the leak in the suction pipe foot valve.

You didn"t say wheather your using a booster/demand pressure pump so I assumed your not.

What it"s doing is the check valve (foot valve) is leaking (your 1psi drop) and since the foot valve is located at the bottom of the well. Sounds like you have another check valve located close to the bladder tank fitting or in the vertical piping into the well. When the well pump is off then the foot valve leaks letting air into the pipe until the next check valve.

When the well pump kicks on it has to suck the air out of the suction pipe before water can be drawn into the suction piping thus the air at your house faucet.

The rust can be coming from the foot valve or the plastic pipe or the bladder tank. Rust will attach to the pipe side wall then flake off as water volume runs past the rust. This happens even to plastic piping.

You can use vinegar to flush the lines as vinegar disolves rust and makes the water "sweet". Too much vinegar and it"ll tatse like vinegar and will need flushed. Let the vinegar sit over night so it"ll clean the lines.

You can install any number of pressure tanks. You can never install to large of pressure tank.

You can"t intall too small of pressure tank or the pump will cycle too often that will shorten pump life.

The cost effective chop off point is about $300 for a 34gal drawdown bladder tank, 20/40psi. The next step up is about $550, so I put in two of the $300 tanks and get more drawdown before the pump kicks on at a cheaper install cost.

The more prssure tank capacity you have the longer the deep well pump will last. Here thats a huge consideration as our wells are about 400ft deep.

We use the deep well pump to a storage tank then pressure feed the house with a booster/demad pump from the storage tank. The bladder tanks are installled on the booster pump side. With this type of piping system the deep well pump last a very long time. The booster pumps are much cheaper to replace than the deep well pumps.

T_Bone

I need to do some reconfiguring to the system so I am going to get a chance to do more inspecting. I don't believe there is a check valve between the pump supply line and the bladder tank - the whole system is a bit cobbled together. The well is about 200 feet from the house and the bladder tank and related control wiring and plumbing is in a barn. Since we bought the place in 2000, I have battled freezing issues every winter. I want to move the system into a different, more protected part of the barn. I may then try to correct things, including installing a bigger bladder tank. It doesn't take to much to make the well pump cycle.

I'll be back with more questions as I get more informed.

Regards, Tip

He said the only thing in his system that's got steel in it is the tank... that would make it IMPOSSIBLE for rust to appear in the suction pipe. Further, rust does no adhere to plastic pipe, period. What might adhere to plastic pipe is iron bacteria which form a stickly gel. However, the total amount of such "rust" would be insignificant... it would not been seen in the water... assuming he has iron bacteria which is very unlikely or he would have mentioned that his water had always been "rusty". It just does not magically appear.

On that note, how do you figure the correct bladder tank size?

Thanks, Tip

This example assumes your well can actually deliver 10 GPM. If not, you can use a correspondingly smaller bladder tank.

www.northerntool.com sells Flotec tanks for about 1/2 what you were expecting to spend. Of course, you get to install it.