Well pressure tank

So, my questions are: What size pressure tank should I go for? 20, 30, 35? I'm getting conflicting info on this. I am a 1 person household. Does that play a part in the size of the tank? And what if the size of the household changes in the future?

Also, I am interested in a low flow control because of the substandard well. This control would monitor the drop in amps and shut the pump off if the water level drops too far with a period for recovery. What are your thoughts on this control?

Now you say it is 'kicking off' only when you are using water? This is a different explination than your first message implied.

Does the pressure gauge in your house actually work? Most freeze up in 10 years or so & don't get replaced. I'd look into that.

Then, if you mean the pump stops & starts rapidly by 'kick off' _only_ while you are using water, but stays off when you are not using water - then yes, you have an issue with the air cushion in your system. You should be able to cure it (for a few months anyhow) by adding air to the tank to rebuild the cushion. Since you say that does not help, then you have a headscratcher of a problem that does not make sense. Perhaps you are not adding air to the right place, right pressure, or the plumbing is not exiting your tank from the bottom. Perhaps your tank has a very miniscule leak (such as the air input valve) that bleeds off the air but does not yet show up as a water leak.

--->Paul

A waterlogged tank can magnify this problem, but still the leak is a problem. You can add some air with a protable air tank, just stop adding when your air tank nears the tank pressure.

--->Paul

The pressure tank shoud be large enough that your pump doesn't "short-cycle" whenever you use a little from a tap. Fewer, longer pump runs are easier on the pump than shorter, more frequent runs. I have a pressure switch that will cut-out if the system pressure gets too low, such as in the case of the well running out of water. Around here that is standard for submersible pumps.

I've had bladder & non-bladder pressure tanks over the years, I'll take a bladder tank anytime.

So, a larger tank, say 30-35 gal is better then a 20 gal? The switch/control that is being recommended is one that reads the amps of the pump. The pressure switch you mentioned I assume is different?

The cut-off switch I have is pressure operated, so it is different than the one you describe.

When you say "the pressure gauge holds steady if the water is off to the house" does that means it starts to fall when the water is turned on to the house? If so, you may have leak. Have your driller/plumber check it out.

If you decide to replace the tank, ignore tank size. It's a meaningless term. The only thing that's important is "drawdown"... the more the better. But be careful. Like you said, you may need a low flow control. Again, find the driller with the best local reputation and ask for suggestions.

If I'm not running any water in the house the gauge will hold, not loosing pressure or water or it would drop and the pump would kick on even without running water. When I run water in the house and the pressure gauge drops to 20 the pump kicks on to approx 40 and then kicks off and hits 20 in about 45sec. So, the pump is cycling every 45 sec. That would lead me to believe that the tank isn't holding pressure. When you knock on the tank it does sound water logged. So, it sounds like a tank issue? No sound of leaking water and the pump isn't kicking on when no water is being used.

What I do on a low flow wells is too pump the well into a storage tank, say 250gal, then pressure pump from there to the main feed line to the house.

The well pump controls are set to draw the static head down to above deep well pump level then shut off. A timer control usually works best here along with a series warwick control (a J-K flip-flop controller). Static head is the water height setting in the well casing.

What this does, when the timer says to, then it completes the circuit to the warwick thus the deep well pump cycles on until the warwick tells the pump too shut off or the timer shuts the pump off. Until the storage tank becomes full, the deep well pump always shuts off on the timer so you always pump the static head.

You can also series warwick controls. That lets you add a safety to the deep well pump so it doesn't pump dry.

The new pressure pump will be controlled with a standard pump pressure control.

If you don't know well controls, then you will need to hire this job out. Print this and give it to your pump control man to read. He will understand my control method, if not then you have the wrong control man.

A deep well, I'm using the term deep well to differerence between the new pressure pump you will need, set up with this type of well system saves the deep well pump life as well helps too develope the well.

A non-bladder pressure tank is good until it starts leaking. If the tank is not leaking then you need a new air sniffer. A air sniffer adds air to the pressure tank as the water is pumped.

You can never have too large of pressure tank. Too small of PT will shorten the pump life.

T_Bone

Anyway, It sounds like I should go with the larger pressure tank. Smaller tank less gallons to draw and pump cycles more often. Larger tank more gallons to draw less pump cycles but longer time pumping to fill the tank.

There is no evidence that the tank is leaking and when you knock on it, it sounds water logged. The tank is old and could be the original (35yrs) and has a air valve on the side where you would pump in the air. Tried that already.

The low flow control I mentioned would be the safety for the well pump in case it does go dry. My concern is I have heard conflicting info about these controls. Some recommend them others state they are very difficult to configure to work properly. The one that has been recommended reads the amps of the submers pump and kills the pump if it starts to suck air/dirt, going dry. What is your opinion on this type of control? I would think this is something I should have do to the poor well.

A bandaid fix? You need to come to AZ where water is a premimum and at 400ft deep average for a domestic well at 5gpm. Here it's called well management. We run four wells pumping 140gpm total at anywhere from 500ft to 1000ft deep. The last 1000footer we sank cost us close to $100k for a complete install with us doing part of the labor. Our average static head is less than 200ft and we still feed 500 homes.

Lets see, your in a wet area with a 130ft shaft pumping 3gpm. To sink a another well your looking at approx $6k to reach a water table (SWAG) that will supply more than 3pm.

A buried storage tank with the releated install parts as I described is less than $600 retail, no labor.

Worwick well controls is the cheapest and most reliable well controls there is. About $35 eh.

"Tried that already."

Ok one more time. How a non-bladder pressure tank works is the tank is emptied of water, then air is allowed into the tank at 14.7psi or atmoshpere pressure via the air sniffer, the air valve is closed, water is pumped in and is compressed against the air charge at the top of the tank. As the water is used then make up air into the tank is supplied via the air sniffer valve.

With out or a bad a air sniffer valve, the tank becomes water logged or another words no precharge air pressure.

You can not add the 14.7psi with a external air tank while the tank has water. The tank needs to be empty of water to start the correct PT cycle.

There is no other working parts to a standard pressure tank. Either the tank leaks or it doesn't. Either the air sniffer valve works or it doesn't. Thats it!

T_Bone

You definitly sound very educated in this subject. No leaks in the tank so it's probably the air sniffer. I will check around to see if one can be purchased for the old tank.

Thanks again.