OT WELL PRESSURE QUESTION

I've never had a bladder tanks myself, so can't answer to that. But have always had 60 gallon none bladders and still have one, and they do have to be pressurized periodically because as release water, air mixes with it in snall amounts, and over time, water log. That's a given.

With a non-bladder tank, can usually tell the water level on the tank by the condensation or sweat that has formed on it. When pressurizing, I've never emptied the tank completely, but I do turn on the water and put air into the tank as its draining, stop, and wait to see how it reacts. My air guage does function properly. Since replacing all of my plumbing (sweated in new), I run a little higher than that - but hear that I shouldn't.

But 40 to 60 psi is the perfect range. It should shut down at about 60, pump kick in at about 40.

Sounds like you've got something else going on here. If have a non-bladder tank, and over pressurize it, it's gonna push the water until one of two things happen, until water level drops below the pipe leading to your inside plumbing, then is gonna blow air through your lines because pressure is/was higher than the pressure switch setting. But that don't sound like what's going on. The other thing could happen is super high pressure could blow pipe joints and stuff, but that don't sound like what's goin on either.

Here's what sounds like's going on if have a non-bladder tank. Tank is so water logged that the air pocket is very small, toooo small. You're pressurizing, and hitting 60 psi quickly in the small air pocket. Then when open the valve, air pocket expands and pressure dropd toooo quickly.

Try this: Open the valve, and pressurize as someone's watching the water flow. Does it increase as you air-up? It should. If does, keep keep airing up until can hear water movement drop so that tank is about 3/4 water, top 1/4 air. Then play with it from there.

When you put the air chuck on air inlet valve, blowing water out the valve at first? Is water logged for sure.

Don't ask me about bladders, but figure would be similar where release water, add air, release more water, add air until get set at 40 psi pump on, 60 psi pump stops.

Good luck, not hard, and I hope pressure switch isn't bad. That can and has happened, but aren't hard to change, and won't know until you try the other stuff first.

A non-bladder tank can be pre-charged without an air compressor simply by letting all the water out the drain valve. Shut the valve off, turn the pump back on, and you will end up with 1/3 air and 2/3 water at 40PSI -- a simple matter of the ideal gas law at work.

Bladder tanks have more capacity than non-bladder tanks precisely because an empty tank can be pre-charged.

With mine is just as easy to hit it with a compressor that sits right next to it for that reason. That way don't have to run around the house and open valves to blow the air, and the ones I'd forget would scare the .... out of an unsuspecting user that was unaware of my joke on them.

This would mean the tank is still waterlogged. Without the air cushion, the pressure will oscillate wildly each time you draw water.

If the tank is a bladder tank, and it is waterlogged, the bladder has probably failed. You cannot "fix" such a tank just by refilling it with air.

If the bladder has a pinhole leak, eventually water gets on both sides of the bladder. When you drain the tank to attempt to repressurize it, the bladder holds the water on the "wrong" side, and the air pressure builds quickly because the pressure chamber is mostly water. This gives your tank a miniscule (and inadequate) draw-down capacity.

You can get it working in a "limp-along" fashion by leaving the tank drain valve open as you apply pressure to the Schrader valve. This will force some of the trapped water past the pinhole leak in the bladder. You will have to charge it and let it drain several times, and you can't get all the water out (and the full capacity back), but it will help.

The real fix for such a situation is to replace the bladder or the whole tank.

If you have an older-style non-bladder tank with a snifter valve, then a simple drain and recharge should work.

Dusty MI