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OT Well pressure tank

H

Heyseed

Member
My pressure tank or pressure switch just started acting up. The gauge will swing up to 50+# and then shut off and drop to around 20#. Keeps cycling like that the whole time a shower is running or the washer is filling. It does it fast like every 4 or five seconds. Is the pump bad or is it the pressure tank. Or maybe the pressure valve?
Any ideas, thanks. Kev
 
Its water logged Drain it and look for an air valve on top. if its has a bladder in it it could be out of air or ruptured.
Walt
 
im betting on the pressure tank put aome air in it to have room to put water in with a cushin if it has a rubber bladder in it .it is probley lleaking.
 
I think all 3 are right....not every tank is a bladder tank, but drain the tank, start the pump, and if necessary, pump some air in it to create a cushion between water and the top. Before bladder tanks, there was an air valve to do that. Bladder tanks are just a convenience, no need to have them. Blown bladder tank works fine with some added air. Never had one in almost 40 years- don"t need one.
 
It sounds water logged. I would bet that you have a bladder tank. You need to shut the pump off and drain the tank. Then you need an air compressor/bicycle pump or portable air tank and tire guage to charge the pressure tank. There should be an air valve on the top of the tank. The charge pressure is usually about the same as the cut in pressure. Google "charging a pressure tank" and you'll get lots of results. Make sure there isn't a pinhole leak in the tank. I've gone through the exact same thing before. Charged the tank and all was fine. I don't think it's uncommon to have to do occassionally. Dave
 
Yes, drain the tank completely. If your tank doesn't have a schraeder valve, you can add one to your plumbing in a place where it will force air back into the tank. (In other words, put a valve someplace where you can shut off the rest of your plumbing from the tank.) You can get by with just draining the tank, but it's best to charge it with air. Be careful to keep the air pressure at least 2 psi below your pump switch's cut-in pressure, otherwise the tank will run out of water before the pump kicks in. This will work even if you have bladder tank with a bad bladder.
 
If you have a schrader valve for airing your tank
you probably have a bladder. If draining the tank some and using your air compressor to air up the tank doesn't help you probably have a ruptured bladder that's been mentioned.

My old water storage tank did the same thing back in 1963 and I installed a lot of air volume
controls which never helped. I stopped by our local plumbing warehouse and talked to the manager and he said I have a fix and I bought a tank with a bladder. After I installed it that solved my water logging problems. When I told my mother about it she said they had the same problem so I installed a tank for my parents. Hal
 
besisides the pressure tank it could also be the pipe the pressure switch is hooked to. if its 1/2 inch steel sometimes it clogs and causes similar problem. if clogged replace with brass and it shouldnt happen again. good luck
 
I'll guess your check valve is bad and pressure is returning to water source.

Mine does that every couple years and nearly it's always the check valve that holds pressure from returning to my water tank. Also, my old pressure tank rusted out so I bought a new one. After 8 months the bladder ruptured and I have to drive five hours to buy a new one. Drained water out of pressure tank and pump still isn't cycling, so maybe I don't need the bladder (pressure tank is 5 gal, upright on top of pressure pump).
 
Thanks for all the replys, I"ll drain the tank in the morning. It is a bladder tank, but I"m not sure how old it is.
 
If it pumps up to 50# and drops right back down to 20# and keeps cycling like that then it is a bad check valve. Mine just did that last week. Had a chunk of sh*t holding the valve about 1/2 open. You either have a brass check valve in the well pipe or a plastic one right on the inlet of the pump. Either way your check valve is no good.
 
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