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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
I got one for you guys. I will try to explain what happened and what it is doing now, maybe you can come up with a answer for me?
My dad passed on this year and he was my next door neighbor. We shared a well. The electric was run off his service. He has about a 80 gallon standard pressure tank and farther up in his system before it goes thru his house he also has around a 30 gallon Bladder type pressure tank only around 1 1/2 years old. My house has a 7 year old bladder type pressure tank in it. It is a 42 gallon (or so, cant rememeber exactly but it is close to that) Anyway I switched the electric, so I controll the power to the well pump and the pressure switch (Since the well is on my land I want to make sure I controll the electric to the pump, ya never lnow who will move into the next door hoose in the future) All went well except when I was installing the new pressure switch to a 40-60psi from a 30-50, my father-in-law wanted to help and insisted we use galv. pipe. At the time I was very buisy with everything else going on and did not want to slap him in the face so I agreed. Low and behold it still has a very small leak not even 1 gallon a week. Anyway since then I have noticed a big change in my water service. When taking a shower, about every 30 seconds or so the the water will get either hotter or colder then go back to the other temp. It is almost like it is when the well pump kicks in.
I noticed that the well pump will kick in very often like within 2-3 gallons of use or less. I just watched the pressure gauge a few min. ago. It turns on when it drops to 38psi (perfect) and pumps up to around 58-59 and shuts off. Imediately (and I mean right when it stops pumping ) it drops drastically to 48. (And I do mean the second the pump stops) All the time while pumping the gauge is bouncing up and down and never smooth. I got a bit pissed off and just bought a 82 gallon bladder pressure tank (thinking I could use a larger capacity anyway, it is not supposed to kick the pump on till 8-9 gallons are used) I am going to install it with plastic (pvc) pressure pipe tomarroo (like I wanted in the first place since it is legal here and it is the choice of many plumbers now). Why do you think this is happening? Could it be that minor leak is losing the pressure that quick? Could my bladder be busted in the 7 year old tank? Any suggestions will be helpfull for me to understand this
Thanks Tom
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
Tom; Sounds like you have a classic case of a ruptured bladder in the pressuer tank. All the bladdere really does is keep air seperate from the water which will over time absorb the air in the tank till you're almost completely filling the tank with water not leaving enough room fo much air to provide you with stored pressure between pump cycles. I haven't had this happen in quite a while so perhaps they make the bladder out of better stuff now, we used to go thru a tank every two or three years. So if you've gone 7 yeare on one tank that isn't bad, they do wear out. Best of luck. Frank.
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
I agree with Hardwood, my money is on the pressure tank having a ruptured diaphram. You can test this by letting some of the air out of the tank on the "air only" side while the unit is working at the high pressure end of the scale usually at a tire valve, if any water comes out you have a ruptured bladder.
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
Ann, Hardwood
Thanks for the input. With so much happening to my system at one time (all the changes) I was confused and had lost direction. The ruptured bladder was one of my concerns and I think you both are correct that is must be that. All the symptoms seem to lead to that so I will replace it this weekend. I am sure having a much larger tank will also help even more to lessen the times the pump needs to turn on. I will let ya all know how this turns out next week.
Thanks again
Tom
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
The new tank in my house worked out fine.
I have anouther tank problem!
Give me your best suggestions, This is at my place up north.
At the cabin I have a bathroom sink, a kitchen sink and a shower. I have a 20 gallon pressure tank set up with a drain spicket that also doubles as a hose end outlet (run thru the window to wash the tractor) While washing the tractor last fall the water just stopped. About 4 min. later I had pressure again and plenty of water. After about 3-6 minutes it would run down to a trickle and stop again. I did not investigate this. Then last winter my son told me that, "the water just stopped while taking his shower" Of course he did not tell me this till after the weekend at the cabin.  . Well I just got back from the cabin and I have the tank and fittings in my truck! While using the water (actually flushing the toilet) The water ran out and stopped. I was prepaired this time. I pumped air into the tank, (up to 45 psi) Still, no water pressure (all the way down to zero on the pressure gauge attatched to the tank) Pressure was in the tank though?
The pump from the well was NOT kicking on either? So I am pissed and decide to go get a coffee at the gas station. I get back and there is pressure and water again. As soon as I run the water from the tank, there is NO pressure again? Pump is not kicking on? I rap on the sides of the tank and the steel tube holding the pressue switch ,,, still nothing>? About 20 min. later I come back in the house<,, Pressure again??? Run it out and again nothing. I unhooked the whole damm thing and took it home with me.
Where should I start? Do you think it could be the tank ? I was leaning towards maybe some calcium or iron build up in the pressure switch NOT allowing it to activate??? What do you all think? Should I replace everything and call it a game?
Thanks
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
Hopefully you have the section of pipe that runs to the pressure switch from the main line.
Look at that pipe, look in the diaphram/switch section.
Sounds like some thing small and loose: Rust, scale, could be anything. As pressure releives this will hold the pressure on the switch.
Then you will know how far to go replacing it. You'll probably have to replace both anyway but look first.
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
It sounds like something is holding the points apart on the low side of the pressure switch. Do you thing your son fiddled with it? Like Harvey suggested it could be a restriction on the pressure tube. More likely rust in the switch.
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
Sounds to me as if your feed line is above the static line and when the water replenishes up to the point of the feed you have water again. You might check your well and if it is the Cesturn type look down and see how far down the feed line is in the water, if it is just a inch or two you may want to add an extension. Your recovery rate may have dropped or you also may have a lak just below water level and when the water drops below the leak you are sucking air.
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
Have about a motor that is having a hard time to start? Could it have a bad switch in the motor or if it has a starting capacitor it could be bad or you could have ants or such that have built home in there making it hard or slow to start.
Let the pressure run down and listen. If you place your hand on the motor you may feel it trying and clicking off due to overload switch kicking off a few times.
If the motor is not trying to start up right when the pressure drops look at the earlier suggestions. That should be a sign the power is not going to it as quick as it should. I think it was mentioned but look for something such as pitted points or ants on the points of the pressure switch.
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BLADDER PRESSURE TANKS
Sorry for the late thought.
Take the cover off of the pressure switch. Have some one else run the pressure down. You should see the points come together and hear them click and the motor start all within milliseconds of each other. The pressure should show some sign of either stablizing or increasing very quickly also.
If the motor is running fine and the water level is low and giving the pump a while to run with no water pumping just keep listening. If the motor is running with no load (not pumping) it will be a very fine hum and you probably can tell it is running without a load. The sound will change if and when it is pumping water. You will probably hear the water and the motor picking up load.
I think this would give you clear direction for problem. Of course the best time to work on water pump is when you are dirty and sweating and no water to wash with. The next best time is when it is cold as a well driller's rear end. There is a reason for that saying.
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Gas Generator Weather Protecti
12-07-2004, 22:29 
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