Bad snifter valve?

[blooiris]

Good Day All!

I need a 3rd party opinion I recently purchased a Flexcon Challenger I-series tank 85-gallon tank, thinking, oh, if I spend the extra $$ I'll get quality. Yes well, my question is: is it common to get a brand new high-end tank and the precharge is not the stated value, i.e., 38 psi? It was 27.5 out of the box. So I pressurized it to 32 psi and at first it would lose .5 psi overnight, but now it is holding a charge after 2 days. Where else could air have escaped from? Can I trust it to keep holding the charge or should I swap out the tank (a supreme pain, for me)? Dealer claims he's installed hundreds of this tank and this is a first. TIA!!

 

[Valveman]

Although that tank is about 20 times the size you really needed, Flexcon tanks are usually pretty good. Make sure you have a good metal cap with a gasket for the Schrader valve, then the only way that tank could leak air would be through the diaphragm.

Once the tank is connected to the waterline and remains under pressure, pressure from the water maybe keeping the air from leaking out the diaphragm. But tanks don’t just magically stop losing air pressure after a couple of days. If you leave the pump off and keep a faucet open, you can determine how much air (if any) you are losing over time.

I say (if any) because air pressure also changes with temperature. So if the tank was a few degrees cooler, the air pressure will be lower than the last time you checked it. The fact that it was lower right out of the box is a concern however.