Pressure tank difficult plumbing

[Walt Howard]

I want to change out this pressure tank but the original installer didn't use compression fittings, unions or anything like that so there's no way to unscrew the tank or the T-Assembly without cutting pipe.

Unless of course someone has a plumbing trick they can share with me.

 

[LLigetfa]

Is that 1/2" copper going out? If so, cut it out and consider upgrading it to 3/4"

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Craigpump]

Piece of cake....

Undo the clamp, warm up the poly pipe with a torch and pull it off the adapter. Cut the copper with a tubing cutter and put it back together with a Sharkbite.

Don't use a galvanized nipple under the pressure switch.

Upgrading to 3/4 would be a good idea especially if you redo the trunk line through the house

 

[Featherz]

I'm the wife o' the OP - He was maybe wanting to have a pro do this job at a cost of over 1K - we just had a very overpriced well pump replacement (long story, LOL) and are trying to make up for that debacle by considering doing this ourselves.

If you were doing this, are the online sizers accurate for which tank to buy? Is Amtrol fine or crap? We have a 5gpm, 3/4hp pump. Sizers seem to suggest a 20 gallon tank for a replacement. The old tank is rusting out and the pump is cycling too often. Hubby thinks we should have it set at 40/60. Old pressure switch may be fine, not sure how to tell.

The only hangup is the ease of installation - we've done basic plumbing (dishwashers, sinks, toilets, etc), but if we screw this up it's no water until we can figure it out.

 

[Reach4]

Amtrol makes the best tanks -- the Well-X-Trol, but it makes some lesser tanks also. The WX-202 would be the Well-X-Trol 20 gallon tank, but if you went to the WX-203, that would be better. So would you be better with a larger but lesser quality tank? I don't know. My 44 gallon lesser tank is doing well after 12 years.

Not doing a lot of lawn or garden watering I presume.

I suspect that your well is 170 to 250 feet deep. Water depth can have an effect on how much water a pump delivers. Your 5 GPM pump could be putting out 7 or even more, for example.

I had my pressure switch set for 30-50. I replaced that switch with a 40-60 when the old switch did not work quite right. I have it set for 35-55 right now. I only notice a difference for lawn watering, and I do that only after new sod or seed. A pressure tank has slightly more drawdown rating on 30-50 PSI than for 40-60 PSI.

While you are deciding, you can get a little more time out of your old tank by adding air, even if the bladder/diaphram is shot. I don't know how often. I have seen people post about this.

 

[Featherz]

Well is @ 250 feet. We don't do any watering or irrigation (upstate NY, this place is pretty swampy) although I do draw some water in the mornings for the chickens. Just two people in the house.

I think the old tank is bladderless? it's about 40 years old and is galvanized. I'll post a pic in a few.

 

[Featherz]

 

[Reach4]

Edit: posted before I saw the pictures. Stuff I wrote below was worrying about stuff that does not apply.

======== superseded old stuff follows:==========

Whoa... With a galvanized tank, there is a way to add air to the system and a way to release air. The method to add air may be inside the casing. Unless you have an air pump topside that you can take out (and I don't see one in the picture) , I would wait for advice from somebody with experience. I think such a system would also involve a checkvalve, that you would also take out.

The concern is that you have a "snifter" valve to add air. If that stays in place, where is the air going to go? One solution would be to have a well person raise the well pipes maybe 20 to 40 feet temporarily and take that snifter system out. I don't know what alternatives might exist. I don't know what that would cost, but I am thinking it could be $400. Now I don't know if you have such a system.

 

[Craigpump]

Dont see many of those anymore......I don't remember if those tanks had an air release, but it's easy to tell. Take a few pics of the backside of the tank and post them and I'll tell you. Look for a threaded port about 1/3 up from the bottom.

Well X Trol by Amtrol is the best tank on the market, a little more expensive but worth it. I saw one a few weeks ago that was installed in 1975 and still working fine although a bit rusty. Tomorrow we are replacing one that has been in since 1979.

I would put a WX203 in there, it's a bit smaller dimensionally, but has greater drawdown than what you have now.

 

[Featherz]

Hmm. These are near the bottom.. Pretty durn rusty tho.

So is this install something we can do ourselves or should we hire it out? I've still got to get specs on what tank the contractor was planning to install.. Not planning to raise any well piping if we don't have to! =)

 

[Reach4]

Whoo Hooooo... That is not what I feared. The name "Perma Pressure" sounded positive, but the pre-charge table on the label was for sure. You don't have an old style, and you will not have to deal with what I was afraid of.

 

[Craigpump]

Unless you're getting some air out of your faucets, go ahead and install a Well X Trol. A 202 is really too small though. Given the space you have, I'd use the WX203.

 

[Valveman]

Given the space you don't have I would use a Pside-Kick with a 4.5 gallon size tank like this.

Not only is it much smaller and easier to install, but it will work much better as well.

 

[Featherz]

Do we need a compressor to set the pressure on the Amtrols? Sorry for all the noob questions, just trying to convince the hubby we can do this.

 

[Reach4]

Do we need a compressor to set the pressure on the Amtrols? Sorry for all the noob questions, just trying to convince the hubby we can do this.

It will come pre-pressurized, but you might need to adjust. If you need to raise it, you could use a manual tire pump rather than a powered compressor. The right pre-charge is normally 2 PSI lower than the cut-on pressure for the pressure switch.

Alternatively, before you install the tank, you could drive it to a gas station or other compressor.

https://www.freshwatersystems.com/specifications/WellXTrol-Amtrol-Installation-Instructions.pdf says it WX-202 and WX-203 come with 30 PSI pre-charge, so you could set your pressure switch to come on at 32, or make the switch start at 3o and let 2 PSI out of the tank.

 

[Featherz]

The guy out here was planning on putting in a Flexlight 35 gallon (probably the FL-12). ($259). Same site I checked this price on also sells a Wellmate tank fittings kit 40/60 for $90 - seems like that would be a good possibly idiot-proof solution for us with the exception of fitting the new shiny stuff to the crapola we will have left or do you forsee a problem? Apparently with the humidity out here we are being told a steel tank will rust more easily and it's recommended to get fiberglass.