New tank, water won't go in it

[whatthewell]

I had my pump replaced last year by a professional plumber. The well is about 60-70' deep. About 4 months later, the pump wasn't pumping. Had the plumber out again, and he smacked the switch with a wrench a few times and the pump came on. He told me that the tank was going bad, and that was somehow causing the switch to stick off. He explained it better than that and it sounded like it made sense at the time....I really don't remember all the details, but the bottom line was that I knew the tank was going bad and figured that someday in the near future I'd wake up to no water and have to replace the tank which is something I am comfortable doing myself.

Well, that day was today. I replaced the pressurized tank, the switch, check valve, gauge, and all plumbing to the house feed. Basically everything from the stick of pipe leading to the pump to and including the tank.

When I turn on the pump, it pumps water, but it won't go in the tank. I took the tank back out thinking there must be a plug or something in the bottom but not so. The switch is 40/60, and there is 38lbs pressure in the tank. When the pump is on I can run water in the house (with very low pressure) because it's actually just pumping water right from the well to the main feed and bypassing the tank.

What is wrong?? Why won't the water go in the tank????

Thanks for any input....I really need a shower!

 

[Leejosepho]

When I turn on the pump, it pumps water, but it won't go in the tank.

How are you sure of that?

When the pump is on I can run water in the house (with very low pressure) because it's actually just pumping water right from the well to the main feed and bypassing the tank.

The presence or absence of a tank would not noticeably affect flow or pressure while water is running at a fixture -- water flowing to a fixture while the pump is running essentially always bypasses the tank.

What is wrong?? Why won't the water go in the tank????

If the tank truly will not accept water, that could be because there is too much air in the bladder. To set the air in the bladder, the entire system must first be de-pressurized.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[whatthewell]

Thanks for the response. I'm sure it's not going in the tank as you can pick up the tank and feel it's not going in threre. I also took the tank back out thinking there was a plug or something there that I missed but that wasn't it.

So should the pump be pumping at 60+ lbs of pressure on it's own?

I did depressureize the system and no luck. I'm starting to think the problem is at the well / pump instead of the tank. When I turn the pump on and go outside, I can hear the pump louder than usual and when I turn it off I can hear water backflushing into the well. Leak in the line from the well maybe?

 

[hj]

pump

If you have low pressure, then the pump may not be creating even the 38 psi needed to put a little water into the tank, or maybe it is only sending a small amount which you cannot detect. As water enters the tank the air pressure increases to whatever the pump's water pressure is. Check the air pressure to see if it is more than the original 38#., and check the water pressure to see how much the pump is delivering.

 

[Speedbump]

Get a gauge you can trust!

If your hearing water running back into the well, you might want to address that problem first.

bob...

 

[whatthewell]

Problem Solved!!

First I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read my post and for the comments. I just thought I'd share the solution with you....

Turns out, there was a crack in the pipe going to the pump. The pump was pumping and the water was starting up the line, then draining out back down the well. Replaced the line and I'm good to go.

 

[garliceggs]

How did you discover the cracked pipe?