Pressure tank cycles quickly and often...please help

[Mmarceau]

I am in my first house with a well. I have noticed my pressure tank getting progressively worse over the past couple years. I have tried hooking up a compressor to it and pumping it out but that didn't seem to work. It was a small compressor. I will try a bigger one if I need to.

Anyhow, currently I get a drawdown of about 3 or 4 cups of water before it cycles and I am worried about my pump. I have a schrader valve on the side 3/4 of the way to the top. The other night I tried to run it dry by leaving a faucet open and turning the pump off. That didn't seem to work, and when I pressed on the schrader valve water sprayed out. I'm no expert but I'd say that isn't good. How can I hook a compressor up to it if it's going to spray water back into the compressor?

Another thing the tank is installed only about 2 inches off the floor and I can't see a drain valve anywhere around the bottom of the tank. Can anyone tell me what I can do to temporarily fix the tank or at least get my drawdown back up to a couple gallons at least. The tank is a pretty decent size, maybe 15 inches across and 30 or 32 inches tall. Any questions that you may have, just ask and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rancher]

I have a schrader valve on the side 3/4 of the way to the top.

This sounds like you have a non-bladder tank, that fitting that the schrader valve is screwed into is a float valve, used to automatically let excess air out of the tank. You need to tell us what kind of pump you have, submersible, or above ground? Is there any name on the tank? A good air compressor will overcome the water pressure in the tank, and pump air into the top portion of the tank.

Is that fitting that is 3/4 the way up on your tank about 1-1/4" in size?

It sounds like your air-makeup system is not working.

Rancher

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Speedbump]

Your tank sounds like a Bladder tank. If so, you can't do anything temporarily. You need a new Bladder Tank.

Apparently you don't know what your doing to your pump, but trust me, your shortening it's life exponentially.

bob...

 

[Mmarceau]

i have a submersible pump. and the pressure tank has been painted over, there is some rust coming through that now too. the information about the brands was not provided by the seller of the house. the pressure tank looks like a bladder tank just based on the shape and size. and the valve that is on the side is like a normal tire valve.


I understand that cycling the pump is bad for it. do I call a company that drills wells to come and replace it, or will any plumber be able to replace it?

 

[Speedbump]

You can call a Well/Pump man or change it yourself. The level of difficulty would depend on whether the pressure switch were mounted on the tank's tee or if there is simply one pipe <Plastic> <Copper> or <Galvanized>. The level is also based on what kind of pipe.

bob...

 

[Mmarceau]

the pressure switch is not on the "T", it is further up from the tank, a couple feet or so. It was changed less than a year ago, when the previous switch wasn't working well.

for the life of me i can't figure out where I would drain the tank from. I don't see anything to connect a hose to.

I believe it is copper pipe that meet up with the "T".

 

[Speedbump]

There is only one in/outlet on a bladder tank not counting the schrader valve.

If you don't have a hose bibb to mount a hose to, your kinda in a bind. Cutting the pipe or undoing a union might be your only recourse.

bob...

 

[Valveman]

A hose bibb or faucet anywhere in or around the house will drain the pressure tank. Turn off power to pump, open faucet, add air to the schrader valve stem, water should come out of faucet.

 

[Speedbump]

How can I hook a compressor up to it if it's going to spray water back into the compressor?

I missed the question.

bob...

 

[Mmarceau]

even with the pump off, and a faucet is open, water still sprays out of the schrader valve when I push it in. that literally means the entire tank is full of water right? i couldn't get the pressure to drop below 15 psi. i guess i will have to break out the big compressor and try and pump down the volume of water in the tank. but i will be calling someone about it this afternoon.

 

[Rancher]

the pressure tank looks like a bladder tank just based on the shape and size. and the valve that is on the side is like a normal tire valve.

Bladder tanks and non-bladder tanks look simular, the bladder tank should have the schrader valve on the top.

That said, is your tank in your basement?

Rancher

 

[Jdoll42]

even with the pump off, and a faucet is open, water still sprays out of the schrader valve when I push it in. that literally means the entire tank is full of water right?

I'm no expert here, but if he has a schrader valve, then he has a bladder tank, right? If water comes out of the schrader valve, then the bladder has probably failed, right?

Or could it be the case that an "old fashioned" tank without a bladder has a schrader vave too? Like I said, I'm not an expert on this. Just wondering...

 

[Rancher]

My father had a 800 gallon tank that he added air to via a schrader valve, there was no air make-up on the system. I've never seen a bladder tank that didn't have the schrader valve on the top, but then I'm not a fan of bladder tanks.

Rancher

 

[Mmarceau]

here are a couple of quick pictures (i apologize, they were taken with my cellphone this morning). and yes the setup is in the basement. The schrader valve is on the left side of the top picture, near the top.

 

[Rancher]

OK, looks like bladder tank.

The reason it doesn't drain is that you don't have a faucet lower than the tank.

Get a bigger air compressor and it will blow out the water from a higher faucet.

Or buy a new water tank.

Rancher

 

[Speedbump]

That's an old WX-202 Well X Trol. I like the conduit on the wires and the poly pipe in the house. Geesh, that's how a lot of them were done way back in the day.

bob...

 

[Mmarceau]

maybe one of you know, what is the "thing" at the end of the poly pipe, before it goes into the "T"? it looks like it has a knob on top of it.

 

[Mmarceau]

to have someone come and replace this am I looking at a $300-$400 or a $900-$1000 job?

 

[Mmarceau]

the person i contacted said they use Gould tanks. and that it would be b/n 3 and 4 hundred. how would a cycle stop valve be used in conjunction or would i need it at all? honestly i don't even know what they do.

 

[Speedbump]

That gadget you asked about looks like either a gas cock (valve) or an air injector which used to be used with a McLeans water softener.

I am not fond of Goulds (State) tanks, but its your money. Their price sounds a little low to me, I would replace it for $475.00 labor/fittings.

bob...