Pressure tank question

[lihp]

Hopefully this will be a simple question to answer...

About a week ago I started noticing the water pulsing when we used it. Last year we had a pressure tank fail with close to the same but more noticeable symptoms so I figured that I'd check the tank first. Here is what I found. Tapping the top half of the tank still produces a hollow ting sound so it still has air and hasn't pushed any air that I know of into the piping. But when you run water there is only a 10 lb difference then a quick drop to the cut in pressure and the well pump kicks on with a very noticeable drop in water pressure. The system pressure is set at 65/45 but at the moment there is a very quick drop off after 55 lbs with only a faucet running.

Could this still be a bum tank and if it is are there any brands that are better than the duramac tanks I've had considering this will be the second bad tank in 2-1/2 years?

Thanks
Phil

 

[frank in ohio]

Did you check is there is air pressure in the tank with the water drained out. I think it is supposed to be 2 lbs less than your lower cutoff level. So should be 43 psi.

frank

 

[Sponsor]

 

[lihp]

I did drain the pressure tank and it had 70 lbs of air in it. No water came out of the valve stem. I adjusted the air pressure down to 38 lbs and adjusted the pressure switch to 40/60. I'm going to recheck the air pressure in a week and make sure that it stays at 38 and doesn't climb higher.

Now I'm concerned because the same well installer put in both tanks, the first one that failed in six months and this one that is giving me problems after 2 years. So now i have a few questions.

Is there any possible cause for a large build up of air pressure like I've experienced or is it more likely that the tank was installed with the incorrect pressure from the start?

If it was incorrect from the start why did it take so long to develop symptoms? I've seen it work normally, drop to 45lbs before coming on with out any of the symptoms stated in my first post.

Is it possible that damage was done to the pump?

The reason for the last question is because now when I flush the sediment filter the well pump seems like it can't keep up. It runs at 30lbs and doesn't build pressure when flushing the filter. It has never done that before. Also before I corrected the air pressure issue the pump was short cycling, but only since the symptoms started.

 

[Valveman]

Air pressure in a tank increasing on its own can be caused by the bladder being busted and water pressure getting on top of the diaphragm. You will probably get water out the air stem if you let all the pressure out.

Short cycling will destroy your pump, but doesn’t usually cause a decrease in flow or pressure. That is usually caused by a restriction or a hole in the drop pipe.

 

[lihp]

I'll drain all the air tonight and see if water comes out. Assuming that the bladder has failed yet again what could be the possible causes. If it has failed again this will be the second failure in two years and it's getting old.

Thanks

 

[Valveman]

Could just be one of those things. But nearly every problem with water systems, including busting a bladder in ta tank, is cause by cycling on and off. The bladder bends back and forth until it breaks, just like bending a wire back and forth.

 

[lihp]

You're a genius. Sure enough I drained the water, checked air peressure which jumped over 5lbs since adjusted, disconnected the tank and turned on it's side, released some air and water squirted out. Installed new tank and all problems are solved.

Now to figure out why the tanks are failing so quickly and what I can do to stop it from happening again.

Thanks alot.

 

[Valveman]

You're a genius. Sure enough I drained the water, checked air peressure which jumped over 5lbs since adjusted, disconnected the tank and turned on it's side, released some air and water squirted out. Installed new tank and all problems are solved.

Now to figure out why the tanks are failing so quickly and what I can do to stop it from happening again.

Thanks alot.

Now you need to look into a Cycle Stop Valve. Should have said something before you got the new tank, because a 4.4 gallon size tank is all you would have needed with a CSV. You still need the CSV to solve your problem but, the larger tank really wasn't needed.

 

[Texas Wellman]

You should look at also putting in a high quality tank to start with such as well-x-troll or Flex-con. Not familiar with the brand you are using but most big box store tanks have been failing just after their warranty expires, normally about 1-2 years. Sad.

 

[LLigetfa]

Even if you drain the tank completely, you might not see water come out of the air valve if the air valve is up high enough. The tank could however feel heavy as a result of water trapped on the wrong side of the bladder.

 

[lihp]

I haven't seen the duramac tanks at the big box stores but the replacement tank I got on short notice is a well saver bought from a big box. I'm going to use this one till it fails. In the meantime I'm going to find a supplier of quality tanks in the area. The csv valve looks interesting too. I might have to look into that.

 

[Valveman]

I think Well Saver is an Amtrol make. Nothing wrong with that tank. Even the cheap built tanks will last a long time if you don't cycle them to death.