tdhd
New Member
I have a WellX-Troll 201 14 gallon pressure tank. I don't know the GPM of the well, but its 1/2 HP in a drilled well. All this was in the house when we bought it.
The short version of my question is how to I get more drawdown from this tank as right now its only getting 1/2 gallon?
The pump only runs for 10 seconds or so to "fill" the tank. Then I get about 1/2 gallon of drawdown. From the kitchen sink tap this takes about 30 sec.
The switch cuts it in at about 38-40 and cuts out at 55. I haven't played around with the pressure switch, but have done quite a few other manouevres.
When we arrived the place had been sitting empty for probably at least a year. I knew nothing about wells and pressure tanks and at first the pump was just running constantly every time a tap was opened. Click click click click. I didn't know that was bad. I had a plumber here for other things and he said the tank was waterlogged and I needed to replace it. I went to the hardware store to buy one and the guy there asked "have you tired pumping it up first?" I drained all the water out and pumped it up to 2 below cut in and it worked really well for a while. I think I was getting about a gallon and a half of drawdown. Every once in a while however, the water would shut off and I had to let some pressure off the tank to get it back down to 2 below cut in. That seems to happen with weather and temperature changes. The tank is in a drafty place in the house and so the temp can vary considerably.
Anyway, now I'm only getting about 1/2 gallon draw down. I've tried draining the tank and starting over. I have also let all pressure off the bladder and started over there as well, pumping it to the 2 below cut in. No water comes out the valve.
One more diagnostic thing....watching the pressure gauge as water is drawn from the tank, it almost looks like it gets "stuck" around 45. The needle goes down steadily from the cut out at 55 and then kind of twitches around 45 and almost halts and then jumps down to the 40 cut in.
We have lots of iron in the water and there was a lot of sediment. It is PEX plumbing and it was all orange and over time its started to clear out. Most of the pipes are now clear. Occaisionally we still get big bursts of flakes and orange crap coming from certain fixtures. There still is sediment coming out, but less and less all the time.
Honestly, I'd just replace the pressure tank, and/or call a plumber (the last guy really messed some things up!), but I want to as fully as possible understand whats happening and what the problem in order to have as few service calls and as few parts replacements as possible. And do whatever I can myself.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
The short version of my question is how to I get more drawdown from this tank as right now its only getting 1/2 gallon?
The pump only runs for 10 seconds or so to "fill" the tank. Then I get about 1/2 gallon of drawdown. From the kitchen sink tap this takes about 30 sec.
The switch cuts it in at about 38-40 and cuts out at 55. I haven't played around with the pressure switch, but have done quite a few other manouevres.
When we arrived the place had been sitting empty for probably at least a year. I knew nothing about wells and pressure tanks and at first the pump was just running constantly every time a tap was opened. Click click click click. I didn't know that was bad. I had a plumber here for other things and he said the tank was waterlogged and I needed to replace it. I went to the hardware store to buy one and the guy there asked "have you tired pumping it up first?" I drained all the water out and pumped it up to 2 below cut in and it worked really well for a while. I think I was getting about a gallon and a half of drawdown. Every once in a while however, the water would shut off and I had to let some pressure off the tank to get it back down to 2 below cut in. That seems to happen with weather and temperature changes. The tank is in a drafty place in the house and so the temp can vary considerably.
Anyway, now I'm only getting about 1/2 gallon draw down. I've tried draining the tank and starting over. I have also let all pressure off the bladder and started over there as well, pumping it to the 2 below cut in. No water comes out the valve.
One more diagnostic thing....watching the pressure gauge as water is drawn from the tank, it almost looks like it gets "stuck" around 45. The needle goes down steadily from the cut out at 55 and then kind of twitches around 45 and almost halts and then jumps down to the 40 cut in.
We have lots of iron in the water and there was a lot of sediment. It is PEX plumbing and it was all orange and over time its started to clear out. Most of the pipes are now clear. Occaisionally we still get big bursts of flakes and orange crap coming from certain fixtures. There still is sediment coming out, but less and less all the time.
Honestly, I'd just replace the pressure tank, and/or call a plumber (the last guy really messed some things up!), but I want to as fully as possible understand whats happening and what the problem in order to have as few service calls and as few parts replacements as possible. And do whatever I can myself.
Thanks in advance for any advice!