Just a bad pressure gauge? Mostly solved

[jjmc95]

I originally wrote a lot of this before I got my water going . So I’m no longer in immediate need of help but curious what y’all’s thinks going on. I would maybe delete my post but can’t figure out how so please advise only if you’ve got some time and feel like it

Drummond shallow well jet pump and tank with a low pressure cut off switch I put on there from tractor supply . The pump is in small barely insulated well house with space heater

Power strip went out two nights ago, on a cold night after cold day, turned off space heater and pump. No water in morning . Pump at 0 water pressure , had automatically shut off (have a switch that does that ) tried to run pump, only a buzzing sound, so left it off and heated pump house opened taps and waited .

A few hours later some water dripped out of taps . Went out to pump and saw it read 32 psi. My wife was one home she tried to run it and said it was still buzzing when trying to run . I didn’t get home till late last night .

This morning I tried starting the pump . My switch has a manual start which runs the pump then you set to auto and it will run 30-50psi. The pump ran and so when it got up to 40 I put it on auto and checked the faucets inside . They were running but at very low pressure . And they tapered down to a trickle and off , checked pump and it was at 32 psi again. So wouldn’t cycle again cause it hadn’t hit 30

The air bladder in pressure tank is supposed to be set for 23 psi. I checked pressure with a bike pump and pressure gauge both read 0. The bike pump didn’t seem to be able to put air into bladder. Pushing air into bladder didn’t affect water pressure gauge either . When I bled the air valve on tank, plenty of air came out.

I realized maybe the gauge was bad , reading 32 when closer to 0. Sure enough I manually ran pump up to over 60 psi. Pump ran on auto up to 85 then dropped down to 65 then cycled back. So clearly pressure gauge is bad right ? But should I worry about my tank? Why was there no pressure reading from air bladder ?

I am getting a new deep well dug with new pump in the next few months , so I don’t want to invest much in this set up. Nor do I care so much about its longevity .

Thanks so much !!!

 

[jjmc95]

Forgot to mention:

checked for leaks under house where almost all plumbing is and did not notice any. Pump is holding pressure.

Loosened connections at well head where I prime pump , at connection of tank and pump and at a repair fitting between pump and where pipe goes under ground. All began to leak water when I loosened . Just wanted to see if there was water flowing there

 

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[Bannerman]

The air bladder in pressure tank is supposed to be set for 23 psi. I checked pressure with a bike pump and pressure gauge both read 0. The bike pump didn’t seem to be able to put air into bladder. Pushing air into bladder didn’t affect water pressure gauge either . When I bled the air valve on tank, plenty of air came out.

I state this as your method to measure the pressure tank pre-charge pressure remains unclear. To test the air pre-charge pressure, the pump is to be unpowered, and the plumbing system drained so the tank contains 0 water. Utilizing an accurate tire pressure gauge on the tank's Schrader valve, will then indicate the tank's pre-charge pressure.

The air bladder in pressure tank is supposed to be set for 23 psi.

For a jet pump utilizing 30/50 psi pressure switch settings, the air pre-charge will be typically 25 psi, but you didn't state which model of pressure tank you are using. If the pre-charge was 30 psi, equal to the pressure switch cut-in pressure, then the tank would contain 0 water when the pump becomes activated at 30 psi. Setting the air pre-charge pressure lower than the cut-in pressure, will result in a small amount of water always remaining in the tank when the pump becomes activated at 30 psi. That remaining water will prevent loss of flow the home's fixtures even if water delivery from the pump is briefly delayed upon startup. Setting the air pre-charge too low, particularly in a small pressure tank, will cause additional stress on the tank's internal flexible diaphragm, as the diaphragm will be subjected to larger amount of stretch occurring when the pressure climbs close to the pressure switch cut-out pressure.

I realized maybe the gauge was bad , reading 32 when closer to 0. Sure enough I manually ran pump up to over 60 psi. Pump ran on auto up to 85 then dropped down to 65 then cycled back. So clearly pressure gauge is bad right ?

Replace the defective pressure gauge, and also suggest obtaining a 2nd gauge for comparison. The 2nd gauge could be equipped with a 3/4" garden hose fitting to allow it to be occasionally temporarily connected to a hose bib, laundry faucet or water heater drain valve, to allow the pressure reading to be compared against the reading from the permanent pressure gauge.

Since it seems your pump is capable of supplying 65/85 psi, you might consider higher pressure to your home's fixtures by adjusting the pressure switch to 40/60 or 50/70. With these settings, the pressure tank pre-charge will need to be increased to 35 or 45 psi respectively.

Once thee pre-charge is adjusted appropriately, unless there is a problem such as rapid pump cycling which will usually indicate the pressure tank is water logged due to loss of the air pre-charge, suggest re-testing the pre-charge pressure within 1-week, to determine if there is any change in the pressure.

Power strip went out two nights ago, on a cold night after cold day, turned off space heater and pump. No water in morning . Pump at 0 water pressure , had automatically shut off (have a switch that does that ) tried to run pump, only a buzzing sound, so left it off and heated pump house opened taps and waited .

A few hours later some water dripped out of taps . Went out to pump and saw it read 32 psi. My wife was one home she tried to run it and said it was still buzzing when trying to run .

It sounds as water within the pump, pressure tank, supply pipe below the pressure tank, supply line to the house, and the nipple below the pressure switch & gauge may have become frozen. Once the pressure tank and pipe, and the nipple below the pressure switch & gauge thawed somewhat, then water could exit from the pressure tank, which was recognized by the pressure switch and gauge.

As the restriction within the supply pipe was permitting a small amount of flow to pass to home fixtures, then keeping the faucet open, should result in more rapid thawing of any remaining ice restriction.

To thaw out the pump and suction line, ensure heat can flow around the pump, suction piping leading from the well, and all piping exiting from the well house to supply the home.

You may wish to consider upgrading your water system with a Cycle Stop Valve, particularly if your pressure tank is not continuing to hold air and therefore requires replacement. With using a CSV, a 4.5 gallon pressure tank is typically all that is required for most single residence applications.

The PK1A Pside-Kick kit includes a CSV, pressure tank, pressure switch, gauge, pressure relief valve, wall mount brackets and virtually all plumbing fittings usually needed for installation. Pside-Kick kit specifications