Wellmate HP-9 Water leak from top valve

[Thall]

Hello,

I have an HP-9 pressure tank that has been dripping, streaming water from the plastic valve at the top. . We had lost power for 5 days, and it started dripping right after the power was turned back on. I called the company that installed it years ago( they had removed this tank a few months ago while doing other service) and they said it sounds like a need to replace the tank since the bladder ruptured- but i now dont really trust their advise.. Does anyone have experience with the HP-9 or other hydro pressure tanks?

 

[Reach4]

http://www.wellmate.com/en-US/produ...atic-air-water-tanks/hp-quick-connect-series/

So no bladder. I don't know what the "rotating threadless connection" is. I wonder if there is an o-ring.

Does the top of your tank look similar to the one in this thread?

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....neumatic-water-pressure-tank-questions.71500/

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Thall]

Yes it does, just minus the tubing attached( will probably pick some up and run to a drain until fixed). I am just wondering if it would have something to do with the loss of pressure in the tank for 4 days when i was without power. ..

 

[LLigetfa]

As you know, the tank does not have a bladder but none the less, an HP tank is supposed to have air in the top half. The fitting on the top where water is coming out is not a valve. There are actually two different places water could come out. 1, the small 1/4" tee that is the AVC discharge or 2, the larger cap/plug where you can remove the AVC to service it. If the large O-ring is leaking, it could be either a bad O-ring or the seat is cracked. If it is leaking at the large O-ring, then all the air would be done from the tank so it would be waterlogged.

If the small 1/4" fitting is leaking, it could be either at the O-ring or where air is supposed to exit. The AVC float/vent/valve inside the tank is only supposed to let air out, not water but small amounts of water might spit out. If large amounts of water spit out, then it is time to pull the AVC and either clean or replace it. Good news is a leak there wil not let out all the air. The AVC is actually glued onto the threaded pipe so while you can buy just the bottom portion, you will have to cut off the old one and glue a threaded fitting onto the end of the cut pipe.

I bought a complete new assembly when mine started to leak so that I could soak the old one for days to clean it. I have not tested the old one after cleaning since the new one has been holding up well. Time will tell if cleaning was enough.

 

[LLigetfa]

BTW, here is a cutaway of the HP innards.

 

[Thall]

Thanks!

 

[Thall]

To de-pressurize this tank, is it as simple as shutting the well pump off and draining the water from the holding tank until the gauge reads zero pressure. Also, do i needs to adjust the pressure before operation as a bladdered tank requires or will it just pressurize to the specifications of the pressure switch?

 

[Reach4]

To de-pressurize this tank, is it as simple as shutting the well pump off and draining the water from the holding tank until the gauge reads zero pressure.

Yes.

Also, do i needs to adjust the pressure before operation as a bladdered tank requires or will it just pressurize to the specifications of the pressure switch?

LLigetfa has the experience with that. You could add air, but it seems to me that if you drain all of the water, there will be some air. Initially pump cycling will be quicker than normal if you start using the tank without adding some pressurized air first. But it will catch up.

I have a 5.3 ounce tube of Molykote silicone compound. Whenever I put an o-ring [back] into service, I give the o-ring a light coating. I wear nitrile gloves when applying that to make things cleaner. You can also find a smaller container of suitable stuff locally. Many carry
https://www.danco.com/product/0-5-oz-silicone-faucet-grease/ Danco 88693. However a 5.3 ounce Molykote 111 tube is 10 times as much grease for maybe 4x to 5x as much money. Still, a little goes a long way, and 0.5 ounces may last you for a very long time.

 

[LLigetfa]

You could add air, but it seems to me that if you drain all of the water, there will be some air. Initially pump cycling will be quicker than normal if you start using the tank without adding some pressurized air first. But it will catch up.

I agree. These tanks actually build up air over time starting at less than the ideal amount. My HP tank is the older model with a larger bung in the top that also has a threaded port where I put a Tee with a pressure gauge and air valve so that I can add air rather than have to wait for the micronizer to eventually air it up to capacity.

My first bung did not have a nipple for the AVC discharge so I had tapped my own threads to be able to run tubing to a drain rather than have water dribble down the side of the tank. When I bought the replacement AVC, the bung it came with had a nipple on it so it looks like Wellmate learned from their mistake.