How To Set Up A Pressure Tank For A Well

Set Air Pressure in Water Pressure Tank
Bladder type pressure tank air pressure adjustment

POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about setting the air precharge pressure in internal-bladder type water pressure tanks

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Water pressure tank air pressure adjustment:

How to check & then adjust or set the air pressure in a water tank using an internal bladder:

This article describes how to determine the proper air pressure setting in a bladder-type well tank, when, and how to actually change the air pressure in the water tank.

We explain how to determine the proper air charge for water pressure tank and how to adjust the actual tank air pressure to that number.

We detail how to fine tune the water pressure tank air charge to match the pump pressure control switch settings.

The page top photo shows the author testing the air pressure in a Well-X-Trol bladder type well tank.

We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

How to Select the Proper Air Pressure Charge for a Bladder-Type Well Tank

Please permit a safety warning before we get into the specifics of how to set the pressure in your water pressure tank.

Watch out: for very high water pressure readings in your system. If the water pressure is over 70 or 80 psi your system there can be a risk of burst water pipiong or a burst water pressure tank.

Such an event can both flood the building and can injure anyone nearby. Check the maximum water pressure you're using against the maximum water pressure rating for the pressure tank itself.

That's why your water supply system should have a WATER TANK PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE (separate article).

[Click to enlarge any image]

Factory air pressure settings in the water pressure bladder tank

According to Well-X-Trol bladder type well tank air precharge: typical factory set air pressure on a bladder-type residential well water tank is 18 psi.

Some models may come with different pressure settings however.

WELL-X-TROL™ water pressure tanks are shipped from the factory with a standard precharge of

18 psig for models WX-101 and WX-102
30 psig for models WX-103 - WX-203
38 psig for models WX-205 through WX-350.

Before discussing doing anything to a bladder-type water pressure tank, read this safety warning from WELL-X-TROL, a leading well tank manufacturer:

DANGER! [Water Pressure Tank] EXPLOSION HAZARD

Factory warnings about changing the bladder tank pressure setting

When the Well-X-Trol has been in service and a change to a higher pre-charge pressure is necessary due to a required change in the pressure switch setting, failure to follow instructions below can cause a rupture or explosion, possibly causing serious or fatal personal injury, and/or property damage.

Do not adjust or add pressure if there has been a loss of air.
Do not adjust the pre-charge pressure if there is visible exterior corrosion.
Do not adjust the pre-charge pressure if there has been a reduction of the pump cycle time or the pre-charge pressure compared to its initial setting.
This is because reduction in pump cycle time can result from loss of tank air pressure which in turn can mean there may be internal corrosion and any repressurization or additional pressure could result in rupture or explosion.

How to Read Water Tank Pressure or any Pressure Gauge Accurately

If you are fine-tuning water tank bladder or air pressure be sure that you are using an accurate pressure gauge and that you know how to obtain an accurate pressure reading.

Watch out: Can you trust the installed water pressure gauge?

A separate round dial-type water pressure gauge is found on many water pump systems, at the pressure tank or near it, often on the pump itself. Sometimes these gauges lie: they get stuck or get debris clogged so they can give improper readings.

If that pressure gauge needle doesn't move when the water is being run or when the pump is coming on or off, it's not working properly.

Thoroughout this article series you'll see us using an independent pressure gauge to check water tank air pressure by pressing the gauge on the air valve that's usually located on the tank itself, near the tank top.

See WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY for details.

Well Tank Air Pressure Setting at Time of Tank Installation

Photo of a water tank air valve for adding air to a water pressure tank

Set the well tank air pressure to 2 psi below the well pump control switch CUT-IN pressure.

We explain exactly how to do this just below.

Remember to use your separate air pressure (tire) gauge to check the actual water tank pressure when your well pump turns on and off - that's because the dial gauge installed on your water tank may be inaccurate.

Watch out: If the pressure tank's air pre-charge pressure is set above the pump pressure control switch CUT-IN pressure then the pressure control switch will never turn the pump on.

Well Tank Air Pressure Adjustment Procedure

Water tank air pressure (C) Daniel Friedman

If you need to tune your bladder-type water tank to work exactly properly with your pump pressure control switch, or if you know that someone has already modified the pressure in your water tank and you want to restore it to factory specifications, a reasonable procedure is the following recommended by the manufacturer:

Remove all water from the water tank. This means turn off the water pump, open a nearby plumbing fixture, run water until the water stops entirely - your water tank should be empty or close to empty.
See WATER TANK DRAIN VALVE for procedures to drain any type of water tank or water pressure tank.

Water tank air valve (C) Daniel Friedman

Check the air pressure in the water tank by using an accurate air pressure gauge (such as a dial type or digital tire pressure gauge) to measure the air pressure at the schrader valve on the water tank.
The tank pressure should be within 10% of the original factory water tank pressure setting.

Our photo shows the water tank air inlet valve on the top of our Well-X-Trol well tank. We removed the cap and label for the photo.

Our photo at above right shows our digital air pressure gauge measuring the air pressure in the water tank.

The reading of 39 psi tells us that the dial pressure gauge that we illustrated

at WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY (and located on this same water system) agrees with our pressure gauge within 1/2 psi.

Because water tank pressure controls normally use a pressure difference of 20 psi between the cut-in pressure and cut-off pressure at the water tank, a gauge error of one or two psi is not a concern. Thanks to Jeff Garmel for suggesting text clarification in this discussion of water pressure tank diagnosis.
Set the air pressure in the empty water tank to 2 psi below the well pump pressure switch cut-in pressure .
Bleed air pressure out of the water tank, or add air pressure into the water tank, until the tank pressure is at the desired set-pressure..

For example, if your well pump pressure control switch is set to "cut in" (start pumping water from the well) at 30 psi, then set the pressure tank to (30 - 2) = 28 psi.

To add air to a pressure tank you can use any source of compressed air - a bicycle pump will do.

See WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD for details.

For help finding the air valve used to add air to the water tank,

see WATER TANK AIR INLET VALVE
Replace the air cap on the tank air pressure valve and be sure that any warning labels that you took off during cap removal are back in place.

Leaky or Burst Water Tank Bladder Warnings When Adjusting Water Tank Air or Water Pressure

Watch out: these WATER TANK AIR PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT instructions are for an un-damaged water pressure tank that uses an internal bladder.

Reader Robert Ford pointed out by comment (17 Sept 2015) that if the internal bladder in the pressure tank has a leak or has burst you will probably have difficulty getting the water to drain out of the pressure tank. However his suggestion of using air pressure to force water out of the tank was not correct and could be dangerous.

Watch out: do not attempt to use high air pressure at the water tank's air adjustment valve to force water out of a water pressure tank that uses an internal bladder.

Doing so can rupture and destroy the bladder and worse, it can burst the water tank injuring or even killing a bystander.

If the water tank bladder has developed a leak or has burst water will have left the bladder and entered the air space in the tank making it difficult or even impossible to drain the tank completely.

That's because water that leaks into the tank's air chamber from a small hole in the tank bladder will not readily return to the bladder (water space) as you are draining the tank.

Further, if the water tank bladder has burst completely it can collapse, blocking all or most water from leaving the tank at all. If the internal bladder in a water tank is leaky or burst you'll need to replace either the bladder or the tank and bladder assembly. Adding air pressure will simply press the collapsed bladder more tightly against the water tank's drain opening.

See WATER TANK BLADDER REPLACEMENT.

If the water tank bladder is un-damaged, air pressure in the bladder will push water out of the tank completely leaving some air charge inside the bladder (unless you inadvertenly let air out of the bladder through the air valve).

In a bladder type water tank with proper pressure adjustment, when all water has left the tank you'll see air pressure at 2 psi below the pressure switch cut-in setting. Even if the tank air pressure is too low, you should still see some air pressure at the tank air valve when all water has left the tank.

See WATER TANK BLADDERS for an explanation of the difference between a bladderless and an internal-bladder water tank as well as for a description of what goes wrong with the internal bladder in water pressure and storage tanks.

Watch out: high pressures can burst the water tank bladder. Exposing the water pressure tank to excessive water pressures can also burst the water tank's internal bladder. Sometimes a water tank bladder sticks to itself, preventing water from entering the water tank and causing well pump short cycling.

We might un-stick the bladder by slightly and just temporarily over-pressurizing the tank by say 15 psi but we should never exceed or really even approach actual pressures close to the water tank's rated or safe operating pressure.

Typical maximum operating residential water pressures run between 20 psi and 70-80 psi. Higher pressures cause leaks and can burst the water tank or water piping.

How to Fine Tune the Pump Pressure Control Switch to the Water Tank

Well-X-Trol offers excellent advice on adjusting the water pressure control switch which we paraphrase, edit, and expand below:

Because well pump pressure control switches are not precise, "lab grade" instruments, the actual pressures at which a pump control switch turn the pump on or off will sometimes be above or below the stated pressure setting on the package of the control switch or above or below the pressure range shown on the switch itself (if your switch has such markings, most do not).

A difference between the marked pressure settings on a control switch and its actual performance can cause a delay between the time that a water pressure tank becomes completely empty and the time that the pump turns on.

Usually this delay is brief, though some readers have reported that their pump simply did not turn on at all under these conditions.

We want to adjust the water pump pressure switch to be"tuned to the Well-X-Trol (or other brand) bladder-type water tank air pressure that was set at the factory (or is presently the actual pressure in the tank). Here is the procedure:

Close off all plumbing fixtures that are using water in the building.
Turn on the water pump and let the system run until the water pump cuts off.
Open one or more plumbing fixtures to drain the water pressure tank; during this draining, watch and listen to the water tank and pump.
If there is a momentary pause in the water flow from the time the well water pressure tank is emptied and the time that the water pump starts, adjust pump cut-in setting clockwise slightly to increase the pump cut-in (turn on) setting.
If your water pump is in your well rather than on or next to your water tank, you can't hear the pump run. But you can listen for the "click" of the pump switch cutting in or out. For more photos and description of exactly which nut or screw to turn to adjust the well pump switch cut-in,

see WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT.
Close the plumbing fixtures and let the water pump continue to fill the water tank until the water pump cuts off.
Check time it took to fill the water tank.
Open the same plumbing fixtures again, follow the steps above, this time to see if pause in water delivery has been is eliminated. If not, continue adjusting pressure switch.

Reader Q&A - also see the FAQs series linked-to below

@Anonymous,

Good that you raised this air discharge because

Watch out: as I infer you already have worried: you do NOT want to send air through a tankless water heater or it may be burnt-up.

The problem is that there is an air source in your water supply system - it sounds as if the root problem may be a poor well flow-rate.

I would start with the diagnostics at

AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES https://inspectapedia.com/water/Air_Discharge_at_Faucet.php

Do keep us posted - we'll see what happens when you've looked at and tried the diagnostics there.

I have a Waterworker 20 gallon tank and jet pump with a 30/50 switch. When my tank pressure gets down to 34 or 35 my faucets start spitting air. I raised the switch cut in cut off to 40/60 but still have some air spitting when pressure lowers near cut in.

If showering the spitting will get so bad we shut off the faucet and wait until builds up. The worst of this is through the hot water side and we have a hot water on demand not a tank heater. What do you think?

@David,

Pressure is not determined by the pressure tank, but rather by your pressure control switch that turns your pump on and off.

From the factory typical residential water pump pressure control switches turn on at 20 or 30 PSI and turn off at 40 or 50 psi.

When installing a new water pressure tank or adjusting an existing one, the tank's pressure, with the water pump turned off and no water pressure in the system, is set to 2 PSI below the pressure control switch cut in pressure, for example 18 PSI or 28 PSI.

what should the standard air pressure be in a 20 gal holding tank

@Tom,

More likely your gauge is inaccurate.

@inspectapedia.com.moderator,

Thank you! Since the cut-in switch is turning on at 32psi when the air pre-charge pressure is 35psi, I take it that the problem is with the switch.

All the best.

@Tom,

If I understand you correctly, I make your description as two pressure measurements, made at different locations

You said

"I am measuring the air pressure at only one location with one device; the air valve at the top of the tank using a digital tire pressure gauge. "

[I make this as measurement #1 at location #1 with device #1]

"The other measurement is the water pressure in the outlet pipe at the bottom of the tank and is measured with the water pressure gauge attached to the pipe. "

[Measurement #2 - presumably with a gauge mounted into a tee on the supply pipe]

It is the water pressure that drops to zero when the tank is empty. The pre-charge air pressure remains at 35psi. I hope this clarifies the situation.

If a tank is pre-charged to 35 psi and the pump is left OFF and you run water, water pressure in the system will fall to zero and the pressure in the tank, now measuring the air charge, will show 35 psi.

If the pump is turned ON and if your water pressure drops below the pressure control switch CUT-IN pressure (something hopefully above 35 psi, like 37) then the switch isn't turning on when it should - and is mis-adjusted or debris clogged, or defective.

@inspectapedia.com.moderator,

I am measuring the air pressure at only one location with one device; the air valve at the top of the tank using a digital tire pressure gauge. The other measurement is the water pressure in the outlet pipe at the bottom of the tank and is measured with the water pressure gauge attached to the pipe. It is the water pressure that drops to zero when the tank is empty. The pre-charge air pressure remains at 35psi. I hope this clarifies the situation.

Thanks.

@Tom,

When you are measuring air pressure at two different locations on the equipment using different measurement devices it would be no surprise that your measurements with different. Difference could simply be the responsiveness of the pressure gauge.

@inspectapedia.com.moderator,

Again, thanks for the reply. I understand what you are saying about how the tank should operate. Nevertheless, my system behaves just as I have described and I do not understand how that is possible. The air pre-charge pressure is measured at the air valve on the top of the tank using a digital tire pressure gauge. The water pressures are measured by a standard dial-type pressure gauge mounted on the water pipe about six inches from the outlet at the bottom of the tank. I understand that, with a pre-charge pressure of 35psi, the water line pressure gauge should not read less than 35psi. However, my gauge drops all the way to zero when the tank is empty, with the pump cut-in switch tripping at 32psi. Before I reduced the pre-charge pressure from 39psi to 35psi, the pump cut in switch was tripping at 37psi. Moreover, the water pressure gauge is new. (Perhaps it is defective?) In any case, I am concerned that something is seriously wrong with this system and have no idea how to set it right.

Thanks.

@Tom,

I would like to be helpful but I really don't understand this situation as it has been described.

If a water pressure tank is pre-charged to 35 PSI, you will never see 32 psi on the pressure gauge for the tank.

When it's completely empty of water the tank would be sitting at 35 PSI, the air pre-charge level.

And while it's possible to adjust the pressure control switch to change the cut in, cut out, or to shift the entire range up and down, if you haven't touched the pressure control switch and all you've done is change the pressure tank air pre-charge, then you are not changing the control switch settings.

Generally where people get in trouble is when they set the pressure tank air pre-charge to a higher pressure than the pressure control switch cut in setting.

In that case since their system pressure never will fall to the cut in level the pressure control switch will simply never turn on the pump.

You might want to comment about where and how you are measuring the pressures you report.

It's possible you were measuring in different places, or that your pressure control switch is too far from the water pressure tank itself.

Keep in mind also that this is not lab great equipment - it's not precise.

@inspectapedia.com.moderator,

Thanks for your reply. What appears to me to remain a problem is that, with the pre-charge pressure set to 35psi, the cut-in pressure has changed from 37psi to 32psi. Other than that, the pressure dropping as the tank is drained is normal until the new cut-in point of 32psi is reached, at which point the pressure drops instantly to zero. What I would like to know is if this behavior is normal for this type of tank or, if it is not, is there any danger in operating it this way?

Thanks.

@Tom,

Changing, or we should say correcting the pressure tank air pre-charge to set it to 2 psi below the pressure switch CUT-IN pressure won't change the pressure switch settings but it will change (and correct) how the pump operates. It sounds as if you've not got things operating correctly, though I may have got lost in your posting.

With the pre-charge set to 35psi, 2psi below the cut-in pressure of 37psi. , the pump should turn on at 37 psi and cut of at your cut-off pressure setting of around 60 psi.

Remember that the pressure switch is not a lab-grade precise control; so it may be a 1-4 psi "off" of the settings you tried to achieve. There is also some variation in pressure readings as the pressure may surge when the pump first turns on, and it may drop slightly when the pump turns off.

The rest of the behaviour you describe sounds normal. E.g. the pressure continues to drop if you drain the tank when the pump is turned off.

We've just had a new pressure tank installed at our off-grid home and have encountered some puzzling behavior.

Our well pump is run by a gasoline-powered generator that we only use when we need to pump water from our deep well. The original system was installed in 1989 and, when the old pressure tank stopped working, we purchased a new Water Worker 62 gallon bladder tank (HT62B). The system is set up for 60/40psi operation and with the old tank we could draw water all the way until the tank was empty before refilling it, if we chose to do so.

We hired a licensed plumber with experience in deep well systems to install the new tank. The new tank was supposed to have a pre-charge pressure of 38psi. All went normally with the first tank filling. The water pressure gauge rose steadily from zero to 58psi, at which point the cut-out switch disconnected power to the pump.

As the well system had not been used in some time, I wanted to run a few tanks of water through it before collecting a sample for the county health department. While draining the tank through the drain faucet located near the base of the tank, I watched the pressure gauge needle move slowly downward, as it should. The first anomaly occurred when the gauge reached 37psi. At this point, there was a "click," the water flow abruptly stopped, and the pressure gauge needle dropped instantly to zero. (I presume the "click" was the cut-in switch operating but, as there was no power to the system, the pump did not engage.)

Upon closing the drain valve I encountered the second anomaly; the pressure gauge needle began rising slowly, and finally stopped at 37psi. Opening the drain valve produced a small amount of water and the pressure gauge needle dropped quickly to zero. In the course of draining the tank, I recovered about 16-1/2 gallons of water. I was able to confirm that the tank was empty by pressing lightly on it with my fingertips near the top, which caused it to easily rock slightly.

I had read that the pre-charge air pressure should be 2psi lower than the cut-in pressure switch setting, so I checked the pre-charge pressure with a digital tire pressure gauge. The reading was 39psi.

Thinking the high pre-charge pressure might be the source of the odd behavior, I let air out of the tank until I had the pressure at 35psi, 2psi below the cut-in pressure of 37psi. I then opened and closed the drain valve to reset the water pressure gauge to zero and started the pump to refill the tank. The third anomaly occurred as soon as the pump started when the pressure gauge needle jumped from zero to somewhere in the 30s-psi range. From that point on, the gauge needle rose slowly and steadily to 58psi, at which point the cut-out switched turned the pump off.

The fourth anomaly happened when I was again draining the tank (with the electrical power off). This time, water kept coming out of the tank as the pressure gauge needle passed the 37psi mark. I recovered about 20-1/2 gallons before the cut-in switch clicked at 32psi, the water flow stopped, and the pressure gauge needle dropped to zero.

Thinking that if the cut-in pressure setting changed, that the cut-out setting might also have done so, I refilled the tank. The cut-out occurred at 58psi, the same as before.

At this point, I am completely confused, as I don't see how changing the air-pressure of the tank pre-charge can change the pressure setting of the cut-in switch. I don't want to make any more changes to the system settings until I either understand what I need to do to get this tank working correctly, or if I need to hire a professional to come sort out the problem.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

@Pete,

How to Adjust Water Pump Pressure: The detailed, step by step procedure for inspecting and adjusting the water pressure control switch is discussed in detail

at ADJUST PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL - https://inspectapedia.com/water/Pressure_Switch_Adjustment.php

(above on this very page)

You'll see that on most pressure control switches there are two nuts to adjust: a larger one and a smaller one.

Complete details of what these adjustment nuts do and which way to turn them are found

at PRESSURE SWITCH NUT ADJUSTMENTS

https://inspectapedia.com/water/Pressure_Switch_Nut_Adjust.php

Please take a look and don't hesitate to post a question or comment as needed.

How do you increase the pressure setting on an existing water pressure tank

Joey

The best place to start, as it's a most-complete list of diagnostic questions and steps, when there is weak or poor or no water pressure, is at

WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE https://inspectapedia.com/water/Water_Pressure_Table.php#

My water comes out of fauset very slow then nothing....if I turn the main line to off it builds then it flows food for a hour....my pump is very very quite...it's never that quite. Vibrating. Well flow mostly?

Brian

Earliest possible to increase the settings on your pressure control switch to get a higher pressure just as you suggest. Take a look in the article index and you'll find our articles on how to adjust the pressure control.

The pressure in the system was too low on the 2nd floor, shower especially. First issue.. the tank is in the basement and when I checked it, it had 0psi of air in it, I pumped it up to 28PSI or so. The old gauge was dead so I installed a new one. I have a 4-5 yr old 30\50 switch, looks ok.

Is it possible to run my 30/50 switch as a 40/60 or do I need to replace it for a 40/60? I tried adjusting the switch all day yesterday to increase the pressure that is a lot better already. Today it looks like it's working between 30/53 or so. I can adjust the high end to 60 but the low end seems stuck at 30PSI or so.

Jay

Thank you for the comment

If your tank is set for 38 psi and your cut in pressure is 30 psi then your tank should be set for 28psi (2psi below cut in pressure) when there is no water pressure in the tank. Don't forget to use an accurate pressure gauge to measure the air pressure on the tank.

Jay

Thank you for the comment

Tammy

The pressure tank air pre-charge does not determine the water pressure at your faucets itself; rather that's done by your water pump.

The water tank air pressure pre-charge should be set to 2 psi below the water pump CUT-IN pressure.

To adjust the pressure control switch itself see WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT

and to find the instructions for your specific switch see WATER PUMP SWITCH INSTALLATION MANUALS

We do not have good pressure coming out of any of our faucets.My husband checked pressur on bladder and it was 33psi so he added 2 so it is now 35psi. It is recommended tobe set at 38psi. How much of a difference will that 3 pounds make in terms of the pressure we get?

It sounds to me as if your water pressure tank is waterlogged. Take care to be sure that you've drained water and pressure from the tank before you set the air pre-charged to 2 PSI below the pump cut in pressure setting.

Hello, I was having problems with my water shutting off when using either of my outside hose spigots.

It was suggested by a employee at local plumbing supply , that I should check the pressure at the water pressure tank. I checked and it was higher than the cut-in pressure on control switch. He also suggested I turn off the electric to pump and drain the whole water tank
, which I did.

I then put 28 psi into pressure tank and turned on pump to fill tank back up. Pressure then rose to 60 on pressure tank.

I bleed of pressure back to 28. Everything thing seems ok, except anyone s faucet is turned on, the pump immediately turns on and even though pressure rises to 50 quite quickly, take a few minutes to shut off. Is there a possible link with the fact that water pressure was so high after refilling tank,? Added note: pressure switch settings are at 30/50.

Occam's razor argues that we should always opt for the simplest explanation, so I am embarrassed to say that I suspect two things are going on at your property instead of just one. Is possible that you have a slow leak in the well piping or at the foot valve that is losing water pressure overnight. Actually a leak anywhere in the system could cause that problem, even a running toilet that can be hard to detect.

If in addition pure water pressure control switch is defective, such as having burned contacts or debris clogged sensor Port then it may be slow to respond to a drop in water pressure until the pressure gets well below the cut in level.

You could try tapping the pressure control to see if that causes it to turn on when the water pressure is quite low.

Of course check to see whether or not the pump is already running. But you may need to replace the switch.

Well system, when we get up in the morning there's low water pressure. If I run the water for 15-20 seconds and then turn off the fixture, the next turn on (within a few seconds) will be full pressure. No air burping, no banging or any other noises at the faucets, and had everything checked a month ago when I moved in.

Where do I start checking? I've had experience at other houses where the pressure builds as you run the water but haven't seen this one.

My pipes are humming so I think its my bladder tank

36 gal water pressure tank (blue) short cycling pump (C) InspectApedia.com Jonny Jonny

That pump stopping at 25 psi and kicking back on could be itself triggered by a leak in well piping combined with a pump that can't get ahead of the leak or for other reasons can't reach the cut-of fpressure.

Let's start with the diagnostic suggestions

Ihave a plumbing question, I have a 3/4 jet pump hooked up to a 36 gallon pressure tank , 500 gallon water tank , pump kicks on but will not reach shut off pressure at 40p , pump stops at 25psi for a few seconds then kicked back on , it keeps repeating this .seams to thermal overload, pump is new, pressure tank is new , all new plumbing in pump house , no leaks visible.

Any ideas why pump will not reach pressure , house is getting a little water but it just runs out and pump will not kick back on until safety switch lets it . If you have any idea it would be greatly appreciated, thanks

Sorry Bobby but I don't understand the question

my.new.tank..pressee.swich.20.40.what.air.preesee.be.my.gagag..go.up.donw.when.water.running.the.cut.of.then.go.up.done.tell.you.cut.it.of

Kevin:

1. Make an independent measurement of water pressure - say mounting a gauge at a washing machine or outdoor house bibb to get the actual pressure - as your gauge could be stuck

Consider that if the pressure is really 38 psi and you've got a 30/50 pressure control then 30 psi is the CUT-IN pressure and the pump shouldn't start until pressure drops down to that level. (That's why I suspect a stuck gauge and wrong pressure reading)

2. When a pump is short cycling that's usually a water-logged (lost air charge) pressure tank -

see WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING - home

For causes such as running water, a leak somewhere

But the no-water flow at all is worrisome:

3. Confirm that there are no closed water valves between pressure tank and building.

my pressure switch reads 30/50psi, my bladder tank has 38 psi, with no water flow, my pump starts and stops every 60 seconds, what should I do?

I had a new pressure tank proffesionaly installed about 2 years ago. I lost all water pressure for a short time no pressure in tank and after a while the punp kicked back on nut now it seems my water is running straight off the well pump and I have air in the pipes. What can I do?

Brad

If your water storage tank is really 5000 gallons - that's quite large - it's possible that the pump is having such long on cycles that it's overheating OR that it is running out of water in the well ( a problem with low flow rate into the well).

Other problems could be a leak in well piping or a damaged pump that can't reach cut-off pressure. Some pressure switches include a feature that is intended to protect the pump from damage when it's run too long or may be overheating.

have a 5000 gal. tank new 30/50 pressure sw. 85 gal. bladder tank 28 lb. charge pipes clean, but has to be manually actived. have no idea what the problem is/

Our toilets are hammering loudly when flushed, and the sinks (5) water pressures are good then weak and spit water at us (soaking my whole shirt)! We have well water and the tank was replaced 4 years ago. I tried to solve the problem by increasing the pressure to 60 (tank said it can go up to 100). No difference. Help!

Barbara,

With apologies for being very direct: BALONEY! A water pressure tank normally lasts for a decade or more, newer pressure tanks using an internal bladder even longer. It would be unusual for you to need a new water tank so soon unless the one installed was defective, damaged by some external force, or improperly installed.

It is possible that the problems you are experiencing

- have nothing to do with the pressure tank: for example a well running out of water or running low on water, possibly combined with a pump protection switch that might be installed - will turn off water to the building until the well recovers

- have to do with loss of the air charge in the pressure tank.

Call a different plumber and get some reasonable diagnosis of what's wrong before proceeding.

Keep us posted.

Daniel

I had my water pressure tank 2 years ago because my water would cut off and on and I was told that is what I needed to do.

Now 2 years later I am having the same problem again and I called the company that installed the first one and told them I was experiencing the same problem and asked how long that tank was suppose to last. I was told by the secretary that it was only good for one year. That is not what I was told when they installed it.

I was told that one should last me another 13 years like the first one. She said she would send someone to my home but would call me and let me know about the warrenty. No one called me back . The next day they just showed up and knocked on my door and told me my bladder in the tank had busted again because something had got into my well.

I don't know about these things and I could not understand what he meant by something had got into my well which has a submersible pump.

Said he would have to go get another tank. They came back and installed the other tank. 3 days later I get a big bill in the amount of $447.00. I call them back and asked to speak to the manager. The manager is not in and I am getting more excuses from the secretary of what caused my problem and the reason for this bill. She is just a secretary and does not know anything about plumbing and i asked to speak to the manager.

She said again she would have to get back to me on that. I was told that one time to many and I insisted on speaking to the manager. She said she would have him call me back. I waited all day and got no call. The next day I get a call from the secretary again and she left a message on my answering machine that she had spoken to Larry( manager) and he said to tell me that the warranty on the tank was only good for one year. Now I am being told the reason the bladder busted so quick was because there is mud in my well and not because the tank was bad. I want to know if this is true?

Yes, though there is an obscure problem we've discussed in this article series: air pressure creeping up in the air compartment of an internal-bladder water tank. This might happen if the bladder has a small leak that sends water one-way into the air chamber. Eventually if enough water is in the air chamber the tank operates as if it's water-logged and water might even be found at the air valve. But well before that we might see higher pressure.

should the pressure gauge read about the same as the air pressure when I take a reading at the top of the tank

Mike

When the pump can't get water pressure over 38 psi I suspect a well low on water, a leak in well piping, a damaged pump impeller, low voltage, mis-wiring, or something else to be figured out. Maybe the artesian well is no longer artesian. Or maybe a new pump is higher horsepower and exceeds the well flow rate.

The tank pre-charge is normally set 2 psi below the pressure switch cut-in pressure.

I installed a completely new system to replace my old 1/2 HP and 10 Gal tank. The new pump is a RedJacket 1/2 HP wired 230V and the tank is a 20 Gal. The tank came charged at 38 PSI, so I dropped it down to 28 PSI to match the 30/50 setting on the pressure switch.

The first day, it ran no problem as per the settings. Now, a day later, it won't build pressure past 36 PSI. The old setup was inherited when we bought the place, and it had been adjusted from factory settings. The pressure gauge was inaccurate, so it's tough to know what the old system was set up for.

Is it a situation of dropping the pressure switch down to 25/35 or 20/40 and adjusting the pressure in the tank, or is there some other solution I should look at? There are no leaks in any of the plumbing, no obstructions, and the well is artesian and has adequate flow. I have about 10 PSI of flow without the pump on, just because of natural pressure from the well.

...

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