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kodamonster21
May 20, 2012, 07:53 AM
We have a 25 gal pressure tank and it blows through the switches. We just replaced the switch and the gage, pump is working great. There is a faucet directly across from the tank and if you turn it on you get great pressure out of it but if you go in the house you can barely get a dribble. The gage on the line doesn't seem to be going above 10 psi. The pressure tank is preset to 28 psi and we tried to increase that to see if it would help but it hasn't. Any suggestions?

jlisenbe
May 20, 2012, 11:34 AM
1. You don't ever want to add/remove air from the tank. You should set it once and then leave it alone. To set it, you will first need to determine where the pump cuts on. You will simply turn on the water and let the pressure drop until you hear the switch click, turning on the pump. You will set the pressure at 2# below that point. So, if the pump cuts on at 30#, then you would set the tank pressure to 28#. This MUST be done with the pump turned off and pressure drained to zero by opening a faucet until no more water comes out. Add/remove air from the little air valve towards the top of the tank.

2. You no doubt need a new pressure gauge. They are cheap and easy to replace.

3. There must be an obstruction somewhere between the tank and the house. Do you have a cutoff valve going to the house? Check that out. Also, do you have a filter or a water softener?

4. "it blows through the switches" What did you mean by that?

5. Is your pump in the well or above ground?

kodamonster21
May 20, 2012, 12:50 PM
The shut off to the house is about 3 feet up the line and its open. There is no water softener or filter on the line. We have replaced the switch for the pump 4 times. The pump is in the well,it was replaced last year also, you can see the water in the well and you can hear the hum of it running. What is the best way to check for an obstruction in the line?

jlisenbe
May 20, 2012, 01:08 PM
If you have good pressure outside but not so good inside, then an obstruction is probably the cause. I'd first disassemble the cutoff to the house and check there.

What is going on with your switches? Are they just failing? That is really unusual.

Just to be safe, I'd check my tank to see if it might be waterlogged. HOld down the stem of the air valve for several seconds. If water comes out, then you've found your problem.

kodamonster21
May 20, 2012, 01:20 PM
I think the switches are burning out because the pump is constantly running and it never reaches the shutoff pressure. We did check to see if it was waterlogged, no water came out. I figured if there were a rupture in a pipe I would see the evidence somewhere.

speedball1
May 20, 2012, 02:42 PM
Have you recharged your bladder tank back to the correct PSI? What is your cut in and cut out limits on the control box? Back to you. Tom

jlisenbe
May 20, 2012, 06:08 PM
Koda, whatever you do, get a new pressure gauge put on. You say the pump won't cut off, but with the current gauge reading ten pounds, which does not seem to be correct, you are kind of "flying blind". That pressure gauge is really useful in troubleshooting. Once you have one that works, you'll know how high your pressure is getting. Maybe the switch's cut off pressure can be dialed down. Maybe the pump is the problem. Let's get a working gauge and go from there.