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View Full Version : Well tank pressure


mike m34
Aug 7, 2012, 04:28 PM
I primed the pump and all is well. I open a hose spigot pressure is great them it dies down to nothing then all of a sudden comes back great again. What's going on

hkstroud
Aug 7, 2012, 04:34 PM
What kind of tank do you have and how big is it?

mike m34
Aug 7, 2012, 04:56 PM
60 gal well tank. 1 1/2 HP pump

mike m34
Aug 7, 2012, 04:57 PM
Precharged 38 psi

hkstroud
Aug 7, 2012, 05:01 PM
Press the valve stem and see if you get air or water.

I presume pump switch is set to 40/60.

mike m34
Aug 7, 2012, 05:34 PM
I have air. 40/60 is correct

hkstroud
Aug 7, 2012, 05:54 PM
Sounds like a water logged tank. You can only get a water logged tank with a bladder tank if the bladder is ruptured.

Getting water would confirm ruptured bladder. Getting air does not completely eliminate the possibility of a ruptured bladder. Perhaps the tank is almost, but not completely, water logged.

Have someone open a faucet while you watch the pressure gauge. If the pressure gauge falls dramatically and almost immediately after opening the faucet, then returns just as quickly, that would also indicate a water logged tank.

jlisenbe
Aug 8, 2012, 03:41 AM
If the pressure is swinging up and down in short cycles of a few seconds, and you can hear the pump turn on/off every few seconds, then suspect a bad tank. If the cycles are much longer, and pressure is dropping lower than it should before the pump cuts on, then I'd check the switch, starting with the little pipe leading to the switch. Those pipes can clog so much that the switch responds sluggishly, allowing pressure to drop more than it should before cutting the pump on.

With a sixty gallon tank. You should be able to get at least fifteen gallons of water (probably much more) before the pump has to cut back on. Take a five gallon bucket and see how many gallons you can get before the pump cycles on.

mike m34
Aug 8, 2012, 08:42 AM
Great thanks. It ended up bring a clogged pressure switch

hkstroud
Aug 8, 2012, 10:09 AM
Great, then give jlisenbe a helpful rating.