I know this is long, but I want to provide as much info as possible to get the best answers.
I have a Goulds V60 HydroPro well tank. The well pump switch had to be replaced several years ago, and in the process of doing that, noticed that the well tank had a small leak and was replaced with the V60. Lately I have noticed that the pump is coming on every time I flush the toilet, whereas in the past the pump wouldn't come on until the second time it was flushed (depending on how much water was used between flushes of course). The pressure switch on the pump was factory set at 30/50. The tank pressure was factory set at 38 psi. When the plumber put on the new switch and changed the tank, I don't know if he made any adjustments to either the switch or the tank, though I assume he would have.
I decided to check the pressure in the tank the other day. I shut the power to the pump, opened an outdoor spigot and ran out almost 10 gallons of water before the tank was drained. The pressure in the drained tank read 16 psi. I knew the tank needed 28 psi with a 30/50 pressure switch. However, when I attempted to add air to the tank with a small compressor the gauge on the compressor went crazy, reading well over 125 psi, though the max pressure for that tank is 125. I added air for about 30-45 seconds, checked with the tire gauge again and it still read 16 psi. I tried adding air a few more times, but got the same result.
I ended up cutting the power back on to the pump and the pump ran and tank filled. I put the tire gauge on the tank after the pump stopped and the gauge shot all the way out (it only reads up to 50 psi). There are no pressure gauges on the well so I can't look at that to tell what is going on.
Do I have a problem with the tank or the pressure switch? The tank isn't waterlogged, no water comes out of the schrader valve and after I drained it I gave it a little wiggle and it was very light, no water in it. Any ideas as to what the problem may be? I'd like to be getting a better drawdown so I don't decrease the life of the pump. The pump is running for about a minute and 15 seconds now, where it was running close to 2 minutes before.
Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!

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Lately I have noticed that the pump is coming on every time I flush the toilet, whereas in the past the pump wouldn't come on until the second time it was flushed (depending on how much water was used between flushes of course).

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That points to a waterlogged tank. I realize you say the tank is light, but that is after you emptied it. Now that you have emptied it, and it certainly seems you have added at least some air, then it should perform fairly normally, at least for several weeks. Does it seem to be working OK now?

Put a pressure gauge on it. Either that, or get a tire pressure gauge that will read above 50#. Normally, the reading you get at the top of the tank is the system pressure. I'm speaking of when the pump is on and the system is operating.

It is possible that you were reading the gauge on the air pump that was reading its own pressure tank's pressure. That would explain the 125# reading. There are generally two gauges on air pumps. One reads the pressure in the tank, and the second reads the pressure going to the hose. That second pressure is adjustable. Perhaps your's was set on 16# or so??? If that's the case, come to think of it, then you added next to no air to the tank.

I don't think I got any air in the tank, but even after draining it, the amount of water that I'm getting out of the tank is less than what it was previously. Is there any definitive way to tell if the tank is waterlogged?

When we say a tank is waterlogged, we mean that, in your case, the diaphraghm in the tank is ruptured. Over time, the air in the tank, now being exposed to water, is absorbed into the water and the air cushion at the top of the tank is gone. When that happens, you can press the air valve at the top of the tank and water will come out. But that won't happen until the tank is completely waterlogged. In your case, the fact that the pump cuts on after very little water being used is a good indicator. And here is why you need a pressure gauge. With a waterlogged tank, you can watch the gauge and it will move pretty rapidly between 30# and 50# as water is used. The pump will shortcycle, as yours seems to be doing, by running for only short periods. Pumps up to cutoff quickly, and then goes down to cutin quickly. In fact, if you are in the shower, you can actually watch the cycles by just looking at the pressure of water coming from the shower head. Up and down, up and down.

In your situatuation, you can add air to your tank by turning off the power, draining the tank as best you can (opening a low level faucet), and then adding thirty pounds or so of air to the tank. That will fix the problem temporarily, but it will return.

Might add that you can tap with anything metallic (wrench, hammer, etc.) up the side of the tank until you hear a change in tone. That shows the water level. Should be halfway or so.

jlisenbe,

I drained the tank again, and I used another compressor. I checked the pressure prior to draining and it read 42#, after draining it read about 15#. I was able to get about 4-5# in the tank. When I drained the tank, I got a little over 10 gallons of water out of it. Flushing the toilet uses about 4-5 gallons (its an old one) and the pump would come on near the end of the tank refill. If there was 10 gallons in the tank, but pump coming on after 4-5 gallons, does that confirm the diaphragm in the tank is bad? When I cut the pump back on after draining and adding a little air, the pump ran for 2 min 27 sec. When it comes on after flushing the toilet, it runs for about 1 min 16 sec, and that time has been consistent over the past week.

I haven't noticed any change in the pressure, up and down, in the shower. When the pump runs, it runs for over a minute (avg. 1 min 16 sec.) and I haven't noticed it coming on and the going off quickly. I tapped the sides of the tank and could tell that water was about halfway up.

I'm stumped. Having a pressure gauge installed would help, but that's above my pay grade. I'll definitely have one installed the next time any work is done on it. Should I suck it up and have the tank replaced or wait and see?

I'd wait and see. If the bladder is bad, then it will become evident in several weeks.

A Goulds V60 is a twenty gallon tank. The drawdown is about 6 gallons with a 30/50 switch, so flushing your commode with 5 gallons of water would about do it, especially if the tank was not completely full at the time. Could be that everything is behaving as it should. However, putting in a larger tank at some point in the future would not be a bad idea and would result in fewer cycles for your pump.

Goulds 20 Gallon HydroPro Pressure Tank - V60

I wouldn't be surprised if there is already a threaded fitting for a gauge on your Tee fitting similar to this:

http://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-5...kage-tfp1.aspx

If so, then it's just a matter of screwing one on. Not complicated. Can buy one for five or ten bucks.

Be sure to set the pressure in the tank to 28# with power off and the tank drained. You'll need to set the pressure on your air compressor to 40 or 50 psi to do that.

I'll wait and see what happens. I don't have a threaded fitting for a gauge and the pump and tank sits in a cinder block housing, so I'm pretty much restricted to a 20 gallon tank, anything larger wouldn't fit.

With full tank air pressure at 40# and drained tank pressure at 16# is it possible the plumber put a 20/40 switch on the pump? He said he had the same type of pump at his shop and he went and got the switch off it and put it on mine, putting the old switch cover on it which was a 30/50?

I may try to see if I can borrow a good compressor and try to see if I can get any air into the tank, but it was hard to get any air into it both times I tried. That's another thing I don't understand, how difficult it is to get air into the tank.

Like I said, the pump run times are pretty consistent, it will come on about 1 min 40 sec into toilet refill (2 min to refill toilet) and pump will run about 1 min 20 sec.

Maybe things are running as they should, but I don't understand why the drawdown has changed by almost 2 gallons.

There is probably a threaded fitting on the top of the impeller cage on the pump, used to prime the pump. You can likely put a gauge there. Without a gauge, it's hard to say where the pump cuts on and off. You can measure pressure at the top of the tank when it cuts on, and again when it cuts off, and have a pretty rough idea of where you are. The switch can be adjusted up if you want to. It is not terribly difficult.

Just an update:

The pump run time and when it comes on after flushing the toilet has remained consistent over the past week. If I use a fair amount of water prior to flushing, obviously the pump cuts on sooner and runs longer. How soon would I notice a change in when and how long pump runs if the tank diaphragm is bad and tank is getting waterlogged?

If the air in the tank when empty is 16# and 42# when full and the switch is set to 30/50, wouldn't that be a logical reason as to why the drawdown amount has decreased? My assumption is that air needs to be added to the tank when empty to 28# or either the switch needs to be adjusted to 20/40. Can a 30/50 switch be adjusted down to 20/40 or would a new switch need to be installed? I've looked online at how to adjust the pressure switch, but I don't want to attempt that for fear I'll screw it up worse.

I still haven't noticed any change in pressure or pulsing from the showerhead. I am scared to wash clothes because I have an older top load machine and read where they can use up to 45 gallons per load and I'm concerned how often the pump would cycle and how long it would run during each cycle. (Been going to the laundromat in the interim).

What I can't understand is how difficult it is to add air to the tank. Regardless of how long I pump air into it, the pressure never changes. I was using a battery charger with a compressor that is used to add air to tires. Could it be that it just wasn't powerful enough? I've read where you could use a basic bicycle hand pump, but it would take a long time and wear your arm out.

Any thoughts as to why it is so difficult to get any air in the tank? And what's your thought on the adding air vs. adjusting the switch?

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If the air in the tank when empty is 16# and 42# when full and the switch is set to 30/50, wouldn't that be a logical reason as to why the drawdown amount has decreased? My assumption is that air needs to be added to the tank when empty to 28# or either the switch needs to be adjusted to 20/40. Can a 30/50 switch be adjusted down to 20/40 or would a new switch need to be installed? I've looked online at how to adjust the pressure switch, but I don't want to attempt that for fear I'll screw it up worse.

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Now you can see why I say it is always best to have a pressure gauge. However, when the pump cuts off, and you are measuring 42 in the tank, then that's the pressure where the pump is cutting off. So it is probably cutting on at 22 or so. But with no gauge, it's hard to say. I'd probably leave the tank pressure at 16. It is supposed to be set to 2# below the cut in pressure, but without a gauge, you can't really get a good reading on that.

You can adjust your current switch. To increase both the cut in and cut off pressures, turn the large center nut on the switch clockwise, a full turn or so. Do this with the power off. Turn power back on when finished and check the cut off pressure. Keep at it until you get to 50 or whatever you want. You can adjust down to 40 by turning counter clockwise, but that will decrease your tank volume to less than it is now. And yes, get an air compressor suitable for real men!! Borrow one if possible, or spend a hundred bucks and get something that will work.

Best wishes, and thanks for keeping us informed on your progress. It is always fun to keep up with situations on this board.