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kevinathome · Nov 6, 2012, 05:18 PM

I installed a new red lion 33 gallon pressure tank and no water is going into the tank. The water pump was replaced about 3 months ago with a redhot 1/2 hp. The pump now short cycles several times before it kicks in.

jlisenbe · Nov 6, 2012, 05:44 PM

Make sure the pressure at the top of the tank is set to 2# BELOW the cut in pressure. So, if your pump, for example, turns on at 30#, then you should set the tank pressure to 28#. Do this with the power off and the pressure drained to zero by opening a lower level faucet.

speedball1 · Nov 7, 2012, 06:53 AM

Follow jlisenbes advice. What's your control box settings and how much pressure did you charge the bladder tank at? Back to you, Tom

1speedbump · Nov 7, 2012, 02:25 PM

Many times people don't realize their new tank took in any water because it only takes in 1/4 to 1/3 of the actual tank size. The rest of the tank is air under pressure. So the tank still feels light.

1speedbump · Nov 7, 2012, 03:32 PM

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kevinathome · Nov 8, 2012, 08:48 AM

I will check the cut in and cut out pressures, but I still believe the problem might be that the tank is empty. I don't believe the tank is even a quarter full as it is so light it couldn't contain even a quart of water. I was wondering if I could shut off the water to the house and drain the house, then release some air pressure from the house? Would the pump then kick in and pump water into the tank? If so, could I then replace the air so the pressure goes back to 28 lbs.

kevinathome · Nov 8, 2012, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by jlisenbe

Make sure the pressure at the top of the tank is set to 2# BELOW the cutin pressure. So, if your pump, for example, turns on at 30#, then you should set the tank pressure to 28#. Do this with the power off and the pressure drained to zero by opening a lower level faucet.

The tank was precharged to 30 lbs. I checked, and it is actually 28 lbs. I will check the cut in and cut out pressure settings. Maybe that will force water into the tank. However, there is almost no water in the tank. It is so light it could not have more than a quart ( a litre in Canada ). I thought I might be able to shut off the water to the house, drain a couple lbs. of air. Would this cause the pump to kick in and pump water into the tank? If so, should I then pump the tank back up to 28 lbs?

1speedbump · Nov 8, 2012, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by kevinathome

The tank was precharged to 30 lbs. I checked, and it is actually 28 lbs. I will check the cut in and cut out pressure settings. Maybe that will force water into the tank. However, there is almost no water in the tank. It is so light it could not have more than a quart ( a litre in Canada ). I thought I might be able to shut off the water to the house, drain a couple lbs. of air. Would this cause the pump to kick in and pump water into the tank? If so, should I then pump the tank back up to 28 lbs?

Letting air out of a tank can cause the bladder to go higher than intended and do damage to it. You have already had less than normal air pressure, so I wouldn't do that again. The way to test your tank for water is to allow the pump to build up to 50 (or shutoff pressure) then turn the breaker to the pump off. Now open a faucet and with a 5 gallon bucket, measure the amount of water you get from the tank.

I'm not familiar with Red Lion products so I'm assuming your 33 gallon tank is 33 gallons if you cut a hole in the top and filled it with water to the top. A tank at 30/50 that will physically hold 33 gallons should have somewhere in the vicinity of a 10 gallon drawdown. Or 10 gallons from 50 down to 30.

jlisenbe · Nov 8, 2012, 04:11 PM

Kevin, your complaint is typical of a new tank. We hear it from time to time on this site. There is a rubber skin (diaphragm or bladder) about halfway up your tank which separates the tank into two areas. The area above the bladder is just air. The area below the bladder is supposed to be just water, but when the tank is new, it is water plus the air that was in the tank under the bladder when you set it up. That air will go away in time as it is dissolved into the water. Until that time, your tank is going to "feel" empty.

You've gotten some good advice here. Take a deep breath and follow it. Let us know what you find out. Speedbumps advice about drawdown is the gold standard of a tank's performance, not how heavy it feels.

Speedbump and Speedball. I can tell this is going to get confusing!