In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

well pump/bladder tank question.

Discussion in 'The DIY Room' started by jetjr, Apr 7, 2015.

  1. jetjr

    jetjr

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    The switch did pick up again. I noticed before the gauge will show no pressure when it does this. When you bump the switch it jumps right up to pressure and the pump kicks off.
     
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  2. Kimberly

    Kimberly

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    That is probably a faulty gauge; often the ones sold in hardware shops for water tanks are fairly low-end gauges; often water tank pressure is treated as close enough is good enough. I would replace the gauge and see if that fixes the no pressure thingy.
     
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  3. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    its possible the gauge is getting plugged by sediment, but more than likely its just a cheap gauge. adding a snubber would help.
    spend a few extra bucks and get a good gauge at a local plumbing supply house
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2015
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  4. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    Hold the phone.....

    That's a "pump saver" switch designed to protect the pump in the event you have a catastrophic leak in your piping. If the pressure drops significantly below the the cut-in setting the switch opens and stays open until you manually turn it back on by lifting the wire handle a bit. You should feel spring resistance on the handle until your pressure rises above the cut in.

    Sounds like the switch is working exactly like it is supposed to. Lowering your pressure tank's static charge a couple psi should solve the problem. Try setting it 4-5 psi below your cut-in. What's happening is the tank is nearly empty when your pump kicks on and if demand from the house is high enough, the bladder bottoms out and you have a rapid loss of pressure because the tank is now empty. That momentary pressure drop is often enough to trip the "pump saver" feature of your pressure switch requiring the manual reset.

    The rapid pressure rise is also normal. With the tank empty and your pump off, the pressure gauge should read 0 psi. Assuming you don't have any air in the piping system, the pressure should jump to whatever the tank's static pressure was set at and climb slowly from there as the pump fills the tank.
     
  5. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    good call MM :yes:
     
  6. jetjr

    jetjr

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    I'll give this a shot and let you guys know. Thanks.
     
  7. jetjr

    jetjr

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    I think you hit the nail on the head. It was set at 30lbs. I set the tank back to about 26. It was always happening in high water demand situations like bath water or laundry. I'll keep you guys posted.
     
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  8. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    Ask me how I know.... :whistle: :handshake:
     
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  9. jetjr

    jetjr

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    Alright so it did it again today. Wife decided I should pressure wash the house. She then decided to fill the kiddy pool as well. Everything was good until I unhooked the house from the power washer. It ran for a bit than petered out. Went in clicked the switch and she popped back up to pressure after a second or two. :headbang:Maybe just asking to much of it sometimes?
     
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  10. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    You almost have to catch it in the act. If the pressure drops below the cut-in, keeps falling and then you hear the switch open, everything works ok, the switch is just doing its job.

    If the pressure falls, dips rapidly and then you hear the switch open, then you know the bladder still has too much air in it.
     
  11. jetjr

    jetjr

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    The bad thing is its so erratic when it does do it. Like maybe once every couple weeks mostly.
     
  12. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    Yup, same thing that was happening here. If lowering the air pressure in the tank doesn't solve it, you can always replace the switch (with a plain old non-pump-saving) or throttle a valve in your main supply line to restrict flow to something the pump can keep up with.
     
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  13. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    x2
    no wonder they call him the Master mechanic:yes:
     
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  14. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    There are days that I regret purchasing that infernal switch. One of those things that sounded good in Aisle 13. :headbang::doh:
     
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  15. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    unless your well runs out of water occasionally, it isn't necessary on a submersible pump

    (my well is 70' deep with 68' of water. not much use for a low water cutoff )
     
  16. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    No problems with that!