How to set pressure on Well Tank?

   / How to set pressure on Well Tank? #11  
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank?
  • Thread Starter
#12  
turn off the power and just open a faucet till the pressure drops below 30, then use the air pump and set it at 38
That sounds simpler than draining the system.

And less likely to get any sediment moving.
 
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank? #13  
How often should this be done?
I check mine every couple of years. Normally I do it when I'm using water outside like watering the yard or garden.
 
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank? #14  
That sounds simpler than draining the system.

And less likely to get any sediment moving.
If there's any water in the system when you go to adjust the air pressure you'll end up with an inaccurate reading, because with the faucets off there nowhere for the water to go, so you don't know that the bladder finished expanding unimpeded.

Open the valves, leave them open while adjusting.

Or, don't. A small discrepancy in the pressure will affect the drawdown capacity only a small amount.
 
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank?
  • Thread Starter
#15  
If there's any water in the system when you go to adjust the air pressure you'll end up with an inaccurate reading, because with the faucets off there nowhere for the water to go, so you don't know that the bladder finished expanding unimpeded.

Open the valves, leave them open while adjusting.

Or, don't. A small discrepancy in the pressure will affect the drawdown capacity only a small amount.
Huh? This land is sloped. Every faucet save the one at the pumphouse is lower than the tank.

Seems to me that just getting the water level in the plumbing lower than the tank, and leaving the faucet at the pumphouse open to the air, gives the zero pressure you need for an accurate measure.

Draining everything at the far ends of the several underground lines seems unneeded. Do you have a reason for that?
 
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank?
  • Thread Starter
#18  
Hey, if ya don’t know, don’t mess around. GOOGLE or call a pro!!
Where's the fun in that? :D

The manufacturer's instructions weren't clear re periodic testing years after the original install.

In many instances, real experience related by the brain trust here makes more sense than whatever Google will bring up, and often adds context that isn't found elsewhere.

Like any research source, you need to cast out nonsense answers then go with what several credible folks have said.
 
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank? #19  
Any faucet in the system will drain the tank. Just want the pressure gauge on the tank to read zero when checking the air at the top of the tank with a tire pressure gauge. Those two gauges usually read a couple pounds differently. But if not the pressure at the top of the tank should be the same as the water pressure gauge when the pump is on. I usually use a little less air like 5 PSI less than pump start, because it is not good to have a little too much air in the tank. The faucet would run out of water for a second or two before the pump starts if there is too much air in the tank.

Glad you doing it yourself and doing the research. Now you can research even further to figure out what causes the bladder in the tank to tear and the air to get lost in the water. If you stop the cause of the problem, you should never lose air from the tank. I have one that hasn't needed any air since I installed it in 1984. Only air it loses is from me checking it, so I only check every 10 years or so. But I also have a device that tells me my pump is cycling too rapidly, which is what happens when you lose the air charge. What some people call "normal" pump cycling will still flex the diaphragm in a tank up and down until it breaks like bending a piece of wire over and over. Reducing or eliminating pump cycling will not only make your tank last longer, but will make the pump and everything else last longer as well. To stop the cycling you need constant pressure, which also makes for much stronger shower pressure.


CSV1A 20 gal tank cross.jpg
 
   / How to set pressure on Well Tank? #20  
The tank needs to be empty of water to properly check the air charge. Period. The air charge should be 2 pounds less than where the pump turns on. Less air means more cycling. Too much air, as valveman stated will cause the pump to hesitate before the pump turns on.
Cycling is bad for every part of your system, that's why the proper air charge is important.
If you cannot drain all the water out of the tank, there is something wrong with the tank. At some point the diaphram inside will fail.
Valvemans valve helps limit the number of cycles. (Valveman will be proud, we just installed one today.)
 

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