Well pump /Ballast Tank /Air volume control ballast tank experts?

[Zerk]

Your lines were all plugged up BECAUSE of the old style air over water tank you have. When air is injected it causes minerals and stuff to precipitate out of the water, which will clog the lines and tank. A bladder tank doesn稚 let the water be exposed to air and the gunk will not clog everything up.

Any pressure would seem å*µreat after cleaning out those lines. Still bouncing between 40 and 60 would be insufficient at my house. 50 PSI constant is so much stronger pressure you don稚 even need soap in the shower.



A 12 gallon tank only holds 3 gallons of water, a 30 gallon tank holds 8 gallons. With the larger tank the swings from 40 to 60 PSI take longer and so are not as noticeable. But compared to constant pressure would be very noticeable.

If you pump will build to 60, a 40/60 switch setting would be better for a 都low well. At 40/60 the pump is actually pumping less water than when at 20/40. Now the 40/60 will make more water come out of the shower head, but the tank refill rate will be lower as the pressure increases. A 30 gallon tank only holds 8 gallons of water, which doesn稚 amount to much in a house that uses 300+ gallons everyday. Using a CSV to hold the pressure constant would turn a 電ecent shower into a fantastic one.



When the pump kicks in it has to refill the pressure tank at the same time as it is supplying water to the shower. If just slowing down the pump cycling by switching from a 12 to a 30 gallon tank made a tremendous difference, the difference in pressure when there is no cycling would be fantabulous!



I have some pumps AND bladder tanks that are well over 30 years old and still working fine.

Have to read up on s making rust worse. I get the theory. But I also think one place just has crappy water. Quick google search, I do see stuff on it.

The water flow is slow at the place I went from 12 to 30. That is the problem. I will look into these though. Does it make a difference whether deep well or point? I have one of each.

40/60, is a fantastic shower to me. Seems as good as city. I am not looking for more pressure on this one. I don't have to worry about multiple lines running.
But my pump is from 1973. So not sure 30 years is an accomplishment or not. But it isn't bad.

 

[Valveman]

Deep well or point doesn't matter. If the pump cycles on and off while the shower is running the CSV will stop that. When the pump is cycling on and off from 40 to 60 while the shower is running, you are getting an average of 50 PSI. That sounds good, but to get 50 average, the pressure will drop to 40 them back to 60 over and over again.

The CSV does not really increase the pressure, it is still using the 40/60 switch. But the CSV will hold a constant 50 PSI for as long as the shower is on. Not only does that eliminate all the pump cycling, but 50 PSI constant is much stronger shower pressure than an average 50 PSI. You wouldn't think it would make much difference, but it really does.

 

[Ford850]

I would think the constant pressure would also prolong the life of a water heater. They claim the biggest detriment to those is the expansion/contraction cycles which crack the glass coating of the tank.

 

[Valveman]

I would think the constant pressure would also prolong the life of a water heater. They claim the biggest detriment to those is the expansion/contraction cycles which crack the glass coating of the tank.

They maybe talking about the contraction and expansion from the temperature. But I am sure the 40/60 swing from a pump system doesn't help either. The pressure tank that is used with a CSV will also double as an expansion tank, and may help keep the WH glass from cracking more than anything else.

But cycling a pump on and off causes more problems than most people realize.

Stopping the pump from cycling eliminates......
water hammer
split pipes
broken fittings
check valve wear
pressure switch wear
start cap and relay wear
pressure tank bladder wear
unscrewing and dropping the pump
chaffing well pump wire

On top of that it makes pumps and motors last longer.
Uses smaller and less expensive pressure tanks.
Delivers constant pressure to the shower.
Makes instant water heaters stay lit.

Stops surging the well and reduces sand, sediment, oxidation, etc.

It can also be a water saving feature as you can match irrigation zones to the yard and not the max flow of the pump.

Everyday I find more and more benefits from eliminating pump cycling, so it wouldn't surprise me if it also helped with tank water heaters.