# One More Time... Well Water Tank Air Pressure



## Dix (Jun 3, 2012)

OK, pressure fizzles out quickly, tank cycling (it's a Well Mate WM9, I've got their web site up), and pressure fizzles.Best pressure currently is 40 at gauge on tank.

I shut down the intake, and drained the tank of water (pressure gauge on tank goes to 30 ish). Then I shut down the flow out to the house, and reengaged the water inlet to the tank. Best pressure on tank still 40 on tank gauge.

I borrowed an air compressor, and have a tire pressure gauge.

Now what?


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## MasterMech (Jun 4, 2012)

Sounds like the pressure switch could be cutting out to early?

Tank pressure should be 2 psi lower than your pressure switch cut-in (turns pump on) pressure setting with the tank _empty_. Turn the power off to your well pump and open a faucet until no more water comes out to empty the tank.

Pressure switch is a rectangular device, usually near the tank, should have 2 sets of wires going to it. you should hear it click when it switches on or off. Turn the power back on to your pump and verify it turns on the pump and turns it off. You can remove the plastic cover to watch the switch operate if necessary.  Make note of the cut-out pressure (sounds like 40 in your case?). Most of these switches are preset to run in a 20 psi range, 20-40, 30-50, 40-60, etc. The settings can be changed and the instructions to do so are usually under the plastic cover. Look it over carefully for broken springs, rusty parts, etc. If in doubt to it's condition, replace it. About 25-30 bucks at HD or Lowes.


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## Gary_602z (Jun 4, 2012)

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:


> OK, pressure fizzles out quickly, tank cycling (it's a Well Mate WM9, I've got their web site up), and pressure fizzles.Best pressure currently is 40 at gauge on tank.
> 
> I shut down the intake, and drained the tank of water (pressure gauge on tank goes to 30 ish). Then I shut down the flow out to the house, and reengaged the water inlet to the tank. Best pressure on tank still 40 on tank gauge.
> 
> ...


 
If it is a bladder type tank see if you are getting water out of the air fitting, if so the bladder is bad and the tank would have to be replaced.

Gary


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## save$ (Jun 4, 2012)

My  well was doing that. My electric bill was out of sight.   My son and I changed the tank, switch and gage.  MasterMech is right on. My electric bill has dropped way back down.  Adjusting the air pressure in an old tank is a bandaid fix at best.  This is my 3ed tank change over in 37 years.  But, I have the original pump,  still running!


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## Dix (Jun 4, 2012)

Tank is 7 years old.

I've got a plumber buddy pulling in as I type.

*shudders*


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## Dix (Jun 4, 2012)

Hot damn, we have pressure... we were "air bound".


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## MasterMech (Jun 4, 2012)

How does that happen with a bladder type tank?

Dix is your system a submersible deep well pump or is the pump in the house?


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## Dix (Jun 5, 2012)

I may have spoken to soon... got up this morning, and back to the same issues.

The pump is submersible.


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## Jack Straw (Jun 5, 2012)

You may have a hole in the line between the pump and the house. Check your lawn for wet spots. We had a very similar problem that you are describing and it ended up that our pump was plugged and needed to be replaced. Maybe your well is low on water and that's how your tank got air in it???


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## MasterMech (Jun 5, 2012)

Is the pressure switch turning off the pump and at what pressure?  If the pump is constantly running then Jack is right and you probably have or will have soon, a big wet spot in the lawn.  If there is no leak in the line then your pump may be weak.  As for running the well out of water, do you get air from the faucets in the house?  If not then it's unlikely you're out of water.


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## Dix (Jun 5, 2012)

Okay, the Dixette/Erin & I did some sleuthing. She paid attention when the tank was getting the air issue taken care of last night.

This morning, little pressure. Erin went down and applied pressure with a plastic handled screw driver to the connector on the upper right of the current switch assy. Immediately, you can hear the tank fill, and viola, instant water until the tank is empty. It's as if the tank does not know that it needs to be filled.

Note the rust & corrosion. There is a spring under the mechanism that the switch engages that is really rusted & not working (couldn't get a good pic)












This is the pressure gauge setting when we have no/little pressure






Luckily, the tank was a gift when a friend converted to city water, and lying near the tank, I found this






A much newer switch !! I assume when the tank was installed, it was easier to use the current switch, than to swap it out. It does have a connector coming out of the bottom that is going to attach to the water pipe. It's threaded cooper tubing.






My plumber/oil burner friend is coming back tonight to check everything out.

Does it make a difference with the switches if they have 3 legs/spark plug thingys on the old one, and the newer one has 2? It doesn't look to us like there should be a 3rd one on the newer one, it's just not set up for it, seems to me, anyways.

Hope I'm making sense here


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## Jack Straw (Jun 5, 2012)

I think the gauge may be bad. An old gauge that has had constant pressure on it isn't very reliable. If you have very little pressure it should read much lower than 30 psi . A new gauge will be less than $10. I don't think that newer switch will work, it doesn't seem to have enough contacts, but I could be wrong. It looks like its for a 120 volt pump and you have a 240 volt pump. I don't think those swithes are that much money. Online they are around $30 and most hardware stores sell them. Good Luck!


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## Dix (Jun 5, 2012)

I wouldn't be surprised if the gauge is original to when my Mom put the system in, circa 1976.


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## MasterMech (Jun 5, 2012)

Try tapping the pressure guage gently. If the reading changes significantly then it probably should be replaced. Cheap ones can be had (under $10) from any of the home improvement stores. I would double check the new pressure switch vs the old one as far as the pressures it turns the pump on/off. They can be adjusted tho so if your plumber friend does the swap you should be ok. Factory presets are usually listed on a label inside the top cover for the switches.

The newer switch should work just fine with a 120 or 240 V Pump.  It has the contacts, just missing a couple terminal screws which can be robbed off the old switch.


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## gpcollen1 (Jun 6, 2012)

Check if the plumbing nipple that the PS is attached to is clogged.  Would not be the first time for sure,,,as they get plugged over the years in some houses depending on sediment/rust/ghosts or whatever.


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## heat seeker (Jun 6, 2012)

gpcollen1 said:


> Check if the plumbing nipple that the PS is attached to is clogged. Would not be the first time for sure,,,as they get plugged over the years in some houses depending on sediment/rust/ghosts or whatever.


 
+1. I have had this happen several times over the years. Mine has a ¼" copper tube that goes to the pressure switch, and the fitting on the pump clogs up every year or so.

Also, the pressure gauge stopped working last year - it just stayed pointing at 30 PSI. I got a new gauge, and when I removed the old one, the ½" fitting it was mounted on was totally clogged with some gross looking crud. Turns out the gauge was okay, it was the crud blocking the gauge port. A good cleaning and I still installed the new gauge. All is well now.


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## basod (Jun 6, 2012)

The "new/used" switch you have and your existing are the same 2-pole switches(provided they are the same pressure rating) just steal 2 of the screws off the old switch, someone backed them out when it was removed.
Not to be a nancy but that whole pushing the switch with a "plastic handle" screwdriver isn't really a good idea - the flash from 220 to ground on a 100 or 200amp main provided your breaker trips may cause one to have to change more than just their underware.


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## Dix (Jun 10, 2012)

Working on it now.

He thinks a clog & the switch.


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## Dix (Jun 10, 2012)

Switch worked. We're back on line.

As did changing the filter in the whole house water system *cough*

I'm gonna save up for a city water hook up. Screw this aggravation !

Thank you all for the help & advice ! Much appreciated !


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## Jack Straw (Jun 10, 2012)

I'm glad you were able ti get it fixed w/o it costing a bunch of dough. Our pump died last year and it was a pain in the ars and quite expensive.  City hook up sounds like a great idea, especially when the power is out!


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## Dix (Jun 10, 2012)

I had a geyser in the front yard last fall. Had to dig up the well head, and it turned out that the Dixettes Dad had used a radiator hose to do the water connection. 

I learned this after driving around to a few plumbing supply places and showing them the ruptured hose and saying "I need one of these". Talk about funny looks 

The nice man at Homeboy Depot rigged me up a connector (whopping cost of $2.35 + tx, lol ) that is still holding. I filled the hole with straw, layered some of the dirt from the whole on top of that, then layered a piece of exterior plywood, covered by vinyl car floor matting on top of that, in case I had to dig it up again during the winter. It's still holding, and I'm not touching it. Easy peasy to plant over it, and you'd never know it was rigged like that.


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