Water pressure tank - proper pressure?

[BlueRidgeMark]

Well, it's not exactly water treatment, but I didn't see another section that looked quite right.

I have been fiddling with my well system, trying to get some decent pressure. I think I had a waterlogged pressure tank. I've added air, and now I can see the water level in the tank clearly, via the condensation on the outside of the tank. It's only about 8" above the bottom of the tank, and I'm sure I need more water in there.

What pressure should I add to the tank for proper operation? Should I add the air when the tank is empty and sealed off from the rest of the system? (I have gate valves on either side of the tank, so I can isolate it.)

The tank is an oldie, and I have not found any info about it despite a couple of hours of searching the 'Net. A few mentions of it, but no specifications. I suspect the company is long gone.

I've attached a picture of the data plate. I have the middle size.

I have a deep well with a submersible pump. A label on the tank identifies a local well company, and says it's a 1/2 horse pump.

The well company can't help me unless I tell them the name of the contractor who built the house. Seems they file all of their customer info that way. When I asked them why they didn't file it by street address, they were genuinely baffled. "Why would we do that?"

Oooookay! Well, that and the quality (I use that term loosely) of their work tells me who NOT to call if I need professional help!

While I'm asking, does anyone know if there is a way to tell how deep a well is without pulling the pump? In the radio world, we can send a signal up the coaxial cable and tell how far it is to the antenna. Is there anything like that for well pumps?

I was told it's a 300 foot well by the previous owner, but don't know if that's even close to accurate. Given the poor performance we enjoy, though, I wouldn't be surprised. That's too deep for a half horse pump!

Edited August 26, 2012 by BlueRidgeMark

[Cactus Bob]

check this page out , it explains how to set pressure on these tanks

http://www.watertechonline.com/drinking-water/article/troubleshooting-a-bladder-pressure-tank

[BlueRidgeMark]

Thanks - nice link.

Is it the same process for the old, non-bladder type? I really don't know which I have.

I see that Culligan has used the "Medallist" moniker for some of their equipment, and there is a Culligan filtration unit there (inactive), so perhaps this is a Culligan tank, but I can't find any specs on it anywhere on the 'Net.

Edited August 26, 2012 by BlueRidgeMark

[Cactus Bob]

if you give me a photo of the tank and not just the sticker on the tank , i will most lkely tell you what you have right away

[BlueRidgeMark]

Will do, and thanks!

[BlueRidgeMark]

Here's the whole deal. Yes, it's a mess. I'm planning a complete replacement sometime in the next year, so right now I just want to get this working better than it is.

Edited August 28, 2012 by BlueRidgeMark

[Cactus Bob]

you have a bladder tank there

before you pressureize this tank , with the system on , press down on the air inlet valve , if water comes out , the tank cannot be saved

if you do decide to pressureize the tank

drain all water from the tank first and tank at zero water pressure, leave a hose bib open when adding air and water pump shut down

start with 30 psi air from a small air pump or a hand pump and that should be enough to stop the short cycleing , but not enough to pop an old bladder

if the 30 psi works , stop

it's not right, but that tank is old with an old rubber bladder and rust around the top rim . don't make a "bomb" buy over doing it

be happy it works at all

if you decide to do this right , just replace the tank , it's really not a big deal . any plumbing supply ( just take the last photo if it with you ) will have this tank and they do not cost that much . Install is a simple one pipe easy DIY project

if it where mine i would never spend all the money of a whole new system over a bad bladder tank , your well pump might last a long time , and these tanks fail all the time , so just replace it

Edited August 28, 2012 by Cactus Bob

[BlueRidgeMark]

Thanks, Bob.

I wouldn't replace all the plumbing if it were just a bad tank. That's really the least of the problems I have with it! The original plumbing is in bad shape. I just replaced the line coming out from the water heater, because I have had 4 pinhole leaks in it already this year. I've soldered up 3 of them, but decided it was time to stop pushing my luck! I got that done and sprang a new leak down by the tank manifold, so I had to rebuild part of that, too.

The plumbing wasn't done well in the first place (lousy solder joints, half inch where it should be 3/4, etc.), and it's 40 years old, anyway.

Plus, the house originally had a cistern, and when they put in the well, they just sort of married the two systems. There's a Culligan filter system on the cistern feed, which feeds into its own pressure tank, then that feeds into the well system and from there to the rest of the house. I have no idea how old the Culligan system is, but it looks pretty gross. I had it closed off via some gate valves, but this weekend, since I had to redo that part, I just cut it (mostly) out of the loop. I don't want untreated cistern water mixing with my well water!

All in all the system is a royal mess!

It's also in a bad location - at the highest point of the basement, so any condensation or leaks has to run all the way across the basement to get to the sump. Not brilliant. I'm going to move the pressure tank and heater over next to the sump. That's where the laundry setup is, too, so I'll have all the plumbing in one location.

Sooo, out with the copper and in with the PEX. New everything inside the house pipes, water heater, and pressure tank. A bigger one! That old one is pretty dinky!

Thanks much for your help!