Well tank not filling?

[random]

I bet a lot of you have wells, maybe you can help me a bit.

I just had to replace my tank. The new one is pressurized to 38psi. Pressure switch is set to 40-60. Pressure gauge steadily reads in that range. But the tank seems to be empty. It doesn't seem to have any weight - 35 gallons should weigh 250-ish pounds but it's still light enough to easily lift.

Any suggestions? I can't figure out why it wouldn't be filling!

 

[SAR Tracker]

Did you bleed the air out prior to filling? Fill with water, THEN pressurize w/ air.

 

[RCW]

Random - - this is your bladder tank?

A blue color is common, but could be others..is the "Tank T" with pressure switch plumbed into the bottom of it?

If so, you don't want it full anyway. It should be about half-full.

What is your well pump doing? If you open/close a faucet, does your well pump immediately kick on/off? Or does it run for a while, then shit off?

 

[Tughill Tom]

Did you bleed the air out prior to filling? Fill with water, THEN pressurize w/ air.

NO<NO<NO! Always check air pressure with an empty well tank. If its' filled and it is pressurized the bladder will break.

 

[random]

Yes, the blue bladder tank. I'll grab a pic later if that would help.

I did not bleed it first. The pressure switch instructions AND tank instructions said to set the tank pressure to 2psi below the low setting of the switch.

I know it's not supposed to fill completely, but the capacity at 40psi is 35 gallons and it feels like there is literally nothing in it.

As for how it works, well I sure hope it doesn't "shit" off

But I went and checked: so it was at 50psi, took about 1.5 minutes to drop to 40 running a garden hose. Turns out the low setting is more like 38 which is where it kicked on. Went up to 60 and cut off. I checked the tank and it was at least partly filled - so false alarm I guess, that seems to be working properly.

Thanks for the help, just getting me to run the test (that I knew, just didn't think to do) helped. I guess it felt empty because it was just at the low level due to the tank doing what it's supposed to do!

 

[fried1765]

Did you bleed the air out prior to filling? Fill with water, THEN pressurize w/ air.

ABSOLUTELY 100% INCORRECT !!!

 

[random]

So with all that, I DO also have a leak at one of the connections.

Unfortunately it's the brass-to-pvc connection from the tee to the pipe going into the house. brass male, pvc female threaded, and the rest of the pvc is cemented. The threaded part is seeping. Drips, not much pressure, not too fast. But still not good.

Obviously I could redo the PVC but I would like to avoid that if I could. Especially since once again I won't know if the connection is good until I finished it all and repressurized.

Any suggestions on how to stop that leak without redoing it all?

 

[RCW]

As for how it works, well I sure hope it doesn't "shit" off

But I went and checked: so it was at 50psi, took about 1.5 minutes to drop to 40 running a garden hose. Turns out the low setting is more like 38 which is where it kicked on. Went up to 60 and cut off. I checked the tank and it was at least partly filled - so false alarm I guess, that seems to be working properly.

Jeepers -- - my sincere apologies......"hope it doesn't "shit" off"...... my cell phone corrects those things...maybe the laptop understands what I'm thinking.

If you're getting 90 seconds cycle time with a garden hose (~5gpm), I wouldn't change anything right away. That's exemplary in my book.

Just keep an eye on it.

Tughill Tom and fried1765 have been down this road....correct me if I'm wrong.

Otherwise, I think you're good to go.

 

[Tughill Tom]

So with all that, I DO also have a leak at one of the connections.

Unfortunately it's the brass-to-pvc connection from the tee to the pipe going into the house. brass male, pvc female threaded, and the rest of the pvc is cemented. The threaded part is seeping. Drips, not much pressure, not too fast. But still not good.

Obviously I could redo the PVC but I would like to avoid that if I could. Especially since once again I won't know if the connection is good until I finished it all and repressurized.

Any suggestions on how to stop that leak without redoing it all?

Pictures will help, point out the leaking joint.

 

[RCW]

So with all that, I DO also have a leak at one of the connections.

Unfortunately it's the brass-to-pvc connection from the tee to the pipe going into the house. brass male, pvc female threaded, and the rest of the pvc is cemented. The threaded part is seeping. Drips, not much pressure, not too fast. But still not good.

Random - - shoot a photo of that. Include the well-side of the Tank T also......

 

[RCW]

Pictures will help, point out the leaking joint.

Random - - shoot a photo of that. Include the well-side of the Tank T also......

Great minds think alike..... we were typing same time.....

 

[Tughill Tom]

Jeepers -- - my sincere apologies......"hope it doesn't "shit" off"...... my cell phone corrects those things...maybe the laptop understands what I'm thinking.

If you're getting 90 seconds cycle time with a garden hose (~5gpm), I wouldn't change anything right away. That's exemplary in my book.

Just keep an eye on it.

Tughill Tom and fried1765 have been down this road....correct me if I'm wrong.

Otherwise, I think you're good to go.

Sounds like air bound on the H2O side, check the pressure switch. 5 GMP not to bad out of a hose.

 

[random]

Jeepers -- - my sincere apologies......"hope it doesn't "shit" off"...... my cell phone corrects those things...maybe the laptop understands what I'm thinking.

If you're getting 90 seconds cycle time with a garden hose (~5gpm), I wouldn't change anything right away. That's exemplary in my book.

Just keep an eye on it.

Tughill Tom and fried1765 have been down this road....correct me if I'm wrong.

Otherwise, I think you're good to go.

No worries about the typo, it gave me a bit of a laugh!

Yeah, I'm not sure what I was seeing at the time but it certainly seems to be working normally now. And that 90 seconds cycle was actually HALF. From full 60psi it's about 3 min. I must have just caught it in a weird state.

I'll get pics of the other issue tomorrow.

 

[JimmyJazz]

I replaced my pump/tank combo with a Bur-Cam brand tankless jet pump. It works fine and is worth looking into if the need arises.

 

[OntheRidge]

The tank will never be full, due to the air bladder. somewhere around 1/3 water is what my well guy said. If you have good pressure and good flow, it is working as intended.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

If your cut-in pressure is really 38, I'd either adjust it up a few psi or reduce the tank precharge a few. You really want at least 2 psi difference. Otherwise the tank can empty and the pump not cut on. Plus, you have no reserve at cut-in.

 

[random]

Yes I think I've covered the pressure issues. I thought I had the switch adjusted to 40 but when testing it was 38. Switch clearly indicates should be a 2psi difference. That may have been what led to the unexpected situation.

As for the leak, you can't SEE it but here's the joint.

 

[armylifer]

Your cut on pressure is definitely set too low. On your pressure switch there should be two springs topped by a 3/8 in nut and washer. The bigger of the two is the one that needs to be adjusted. Turn the nut clockwise 1/2 turn at a time to adjust the cut on pressure to 40 PSI on the pressure gauge. The cut off pressure will be 20 PSI higher than the cut on pressure if you have a 40 - 60 pressure switch.

 

[random]

Guys, thank you for all the helpful responses, but (a) I am aware the pressure is set wrong - I thought it was correct until yesterday, and (b) I do know how to adjust it - I have to adjust both of them, one controls the full range, the other controls the high pressure cut-off. This model is 3psi per full turn. Have to bump the full range up and drop the top-end so it stays at 60.

I DO appreciate the helpfulness, just that it's a resolved issue at this point. I just didn't deal with it yesterday for various reasons.

The main issue I have now is that leak and I really want to avoid having to redo the PVC (and risking the same problem yet again after I repressurize) so I'm hoping someone has an idea!

 

[Tughill Tom]

For leak, I'd cut in a union, not a couple into the pipe. Then redo the leaking parts up to the union. With the union you'll be able to tighten or remove the tank or retighten fittings as needed.