Is it time to replace the pressure tank in your well system?

When your well’s pressure tank fails, you’ll find it a bit difficult to get the water from the well and out of the faucet of your Spring Grove home. Your well has a pump, it has a pump motor, it has a pressure switch. All of these parts are essential to the operation of your well system. But, a pressure tank is equally important to the operation of your well system.

One sign that you may need to replace the pressure tank is when you notice the flow of water at the faucet isn’t as solid as before. You might even find it a bit erratic. This doesn’t mean that you need to replace the pressure tank but it’s a possibility.

Other factors can cause problems with the water flow in your Spring Grove home. For instance, a faulty pressure switch could be the culprit. You may also have a problem with a well pump or well pump motor that are fading. But, it is possible, when the water flow isn’t right, that you need to replace the pressure tank.

The pressure tank does exactly what its name sounds like – it applies pressure so the water flows up and out of the faucet on demand. But how does the pressure tank apply pressure?

It’s really rather simple, and ingenious; the pressure tank has a rubber bladder inside. On one side of the bladder is the water. On the other side is air. A qualified well technician will set the air pressure in the pressure tank according to specs. The pressure will change, somewhat, as the water is pushed up through the pipes and out the faucet. When the pressure switch notices the change in pressure, at a pre-determined point, it switches the pump motor on, which drives the pump to pump more water into the pressure tank.

If something happens to the bladder inside the pressure tank, the well system can’t keep the proper pressure in the pressure tank. That’s when you need to replace the pressure tank.

Generally, what happens to the bladder inside the pressure tank is that it tears. It may also stretch. These problems often occur because the air pressure wasn’t set correctly inside the pressure tank. If the air pressure is maintained at the proper setting, there’s a good chance you’ll go a very long time before you need to replace the pressure tank in your Spring Grove well system.

You need a little pressure in your life – a pressure tank helps keep your water well flowing

You have enough pressure in your life, don’t you? The job, the kids, finances, enduring another McHenry County winter: you’d probably welcome a little less pressure right about now. But, just when you think you can’t take anymore, you turn the faucet and nothing happens.

“Oh great – now what?” you ask yourself.

It turns out you could use just a little more pressure in your life. Yes, you need some pressure to keep the water flowing.

How could pressure keep the water flowing? It turns out air pressure is a vital element in your water well system. In particular, you need an air charge in your water pressure tank. That pressure will push the water up and through your pipes so that, when you turn the faucet, water comes out as expected. Without pressure in your pressure tank, eventually the water stops flowing.

The water well system won’t work without your pressure tank. The well pump, another essential part of the water well system, pumps the water up from the well and into the pressure tank. Inside the pressure tank is a bladder. A proper level of air pressure on one side of the bladder, keeps the water flowing on demand.

The pressure tank should have a certain amount of air pressure in the pressure tank. A qualified well technician can ensure that the air pressure is set correctly.

If the pressure tank has the wrong air pressure, bad things can happen. For instance, if the bladder is torn, it won’t hold air pressure in the pressure tank. In the meantime, the pressure switch doesn’t understand that the bladder is torn. It keeps turning the well pump on and off. This cycling will eventually burn out the well pump motor.

When the pressure tank is in proper working condition, and the air pressure is set right, your water well system is amazingly reliable. When it’s not, it can be surprisingly costly. If it isn’t maintained properly, you may find yourself needing to install a new pressure tank, as well as a new well pump and well pump motor.

There’s plenty of water in the ground here in McHenry County. But, if your water well system isn’t working right, you might as well be in the Sahara.

Time to install a well tank if your well tank isn’t well

A water well tank may not be sexy but it sure isn't sexy when the water well tank fails.

There are a couple of tell-tale signs that you need a new well tank. One such sign of a faulty water tank is a fluctuation of water pressure at a faucet in the house. You lift the handle on a faucet and, instead of that steady stream of water you’re used to, the pressure seems to ebb and flow.

Another sign of a faulty well tank is when you hear a clicking sound coming from downstairs, in the crawlspace or in the basement – wherever the well tank is located. That clicking sound comes from the pressure switch. The pressure switch regulates the pressure inside the water tank.

When the pressure begins to fall inside the water tank, such as when you turn on the water upstairs, the switch recognizes the drop in water pressure inside the water tank and turns on the well pump. When pressure comes back up inside the well tank, the pressure switch shuts the well pump off.

A well tank usually goes bad because its bladder has a rip. This often happens because the air charge is not regulated to the pressure switch setting for the well tank. With the proper air charge, the rubber bladder flexes as it was intended. But, when the air charge is wrong, the bladder stretches beyond its normal range. That, and frequent changes of pressure inside the well tank, will often lead to well pump failure.

Once the bladder is torn, there is no way to maintain the correct pressure inside the water tank. The pressure switch is constantly turning on and off. In the process, the well pump motor gets hotter and hotter until it, too, fails. In the meantime, you’re noticing there’s a problem with your water pressure because your well tank is out of whack.

Sometimes, the solution is to add an air charge to the water tank. If the bladder is torn, however, the well tank will require replacement. Hopefully, you’ll resolve the issue with your tank before the well pump, pressure switch or well bladder go bad.

A qualified well technician will either add air to the tank or, if needed, install a new well tank. Then, the well technician will ensure that it’s operating properly so that the well system is efficient and so that the well tank bladder will last longer. That means, they’ll adjust the system so that it operates at the correct pressure. A properly adjusted well tank will optimize draw capacity and pressure at the faucet.

It’s time for Well Tank 101 – well tank basics

A well tank is an essential part of your home or office well system, assuming you’re not tied to city water. Inside the well tank is a reservoir of water waiting for that moment when you turn on a faucet upstairs or otherwise use some water.

The well tank maintains a certain amount of pressure – usually between 40 and 60 psi – so that, when you turn on the faucet, the water is pushed through your pipes to maintain a flow of water. At the same time, a pressure switch notices the drop in pressure inside the water tank. That pressure switch sends a message to the well pump – “Hey, we need a little water here” – and the well pump starts pumping water up to the water tank.

The amount of air pressure inside a well tank is determined by the setting of the pressure switch regardless of the size of the tank. A larger tank contains a larger reservoir of water, which is helpful if you use more water.

When all these parts are working correctly – the water tank, the pressure switch and the well pump – it’s like an aqua symphony. The music plays every time you turn on a faucet, flush a toilet, wash clothes or dishes or do anything else that requires a supply of water from your well. But, if things aren’t working properly, if part of the symphony is out of key, it effects the other parts of the water well system.

For instance, if the air charge isn’t set correctly, it will put additional strain on the well pump and the bladder inside the well tank. The bladder can tear. If that happens, the well tank will water log and the pump will burn out.

If the well tank bladder is torn, the system can begin to short cycle. That’s when the well switch can’t keep the pressure at the proper psi inside the well tank. The constant cycling – where the switch is turning off and on repeatedly, and turning the well pump on an off repeatedly – can burn out the switch and/or the well pump motor.

While these problems are potentially costly, in the meantime, you’re noticing that it’s hard to get a steady flow of water out of the faucet. If the problem gets bad enough, you may find you’re not getting any water at all.

Well maintenance is the key to keeping your system happy and running properly. However, if something goes wrong, the sooner you replace a pressure switch, well pump motor or water tank the better. All the better to replace one of them than to have to replace them all. The key is to keep a proper air charge in the well tank.