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.