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.