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.