Am on a well, water pressure is low.
have a CAT tank, am thinking that the bladder may be perf. & tank waterlogged how can i check?
Am on a well, water pressure is low.
have a CAT tank, am thinking that the bladder may be perf. & tank waterlogged how can i check?
There are a number of ways to achieve a level foundation and mudsill.
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Replies
You really need to install a pressure guage on the system.
That is needed to really know what is going on.
A water-logged tank won't in and of itself cause low water pressure. It *will* cause rapid cycling of pump. Is the pump cycling more frequently that normal during water usage? That's the first sign of a water-logged tank, but again that alone won't cause low pressure.
If your bladder is indeed torn and a piece of it has collapsed and been pushed into a position over the discharge pipe, that can cause low pressure. But then there's any number of other problems that can also cause low pressure.
Do you know what the kick-in and kick-out settings are on your pressure switch? There's a chance that the bladder is fine, but you've lost all the air in the tank. To determine this and recharge the tank, you need to shut off the pump, drain the tank of all water and then take a reading from the tank's air valve. It should read about two pounds less than the kick-in presuure setting on the pressure switch.
But you could first try this test to see if the both the bladder is ruptured AND the tank is water-logged. Run the pump until it shuts off of its own accord. Now depress the air valve in the tank. If water shoots out in your face, both of the above are true.
How old is the pump? Submersible or jet pump?
Do you always have low pressure ......... even when the pump is running? Is the pressure better when the pump is running? Is the pump always running whenever you're calling for water or is it cycling as it should? Is the pump running for extraordinary amounts of time to refill the pressure tank? When the pump has satisfied the pressure switch, do you still have low pressure at the fixtures in the house? Are all the fixtures involved or just some of them?
Try using the troubleshooting and pressure tank links to help sort things out.
http://www.peekspump.com/dwspt.htm
tank is not waterlogged.
pressure gauge reads 42psig
not happy w/ pressure of shower & esp. hose o/s
am going to raise the cut off pressure to 55
I wouldn't crank it up that far. Especially just based on looking at the gauge once.
You might watch the high and low pressure marks as it goes through one cycle - See where the high and low cutoff points are. Watching while DW is in the shower or the washing machine is filling should do it.Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person. [Mark Twain]
>not happy w/ pressure of shower & esp. hose o/s<
Probably don't need to remind you , but………………you should determine how much of these problems might be or are associated with the distance between the pressure tank and the fixtures in question……..and how small/large are the main supply lines as well as those to the fixtures in questions. ¾" mains would be nice and ½" minimum branch supplies to the shower. For better flow to the hose bibs……. ¾". Lots of older homes around here with 3/8" branch supplies to the bathrooms and other fixtures around the house……and yet no real problem with flow rates until you reach the second floor.
Shower problem could be related to/caused by mineral deposits in the head. Or to the fact that the shower is on the second floor? ………..and has small supply lines?
A thought on changing the pressure settings……………changing only the top end will still leave you with the same bottom end setting and so you'll still suffer the majority of the problem, the majority of the time. You 'd need to use the adjustment screw that changes both of these settings in sync, instead of the one that allows you to change the spread between them. You have to be a bit careful here or you'll set it so high that your particular pump and motor can't handle it. Premature failure can result. We use a 50-35 spread here.
Does your water contain a lot of lime? This can coat the inside of your supplies over time drastically reducing pressure and supply volume. Some water is really loaded and although the water tastes great and looks fine to the naked eye……it chokes the lines quite rapidly. I know of a house near here where the supply line into the house has to be reamed out or changed out every few years for this very problem.
A visual inspection of the interior of the lines is the only sure way to determine if this is the problem or a contributing problem. You'd have to disassemble or cut the incoming supply from the well out the outgoing line from the pressure tank to make the determination……or maybe you've got a union there you could take apart and have a look.
Any evidence of iron bacteria in your water? The slimey stuff that builds up inside the toilet tank will also build up inside the lines and that can/will also reduce flow and pressure. The most reliable cure for that problem is to install a chlorinator. After one is installed, it's only a matter of time before all the bacteria inside the lines die and the slime sloughs off restoring full flow again. That stuff can build up inside a bladder tank also and when a hunk of it eventually falls off the liner, it too can plug the discharge line.
Any chance you have galv. supply lines that are contributing to the above mentioned possible causes of the problem? They'll generally choke with stuff faster than copper or plastic or begin rusting on the interior which also chokes them off.
Wouldn't likely effect your supply rates or pressure to the hose bibs, but are you running a softener to the other fixtures? This can dramatically reduce build-up inside the pipes and showerhead.
Edit: Or it could be that you do indeed have a ruptured bladder and it's blocking the discharge port. The most reliable way to determnmine this is to disconnect the tank, turn it over and see if water comes out the air valve.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 6/7/2004 12:34 pm ET by GOLDHILLER
thanks all.
as it turns out, have found a leak in galv., so will be inspecting inside of lines.
Other than the leak in galv, what you have described sounds more like a probelm with inadequate FLOW rather than PRESSURE. There is a definite difference. Flow is more a function of line sizing and distance and # elbows in line. You can add pressure until you have numberous leaks in galv but the flow will still not change. if the house is primarily galv pipe supply lines, you probably have rust/mineral blockages slowing flow rates.
My vivid imaination suggests that you do have much galv supply pipe and that it is over 40 years old. The flakes of material in those lines ae conspiring against you like arterial plaque in your arteries. hardening of the arteries causes pressure to go up and up and up until something pops - stoke or heart attack. But the flow is still impeded and symptoms abound.
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Jim,
Here's one that isn't in the troubleshooting guides, but should be. Simplest low presssure cause and cure of 'em all.
Had any visitors recently that might have fooled with the valve(s) on the system? Any kids in the house?