EPA Reversals

[DADoES]

 
My private well is not gravity-fed, the storage tank is at ground level.  It runs the pump to keep the tank filled which also maintains pressure.  Two consecutive flushes of a low-water toilet* is sufficient usage to trigger the pump and involve electricity.

The aerobic septic system also involves electricity to run the aerator and the discharge pump, and the timers that operate them.

I've spent a little over $10,000 in maintenance and repairs in 20 years, huge majority of which is on the septic, plus the electricity to run them.

*The toilets are rated at 1.6 gal for a flush but there have been flapper and/or fill valve repairs on all of them so I can't say if they're still accurate on that point.

 

[william8]

Reply #159

Have you checked the bladder on your storage tank? Ours is a 22 gallon tank, which is misleading, it releases 8.25 gallons before triggering the pump. Two toilet flushes should NOT require the pump to run. That's just over 3 gallons.

Bladder in our original tank (Well-X-Trol) lasted about 35 years. Cheaper brands last about 10. When it failed, it acted just like yours does, once the bladder fails, it can't hold pressure, and it takes less water to trigger the pump.

 

[johnb300m]

Agreed with William.
When the bladders go out, they can lose elasticity or rupture. Which diminishes how much pressure they can create per fill.
That’s how my aunts’ tank failed also. Started short cycling.

https://plumbingsniper.com/how-to-test-a-bad-pressure-tank/

 

[DADoES]

Off-Topic - Water Well

 
Thanks for the suggestion.  I don't have much knowledge/experience on water wells/tanks.  The only (obvious) trouble thus far in 20+ yrs was a bad capacitor in April 2019.  I recall the servicer did some adjustment on both the tank pressure and the switch pressures at that time but I don't know/recall to what targets.

I've checked the pressures after a bit of educational research.  The cut-in/out was off-spec and the base/empty pressure was 6.5 low for (28)30/50.  I adjusted the cut-in to 30 after correcting the base charge but can't get the differential more than 13 to 14.  I left it at 31.5/45 this afternoon.  I checked it tonight after several hours, cut-in 31, cut-out 44.5, then it settled to 43.5 a couple mins after the pump shut off.  Is all this an indication of an aged pressure switch, a bladder leak, or both?  What's a workable method to determine a bladder leak?  The tank model is Goulds V140.

 

[william8]

You have to empty the tank to check the air pressure. Should be 28psi in your case.
That is a big tank, and has a draw down of 13.9 at the 30/50 setting. Are you saying it was 6.1 lbs. low on tank air pressure? Set it to 28, and recheck in a week or two.
If you see any water come out when you check the pressure, the bladder is shot. Also tap on the tank, towards the top it should "ring" and sound hollow. If it sounds solid, it's waterlogged.

https://aquascience.net/goulds-v140-45-gallon-hydropro-pressure-tank

You can find youtube videos on adjusting the high and low of the pressure switch. The range you have is too low. There is a high and low setting.

 

[william8]

BTW

Do you have an above ground pump, or submersible?
There's no capacitor on a well tank or switch. Submersible are generally not replaced, you get a new pump.

 

[DADoES]

 
I stated above that I checked the base pressure an an otherwise empty tank.  There's no spigot/drain at the tank.  Ran a bathtub faucet to no flow.  Confirmed via an outdoor faucet on the feed-in or outflow line (whichever is it) to the tank, and a lavatory faucet in the garage.  Empty pressure was 21.5, I corrected it to 28 PSI.

No water flow from the air valve stem at any time during the checking/adjusting.

I viewed a few videos regards to adjusting pressure.  The pressure switch is a Square D 9013FSQ 2M1.

<blockquote>There's no capacitor on a well tank or switch.</blockquote> Surely not.  I didn't explicitly state that the bad capacitor was on the Pump Control Box.  I assumed that would be understood.  The Pump Control Box was replaced.  Well (LOL), the servicer provided a complete Pump Control Box assembly but the original wall box/enclosure was left in place, I suppose to avoid swapping the wires.  The plug-in cover/module from the new assembly was installed onto the existing box.

The pump is a submersible.  The well is at the front west corner of the property (red box).  The tank and Pump Control Box are in the detached garage (blue arrow), maybe a little further toward the back but not fully to the back, there's a small half-bath at the rear corner.  Feed-in and feed-out lines and wiring to the pump are underground and through the side wall of the garage.

 

[william8]

OK, I've never seen a control box around here. Just submersibles with built in capacitors, so you can't replace just the cap, and no control box.

If you can't get the pressure switch to get to 30/50, the switch or pressure gauge is bad. Both are pretty cheap, easy DIY. When I got a new tank, my gauge was off as well.

For the tank pressure, did it improve cycling at all?

Mine had a pinhole leak in the bladder (we think). It would be fine for months if I pumped it back up. I never saw where you stated the tank was empty, so I was just clarifying.

Good Luck.