Pressure Tank & Switch?


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Old 07-26-14, 06:40 AM
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Pressure Tank & Switch?

The elbow on my pressure tank got a hole in it and flooded my crawl space.
1.The pressure switch was completely submerged, I cleaned it with electronic cleaner and let it dry completely, reinstalled and it works. What should I be looking out for to make sure there are no issues? Our water has a lot of minerals/iron.
2. I have a 62 gallon pressure tank. When it was completely empty I checked the air pressure and it read 28#. What should be the optimum pressure and how much leeway do I have?
3. The pressure switch is a 40-60 and I have several brand new switches but they are like 30-50. Can I adjust them to 40-60 with any success?
 
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Old 07-26-14, 06:52 AM
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Corrosion may set in on the switch after a year or two. They are only ~$20 at the hardware store.
 
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Old 07-26-14, 07:56 AM
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If you have other pressure switches, I would replace it. You can adjust the pressure switch using the 2 nuts inside. One is for the pump start (40#). The other is for the shut off (60#). By watching which switch sparks when the pump turns on, you will know which is which. Gradually increase each one till you get to the pressures you want.
 
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Old 07-26-14, 08:10 AM
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I will caution you against adjusting the pressure switch while the power is on and "looking for sparks". You can also see the contacts move and hear them click when the power is turned off. Also if adjusting the switch while it's hot the energized contacts are right there and very easy to bump with the wrench which makes a loud "POP" and shower of sparks.

Ideally the air in your pressure tank, when the water system is completely depressurized, should be 2-3 psi less than the pumps cut in (turn on) pressure. I usually set the water pressure to what I want first then adjust the air pressure as needed.

Yes pressure switches can be adjusted. I've only gone about 10 psi from the stock setting so I don't know how far you can go so pick the switch that is closest to what you want.
 
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Old 07-26-14, 09:58 AM
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"Ideally the air in your pressure tank, when the water system is completely depressurized, should be 2-3 psi less than the pumps cut in (turn on) pressure. I usually set the water pressure to what I want first then adjust the air pressure as needed."

So for my situation 38# would be what I want? If it was 28# when the system was d-pressurized could I add 10# from my reading with it pressurized or do I have to d-pressurize to add the air? Just curious; what does it do if the pressure is low or high?
 
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Old 07-26-14, 01:30 PM
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Always set the air pressure in the tank when the water system is at zero pressure. Turn off the well pump breaker and open a spigot until not water flows. Then you can add or remove air just like a bike or car tire.

Inside the pressure tank there is a rubber bladder. Air on one side and water on the other. When set properly there is always some water inside the tank on the water side of the bladder. This allows the pump to turn on and off and the bladder to move around smoothly.

If the air pressure in the tank is ever higher than the water pressure you can get some surges and pauses in the water pressure. You'd be taking a shower and the water would stop for a half second and then start flowing again. Very annoying.
 
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Old 07-26-14, 01:49 PM
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Thanks for the info. Since the pressure was less, 28#, that is why we did not notice anything, right? I have to replace the gage and will probably replace the switch so will check and adjust the air when I do that. Thanks again and have a great weekend.
 
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Old 07-27-14, 04:32 AM
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If you don't turn off the pump and open a faucet before re-presetting the pressure tank then it is possible to get the 2 PSI less than pump turn on pressure desired setting when the pressure tank has a lot of water in it. Then there isn't very much up and down room for the bladder in the pressure tank and the pump will be running short frequent cycles, which is less desirable.

If the pressure tank is preset too high (like higher than turn on pressure) then the bladder can bottom out before the pump restarts. The tank stops maintaining system pressure leaving the pump to do that job which it does not do well alone. The remaining drop to pump turn on pressure can be erratic or sudden, possibly going much lower than turn on pressure for a moment causing momentary loss of your shower water.
 
 

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