Bladder or no bladder

I was recently told that useing a non-bladder holding tank for my shallow well would help reduce the rotton egg (sulfer) smell. Is this true? If it is not, then what type of tank do you all recommend?

patrick88 said:

I would have your water tested at a lab and install a water filter to fix your bigger problem. The well tank stores water and keeps pressure on your water lines. This makes it so your pump does not turn on when you open a faucet. If you had no tank your pump would short cycle every time you got a glass of water.

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Thanks for the advice! A water filtering system is in my plans, but I still need to replace the water tank. The tank is very old, rusted, and my pump does kick on everytime I get a glass of water. Any advice on what type of tank to get?

As for the size of a tank it would help if we know;

# Of people in the hose.
# Of bath rooms.
Out side watering.
Over sized tub or shower with more than one head.
And anything else that pops into your head when you read this.

A regular galvanized tank or bladder type tank makes no difference unless you vent off the H2S gas. Unless you use a galvanized tank with an air volume control valve and a vent of some type that doesn't let all the air out. The AVC adds air, the vent valve vents some of it and the AVC keeps the right amount in the tank.

A pressure tank is sized to provide the pump a sufficient length of time to cool between runs.

Most motor manufactures want 60 seconds off between runs for up to 1.5 hp motors. If you want to extend the life of your pump, install a CSV (Cycle Stop Valve). They provide a constant pressure and keep the motor from shutting off until after the water use stops. All well water pumps are rated for continuous running. With a CSV, you can use the smallest tank you can find.

A bladder tank requires less attention to operate. If you use a bladder tank, it should have a real volume at least 3 times the GPM capacity of the pump if the pump is less than 1 horsepower, or about 5 times the GPM capacity of the pump if the pump is 1 horsepower or greater.

A non-bladder tank of the same size will work if you pay attention to maintaining the air in the tank, or have an automatic system to maintain the air. If you aren't comfortable with that idea, get a bladder tank.

If the pump capacity exceeds the maximum flow demand of the household so you don't need storage to supply peak demands, then there are some who recommend using a smaller tank with a Cycle Stop Valve. That will not be a satisfactory solution if the pump won't deliver the maximum demand at the desired pressure. Also, the CSV system with a small tank will require more kilowatt-hours per 1000 gallons of water, with the amount depending on your demand cycle and pump characteristics.

A non-bladder tank exposes the water to oxygen, but there is not enough oxygen available to have a significant effect unless the tank system is designed to strip the dissolved gas out of the water and vent it. There are systems that will do that, but they consist of more than a tank.