Pressure Tank

I need a new pressure tank. I think I have a 42 gal tank. I am wondering if a bigger tank will be more beneficial with 2 grown ups and 3 kids? Also I have a really old Rain Soft water softener system. It works but I am getting a funny black slime out of the discharge pipe which has water coming out of it all the time. A small steady slow stream. Any suggestions? I hear they have filters in this type of system? its a 2 tank system. Thanks for any suggestions.

James

Tank Supplier!

Go to www.pumpsandwells.com

You size a pressure tank by the length of time the pump is off between starts. Or the draw down of the tank, or the run time of the pump. For pumps up to 1 hp, you want it off for at least 60 seconds for proper cooling between starts.

There should be no water running to drain form the softener unless it is in a regeneration. That usually doesn't take more than 3 hrs tops. Your brand probably has stopped in a regeneration for a number of reasons. Broken shear pins, stuck piston etc.. If it is an old brass valve, they don't make parts for them anymore. Only Rainsoft dealers can get parts for their valves, so unless you can find a dealer, you may not be able to fix it.

Slime says bacteria. Any odor in the hot or cold water or both? Check your toilet tanks for clear to black slimy snotty stuff at and below the water line. If you find any, you need equipment to kill it. I suggest an inline pellet chlorinator, special mixing tank and followed by a filter with special carbon.

Thanks for the input. we do have a clear slime on the walls of the toilet tank. Feels slimy anyways. I think at this point it's best to get someone to have a look. The pressure tank I can handle i will just replace with the same size. Its short cycling now so I wont be able to find out the times between cycles. I have had major problems with this water system since we purchased this house. we have an aerator that requires constant maintenance.

I think I would bypass the softener for now and see if anything improves.

There are better ways to get rid of sulphur odor than an aerator. And aerators usually sit outside and love to grow all sorts of things. This may be part of your slime problem.

bob...

James, when you say aerator, exactly how does it work and what does it look like?

What is it supposed to remove from your water?

You don't have a location in your profile, what state are you in? Is the aerator inside or outside?

IRB, SRB and MRB can produce H2S gas like odor, many will say it is H2S but I've always thought it smells a bit different than H2S gas. Anyway, you can't use aeration, air injection or air pump systems with any of those types, groups actually, of bacteria without causing other problems. You must kill them, and you can not use UV light to do it. So you are left with chlorine, hydrogen peroxide or ozone as the only choices. My inline chlorinator etc. is the lowest priced with the smallest footprint and requires the least maintenance of the other choices.