Should I replace my pressure tank?

[Flipperman2a2w]

I've been doing some upgrades and improvements around the house, and I've been debating whether to break my "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule by replacing my pressure tank. It's 16 years old and has quite a bit of corrosion on the outside, since it is located outside (under a fiberglass cover). I recently replaced the old pressure switch with a digital one, which makes calibrating a snap.

Should I just wait for the tank to fail? I think there might be a small loss in pressure, as I've had to add a 2-3 psi of air every 3 months or so. My water is pretty high in iron, and I guess a concern is what the inside of the tank might look like. Thoughts?

(The well pipe you see next to the tank is an old one that didn't seal properly when installed, so it's no longer in use.)

 

[Sylvan]

Time to retire it to have peace of mind

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Should I just wait for the tank to fail? I think there might be a small loss in pressure, as I've had to add a 2-3 psi of air every 3 months or so.

Had you said every year, I might have kept it. But for you, I agree to replace it. A problem is that currently a lot of non-small tanks are in short supply, but that may be easing. I would also suggest considering upgrading from a 32 gallon tank to maybe 44 gallons.

I am curious-- what is the date code from the label? Doesn't matter, but still would be interesting.

Incidentally, protect plastics from sun with tape, paint, a cover, etc.

My water is pretty high in iron, and I guess a concern is what the inside of the tank might look like. Thoughts?

Speaking of pressure tanks, you should flush out sediment on periodically. The period varies. Annually is good for most wells, but wells with much sediment, adjust the period based on what you see.
To flush the sediment,
1. Turn off the power to the pump. Attach a hose to run water to a good place. Run the pressure tank empty using the drain valve near the input of the pressure tank. Usually you want to use a hose to direct water and sediment to a good place. Note colors and solids coming out toward the end of the flow.
2. Close the drain valve, Turn the power to the pump back on for maybe 6 seconds. Turn the power back off. Again drain the water and sediment.
3. Repeat #2 until no sediment comes out.
4. Check/adjust the air precharge with the water pressure zero. Usually you want 2 psi below the actual pressure switch cut-on pressure for a submersible pump, and 5 psi for a jet pump (or whatever it takes to avoid a pressure stutter when the pump turns on).
5. Close the drain valve, and turn the power to pump back on.

That said, I go several years between flushes, and I suspect most people never flush. It's past time for me to go do it again. How long will I procrastinate?

 

[Bannerman]

Consider upgrading your system by installing a Cycle Stop Valve which will allow you to replace the large pressure tank with a 4.5 gallon one while also achieving constant pressure to your faucets and eliminating pump cycling.

See the PK1A kit and for an explanation of how a CSV functions, view the video at link below.
https://cyclestopvalves.com/

 

[Valveman]

Yeah you should replace the tank. Replacing it with a PK1A using a 4.5 gallon size tank would be a huge upgrade. Those digital pressure switches are cool until you turn on a faucet and no water comes out. I have tried them all. Even made one of my own that is very similar to that one. We still sell them for 30 bucks if you want one. We put them in the discontinued list because we no longer push digital pressure switches of any kind. If you want water to dependably come out of your faucets you need to keep everything mechanical and dependable. I have been testing the newest and fanciest digital pressure switch for the last couple of years, and just took it off yesterday. It was cool, but left my wife out of water 3 times in 2 years for no apparent reason. Back to my dependable mechanical pressure switch on my PK1A control kit.

 

[Flipperman2a2w]

Well, I decided to go ahead and replace the tank... I already had the new one (took 4 months to arrive after being on backorder), and I was debating whether I should just sit on it until the original one died. I'm glad I replaced it- there was all kinds of rust and sediment coming out of the tank after I disconnected it.

I wish I'd gone a little bigger, but I was concerned with fitting the new tank under the fiberglass cover I have.

The original tank was sitting on the ground on a couple flat rocks, so I elevated it by using a couple paving stones. This allowed me to install a drain port, so I can actually drain it periodically, as someone suggested. I also added unions to the T, so I won't have to cut the pipes if I need to replace it in the future. Given the circumstances, this replacement job was definitely on the challenging side- especially when you know the wife is looking over your shoulder, wondering when the water will be back on

I still need to get rid of that funky loop of PVC piping you see in the photo. The inlet and outlet pipes come out of the ground at weird angles to one another, so I assume the original installer did that loop to compensate??? The pipe loop does quiver slightly when the pump shuts off, though. Is there any reason this would be serving as a "shock absorber" somehow?

 

[Flipperman2a2w]

Yeah you should replace the tank. Replacing it with a PK1A using a 4.5 gallon size tank would be a huge upgrade. Those digital pressure switches are cool until you turn on a faucet and no water comes out. I have tried them all. Even made one of my own that is very similar to that one. We still sell them for 30 bucks if you want one. We put them in the discontinued list because we no longer push digital pressure switches of any kind. If you want water to dependably come out of your faucets you need to keep everything mechanical and dependable. I have been testing the newest and fanciest digital pressure switch for the last couple of years, and just took it off yesterday. It was cool, but left my wife out of water 3 times in 2 years for no apparent reason. Back to my dependable mechanical pressure switch on my PK1A control kit.

I haven't had any issues with the digital switch, so I've been lucky so far, I guess. There was a time once when I had to reset it by flipping the breaker off and on- no idea what caused it to stop working, though... The switch wasn't cheap- $200, and now they're going for $259 (on backorder...) The reason I switched from the mechanical one is because it was a nightmare to calibrate. Without a drain port on the pressure tank, I had to have someone down in the house turn the faucet on to drain the tank. That's also where the breaker is located... Without a helper, I was running up and down the hill where the tank is located trying to get the pressure switch properly adjusted. It was probably quite comical if you'd seen me doing it. Fingers crossed this one doesn't die on me!

 

[Reach4]

I don't see a connection to the well. Apparently hidden. What is the pipe going into the ground at the bottom of the most recent photo?

I still need to get rid of that funky loop of PVC piping you see in the photo. The inlet and outlet pipes come out of the ground at weird angles to one another, so I assume the original installer did that loop to compensate??? The pipe loop does quiver slightly when the pump shuts off, though. Is there any reason this would be serving as a "shock absorber" somehow?

The loop would give some flex that would allow alignment within limits. Maybe if you replace that loop, you could use something else that would allow a bit of flex, such as a corrugated stainless steel or even a length of PEX... but PEX is pretty stiff.

 

[Flipperman2a2w]

I don't see a connection to the well. Apparently hidden. What is the pipe going into the ground at the bottom of the most recent photo?


The loop would give some flex that would allow alignment within limits. Maybe if you replace that loop, you could use something else that would allow a bit of flex, such as a corrugated stainless steel or even a length of PEX... but PEX is pretty stiff.

The pipe in the foreground is the one coming from the well (the well you see in the photo is an old one that didn't seal properly on installation, so it's no longer in use). Our well is about 20 feet uphill from the pressure tank, and the house is about 50 feet downhill from the pressure tank- it's definitely not an ideal setup, but we've never had any issues.

So, maybe I should just leave that loop alone- back to my motto- if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Come to think of it, it's pretty tight under the fiberglass cover, and trying to reroute the piping could be problematic in that sense.

 

[Valveman]

Problem #1 "there was all kinds of rust and sediment coming out of the tank after I disconnected it."

Problem #2 "I wish I'd gone a little bigger, but I was concerned with fitting the new tank under the fiberglass cover I have."

Problem #3 "The pipe loop does quiver slightly when the pump shuts off, though. Is there any reason this would be serving as a "shock absorber" somehow?"

All three of these problems can be solved by simply adding a CSV1A before that funky loop. Your new 20-32 gallon tank only holds 5-8 gallons of water, which isn't enough to prevent pump cycling, still hard to fit under the fake rock, and gives a place for sediment and crud to build up. With a CSV you could have used a 4.5 gallon tank, which is readily available, would have saved a lot of money, won't store much crud, and would easily fit under the fake rock. The pipe loop shuddering on pump stop is showing the water hammer that happens when your pump is delivering max flow, and the the check valve slams shut from a wide open position. The CSV1A would fill the tank at only 1 GPM, the check valve would only be open the thickness of a piece of paper when the pump shuts off, and that loop will not shudder. Since you already have the extra large and extra expensive tank, if you can make it fit under the rock, adding a CSV1A before that loop would still solve the cycling problem and the water hammer shuddering problem. Replacing that new tank with a 4.5 gallon size would solve the other problems. As you know tanks are hard to find these days and you should easily be able to sell that new tank to someone who doesn't know about Cycle Stop Valves.