Well tank question

[seacrest]

hi, i just bought a house and the tank had no air in it. the house has been empty for 5 years and built in 1965 and not used and i have little to no experience with wells. So i tried to fill the tank up with 28psi with the tank full and it seemed to hold but after checking it after a week, it was down to 22psi. so i was told to empty the tank and fill it that way and so after i reached 28psi(empty) i turned the pump on it the switch went crazy and no water. so i let some air out and it started running again and now the pump runs more often. this is a 20 gallon pressure tank. So is the pressure tank bad?

 

[Reach4]

Your pressure tank is probably bad. It is worth checking however. If you set the air precharge and it is less the next day and less the next day after that, it is bad. You can temporarily continue using that by adding air, but that is just a workaround.

Do you have a submersible (down the well) pump?

The air precharge should usually be set to 2 PSI below the cut-on pressure if you have a submersible pump. So if your pressure switch turns on a submersible at 30 PSI, then 28 is the right pressure for the air precharge. The precharge must be set with the air pressure is zero.

If you have a jet pump above ground, then usually you would want 4 PSI lower than the cut-on pressure.

so i was told to empty the tank and fill it that way and so after i reached 28psi(empty) i turned the pump on it the switch went crazy and no water.

When the pump is behaving best, what is the water pressure when the pressure switch clicks to turn the pump back on? That is the cut-on pressure.

 

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[seacrest]

yes i have a submersible pump. it was showing about 33psi when the pump clicks on. so i adjusted the switch and it seems to be clicking on at 30psi now

 

[Reach4]

yes i have a submersible pump. it was showing about 33psi when the pump clicks on. so i adjusted the switch and it seems to be clicking on at 30psi now

I don't understand the pump going crazy as described. Maybe you should consider the pressure switch, pressure gauge, and pressure tank for replacement. Pressure switches and gauges are cheap, at least compared to pressure tanks. Also, a 20 gallon pressure tank is on the small side. You may want to upgrade the size.

Note that under normal conditions, the air pressure should be close to the water pressure. So if you have 40 PSI of water pressure indicated, the air pressure should indicate close to 40 PSI. The only reason I know of to take that measurement is to compare calibration on the water pressure gauge to the air pressure gauge.

There was nothing wrong with having the pressure switch click on at 33. I adjusted mine to click on at 37 and off at 57. That was for an unusual reason -- I got a good deal on a good digital pressure gauge that goes to 60 PSI, and I wanted to be able to follow overshoot. I don't understand why you had chatter, or whatever it was, with a 28 PSI precharge.