Strange Pressure Switch Behaviour

[Lockport]

I have a Well-X-Trol WX-252, factory set at 38PSI and a 30/50 pressure switch adjusted to 40/60. Sometimes, the switch fails to cut in and has to be 'started' again. I have seen the needle on the gauge go from 40ish and drop like a rock down to '0'. On the other hand, sometimes it gets down to 40 and it clicks on and fills up to 60 and shuts off. All these components are no more than a year old. The switch behaved like that when it was new, then seemed to stop until, with great rarity, it would do it again. Now it is becoming quite frequent. What is wrong here?

[Rancher]

You need to either lower the pressure in the tank a little, or raise the pressure switch cut-on just a little.

Rancher

[jadnashua]

A little more description. If the tank pressure is higher than the turn-on pressure, since the water doesn't compress, once the water in the tank is exhausted, it goes from being pressurized, to empty as soon as the water is gone. You want the pressure to be able to drop and start the pump before that happens, thus, the suggestion to drop the pressure a little (2# less than the turn-on point) or raise the turn-on pressure (less desireable).

[Lockport]

Unless my gauge is wrong, but it works sometimes at 40lbs, while the tank is factory set at 38. Perhaps the gauge is not reading correctly. I raised the taller adjustment a quarter turn and will see what happens with it. Is it possible the switch is defective causing it to imtemittently fail? I guess that is the puzzling part...it works sometimes.

[jadnashua]

Just like a tire, do expect it to hold air forever. Use a tire pressure gauge to check the air. Check the instructions through a little search here. Note, the gauge on the water system may not be perfectly accurate, either. If they are very close, slight variations on a cycle to cycle could make it appear to work properly once in awhile. Your tank's air pressure is probably too high, or your gauge is wrong.

[Rancher]

Jad,

What he's seeing is that his pressure in the tank is too close to the cut-in pressure of the switch, and since He's relying on the pressure being correct since it was done at the factory to 38 psi is not good.

Lockport,

If you used the pressure guage to set the pressure switch, it could be wrong, they are a very cheaply built guages. The same with tire pressure guages, that you might use to measure your bladder pressure, just let a little air out of the bladder and see if that fixes the problem.

Rancher

[Pumpman]

Just so you know, Lockport, that switch you have has a low pressure dropout. That's why there is a lever on the side of it.
The switch is working correctly, just as Jad and Rancher have explained. Ideally, the switch should drop the pump out should a pipe burst, say, and the pressure drops quickly. Sometimes, they work, and sometimes they don't.
Ron

[Lockport]

OK so here's an update. I followed one of Ranchers (thank you) original suggestions and simply turned the taller adjustment screw 1/4 turn CW and both the wife and I got through a shower this morning without having it fail. I would have thought I would have stumbled upon that by now, but I guess not. I'll keep my fingers crossed and let you know.

Thanks all!

[jadnashua]

Ambient temperature can change the pressure in the tank. If you believe you can set the pressure once, and it will stay that way forever, you are in for a surprise. It should hold for a long time, but not forever. Check it with a tire pressure gauge. Who knows what the pressure is now...

[Rancher]

The pressure also changes due to the elevation of the "Factory" that the tank was pre-charged in... i.e. the Difference between Bejing and Won Ton.

Rancher

[Lockport]

Well, sure enough, it quit shortly after. I haven't yet checked the pressure in the tank as my good guage is in the truck at the shop. It was checked when we installed it last year, on location, and was 38PSI. Tomorrow night I will pick up the truck and check it then.

[pmatawan]

I'm having a similar problem with a house that I am occupying for several days each month. When I arrive, water works ok, but cuts off after use the next day. The first time it happened, I added some air to the tank & the water started flowing again the following day. The 2nd time it happened, I replaced the pressure switch as it was old, but had the same problem. Maybe I have the switch wired wrong? The pump is underground, how do I know if it is 2 or 3 wire? Do I need a relay switch?
How should I go about troubleshooting this problem? Thanks....

[Lockport]

Finally found time to check the pressure. Seems it is at around 45 lbs using a $20 tire gauge. How it managed to gain pressure from the factory and the original check at install is beyond me, yet the facts would seem to support. What appears to be failing to cut in with regularity at 40lbs according to the $6 gauge on the line would seem to substantiate that, ...well certainly its probably not 38psi anymore. We'll see what happens.

[speedbump]

What Ron is trying to tell you is you have a low pressure cut out switch. If the pressure drops instantly to zero like you said it does, that means the switch is reopening the points and won't come back on unless you physically raise the little lever to let the pump make some pressure to keep them closed again. It's all in the tanks air pressure setting. Let a few pounds of air out of the tank and all should be fine.

bob...

[Lockport]

Is there harm in turning the switch up? Seems it is a Chinese made Wenling Hunai SK-6 and has a working pressure renage of 20-80PSI. It is reported to have a 10PSI low water level protection.

At the moment, my pump is running and the pressure is having trouble getting to 45. It seems to be taking an unusually long time for this and I am starting to wonder if I have a clog. The pump is only a couple years old. Goulds 4" but our water is terrible. When the last pump went, the deep well release would not give because it had a coat of solid magnesium encasng the pump to the latch itself. I had a guy with a ten foot steel extension on a 20 foot steel 1" pole banging away with a sledge hammer for a whole sunday afternoon, in hopes we would not have to drill a new well. Eventually we got it out. Thats when I decided to switch from a 20 gallon pressure tank to an 87.

It's running now for example and if the washer starts, it will fill it but probably drop out at near 40lbs and I will have to start it. The odd thing is it will start and the flow seems to be normal. It ususall takes about 10 minutes to get up to 60 but it stays around 42 and I can feel the vibration in the line so I know its running.

We'll see how this plays out for the day. I have lots of laundry to do.