Leaking Bladder Tank

Hello Terry,

I have my bladder tank in a garden shed along with my water softener. Yesterday while in the garden I could hear the pump running continuously from inside the shed which seemed odd and so I went to investigate. When I opened the shed door I was shocked to find that the shed was flooded and water seemed to be gushing out from the base of the bladder tank. I immediately shut off power to the pump (I noticed that it was quite hot) and returned later once the flooding had subsided. When I returned I checked the pipe from my pump to the tank and all seemed secure. I decided to turn the power back on whereupon I would be able to pinpoint the leak. However, when I did the pump ran for about 20 seconds and shut off as normal and there was no 'gushing' leak? Since then I have been checking every few hours and everything seems fine and water pressure is as normal in the house.

I am quite sure now that the switch contacts may have stuck on causing the pump to keep pumping and I intend replacing the switch. I wish that I could look underneath the tank to see if I can spot any problem, but of course I can't without disconnecting the pipe feed which I do not want to do at this stage. Have you any idea what caused this 'gushing'? I checked the air valve and when I pressed it briefly air came out. I just wondered if these tanks have a pressure relief valve such as my hot water tank and because the pump was running continuously the excess pressured water was being released. I would appreciate your help as I cannot think of anything else that could have caused it.

Kind regards,

John.

I'm not a pump/well expert but it looks like none of the 'sperts have responded so I'll share what I can.

There was no pressure relief on either the 2 medium sized bladder tanks I've had. With the well pumps I'm familar with high pressure is not a risk because the pumps will only generate a modest head and then they stop building pressure.

Of course it is possible that someone added a pressure relief valve to your system. The only way to determine the exact situation is a detailed inspection. In other words, you'll just have to go look.

From my perspective the system failed once and even though it works right now you're doing the right thing in figuring out what you've got and what might have failed.

I would start by replacing the pressure switch and being sure that the 1/4" tube to is is clear.

Unless you have a pressure relief valve that tripped, the tank probably has gone bad.

You can disassemble it and inspect it or wait and see if this happens again.

What kind of piping is being used for all this.

Tank leak

Thank you both for replying. I have now replaced the switch as I did notice on closer examination that the contacts were badly pitted. I also checked that the pipe was clear - thank you for the tip! I have looked all around the tank but cannot see any release valve so I am guessing that the leak may have been caused by a hairline crack which opened with the extra pressure when the pump was stuck on. I should have mentioned that the bladder tank is over 20 years old, but has been protected from the weather being in the shed. The pipe is PVC with an inside dimension of 1" and looks in good condition. I had lagged it to prevent it from freezing so it looks quite well preserved. I feel that maybe it is time that I purchased a new tank. Do you agree? Or should I just wait and see if it will be ok now that I have replaced the switch?

Thank you both once again, I really appreciated your replies!

Regards, John.

I think Cass is right about replacing the pressure switch and checking or replacing the tube that connects it. You have to make sure that the pump will shut off reliably and that is what the pressure switch does. I cannot imagine a crack that would only leak when the pressure gets to high. It really sounds like there is a pressure relief valve under there somewhere. Even though the tank is old, if the bladder is still holding the correct air and your normal pump run time is still correct, the tank is still OK. I guess someone could have installed the pressure relief under the tank but, that is an unusual place for it.