2 tanks/pressue switch

I have been asking questions under the possibility that I would need to remove air from one or both tanks to get thepressure in the tanks to fall below the pump cut- on point of 45psi.

What if the pressure in the tanks is such that one or both are 10psi or more below the pump- cut -in already?. i.e tanks between 30-38psi and the pump cut-on is at 45psi. Is the key getting both tanks to be between 2-5 psi less than the cut-on pressure #?

We are putting a normal pressure switch on this morning and adjusting the pressure. Not sure yet if we will add air to the tanks or adjust the switch #'s.

Thanks.

As long as both tanks have less air than the pump start pressure, your OK. 2 PSI or 10 PSI is not that critical. Many times your tire pressure gauge and the gauge on the tank do not read the same. Check your tire pressure gauge against the gauge on the tank by checking the air while there is water pressure in the tank. If one gauge reads higher than the other, make note of that and adjust your air pressure accordingly.

if the tanks pressure are already below the cut-on point then what is causing this pressure drop to zero and having to re- set the pressure via the lever on the low-pressure switch.

We are putting back on a normal pressure switch shortly. but if that solves it why would the pressure be dropping to cause the low pressure switch to have to be re-set. will a normal pressure switch also just drop to zero and then i have no way to easily re-set? will a normal switch mask the as of yet determined underlying problem

And this pressure drop seems to happen after the water has been run in large quantities for a while( several showers, full bath tub, a couple loads of laundry etc..). The original theory behind installing the 2nd tank was to have a bigger water reserve on hand so the water and pressure would remain better longer even if for example 2 showers were running at the same time and someone flushed the toilet etc...
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As i said- my well is 50 ft deep- the well high water line is about 20-22 feet above the pump so I don't think my well is running low.

I keep coming back to the tanks but their pressure seems to be aleady below the cut-on.


keep the advice coming- together we will solve this problem. Thanks

The extra tank is not going to help with pressure when there are two showers and other stuff going at the same time. The pump has to be able to keep up with what you are doing. The pressure should never drop below the ON pressure. Either your pump is not coming on when it is should, or the pump or well in not able to keep up with the amount of water you are using.

Do you have any information on the pump? Or maybe the high iron and sediment problem has got the pump intake stopped up?

It is a brand new pump just installed this week. Not sure I really needed the new pump since one of the other problems turned out to be an exposed wire touching the ground wire at the well head. see my original post.

It is Myers 4" submerisible pump.

Ok- new settings tanks around 30psi. New cut-on 36 cutoff around 55psi.

My plumber truly feels like it is a well issue . He recommended i keep the low pressure switch and begin a more conservative water usage routine until such time we want to consider a new deper well. He lowered the pressure settings a bit for that reason.

Does his explanation make sense. I will also see if the new adjusted settings make any difference.

No his suggestion does not make sense. If your well were the issue, and he knew anything about pumps and wells, he could have checked for it. Since he didn't I will assume he is clueless.

Try changing the switch, that's the cheapest and easiest way to do a minor check. If that don't work, we can tell you how to check your well if you so desire.

bob...

If it is a weak well then you need to keep the Low pressure cut off switch. However, even a weak well should not be causing this problem the instant the pump starts. You have 22' of water in the well. The pump should come on and keep the pressure up until the 22' of water has been pumped out. Two pressure tanks means you have a little more water you can use before the pump even comes on. Then when the pump comes on, it should keep the pressure up at least for a few minutes until the well pulls down.

The problem is still likely with the pump. Either the pump is not starting when it should, or the intake of the pump is clogged and won't let it pump enough water.

The pressure is now about 36-50 -I preferred the higher settings but his reasoning was it will save a bit of water at the lower settings.

It seems multiple showers/baths in a row are what cause the the pressure to drop to zero. My wife did 2 loads of laundry to day and all was fine but the kids with back to back to back showers and/or tubs cause it drop and the water shuts off and I have to go down crawl under the steps and hit the reset lever on the pressure switch. I am not looking forward to doing that 350 times a year

I am going broke solving my water problems. How can I check the health of the well and whether the aquifer is still supplying ample water.

It just seems that since my problem is not solved, he has put it off on a well running dry.

Thanks as always.

If you're running the well dry then maybe a Pumptec would be the best cure. It would save you having to crawl under the steps. They can be set to automatically restart after a certain time interval if they trip due to a low water event.

** Not a pro **

A Pumptec would be a good idea if your well is pulling down.

If your thinking your well is pulling down, that would explain the low pressure cut off switch. If you want to check to see if that is the problem, you will have to explain what your well situation is. Do you see a pipe sticking up above ground? If so, describe it to the best of your ability, remove the cap and look down with a flashlight or mirror in the sunlight and tell us what you see.

bob...

A Cycle Sensor or a Pumptec would keep you from having to go down and reset the Low pressure cut off switch but, now you just have to wait for 20 or 30 minutes for the well to recoup and the Cycle Sensor or Pumptec to automatically restart the pump.

With those two tanks you would have about 40 gallons of water to use before the pump comes on, IF the tanks were full when you started showers. The problem is that you never know, and Murphy usually makes sure, that your tanks are almost empty, like at 38 PSI when you start showers. Then not only does the pump have to make all the water for the showers but, it is trying to refill the tanks at the same time.

With a pipe coming straight off the well head and a 5 gallon bucket, you can tell how much water the well will produce before it runs dry. I am afraid what you are going to need is a cistern set up. With a 1,000 gallon cistern, even if the well is only making 1 GPM, you can let the pump run at 1 GPM all night and day to keep the cistern full. Then you use a booster pump in the cistern that connects to your two pressure tanks and supplies water to the house.

Even a well that only makes 1 GPM, will supply 1440 gallons per day if you have a cistern to store it in. You can probably supply 2 or 3 houses with that much water, you just have to store it in a cistern so you can use it at 5 or 10 GPM for short periods when needed.

I say the well is going 'dry'; the water is falling to the inlet of the pump and the the pump sucks air and the pressure falls and the safety cut off type switch shuts off the pump as designed. Start water conservation by spreading out water uses.

I say the air volume/pressure in those tanks should be checked and adjusted to be 1-2 psi less than the cut-in switch setting done by draining the water from the tanks. There should also be 20 psi differential between cut-in and out. Low air volume/pressure will cause shorter cycling of the pump and premature tank failure while wearing out the motor and increasing the electric bill.

IMO the plumber is correct in wanting to use less water by decreasing the pressure settings. I don't agree with two pressure tanks that require more water to be drawn from the well each time the pump runs. And with higher pressure switch settings, that causes the house to use more water (the gpm rises) all while you have a low producing well. It's not the setup I'd use for myself or a customer with a low producing well. And the compressed air in the tank(s) produce the power to move water when the pump is off, so if the volume/pressure is wrong in the tanks, your pressure fluctuation is more noticeable and the average water pressure will be lower than if the system is set up correctly. And when that happens, guys raise the water pressure and make things worse and use more water. Isn't that what has happened?