thomas_callahan
New Member
I've got a WellXTrol WX202 pressure tank. I'm not sure how old it is because it came with the house that we bought about a year ago, likewise for the well age, depth, HP, etc. (although I'm trying to track down that info now). Recently we woke up with no water pressure -- the pressure switch died and I had a plumber replace it.
After replacing the pressure switch, he pointed out that the pump was short-cycling badly because the pressure tank wasn't working properly--the pump was coming on for 5-10 seconds and the pressure gauge was rapidly jumping from 30-ish to 50-ish, then the pump would shut off for maybe 20 seconds while the pressure dropped rapidly, then repeat. He quoted me about $600 to replace the pressure tank -- something that is just a massive expense for me having just bought the house and with two kids under two. So I started researching. The bladder is intact, by the way -- nothing but air comes out of the valve stem, there is condensation only on the bottom 1/2-1/3 or so of the tank, the top of the tank makes a nice 'ping' when tapped, the bottom a dull thud.
First, I pumped the air pressure in the tank back up with my bicycle pump to stop the pump from short-cycling -- this works just fine but only lasts about two weeks. I've been recharging it this way every other weekend.
Then I tracked the problem down -- I poured dish soap over the tank and eventually noticed very small bubbles. It's a VERY slow air leak that comes directly out of the tank where the valve stem goes through. They come right through the paint, there is no visible hole. It takes 5-10 seconds to make a pea-sized bubble, which then slides to the side and a new one starts.
So what I did was scrape off the paint for about 1/2" around the leak and on the side of the valve stem. Then I sanded it to roughen the surface. I shut off the power to the pump, drained the water from the lines, and then bled all of the air out of the tank using the valve stem to eliminate the pressure on the leak. I used a metal patch material (can't remember the name but it's a gray single-part substance about the consistency of toothpaste or caulk that I got at Home Depot that specifically listed patching tanks and claims to withstand up to 75psi) and put a patch directly on the spot that was leaking and covering all of the paint that I had removed. I let it cure overnight (double the 'time to max strength' they recommend), then in the morning pumped the tank back to 29psi using my bike pump, turned on the water, and adjusted the pressure switch until the pressure gauge in the line on the house side of the tank indicated about 31/51 on/off pressures.
I thought everything was cool -- the on-off cycle times were much longer than before (roughly 1.5 min. on, 7 or 8 off with a garden hose running at a decent rate) and I couldn't find any air leaks. But then just as I was cleaning up I decided to try one last patch test and found that the leak was back, just at the edge of the patch -- it had found a way under the patch on the side of the valve stem. I am assuming that the patching material I tried didn't bond well to the brass (I assume it's brass) of the valve stem, and since the hole is so small it's not even visible, I assume that no patch material made its way into the actual hole which would reduce its effectiveness in the first place.
So my question is -- can anybody recommend something that would be better to try? I want to give this one more shot before I replace the tank.
I found some 2-part epoxies that seem like they might be a better idea than what I tried, something called Synth-Steel that is designed for fixing pipes. Problem is this is an air leak, not a water leak. Would some other type of epoxy be able to hold in that air maybe? I'm almost thinking bike-tire patch epoxy (and maybe even the rubber patch itself) although I have my doubts as to whether that epoxy would stick to anything but rubber.
Thanks for any advice anyone can give.
After replacing the pressure switch, he pointed out that the pump was short-cycling badly because the pressure tank wasn't working properly--the pump was coming on for 5-10 seconds and the pressure gauge was rapidly jumping from 30-ish to 50-ish, then the pump would shut off for maybe 20 seconds while the pressure dropped rapidly, then repeat. He quoted me about $600 to replace the pressure tank -- something that is just a massive expense for me having just bought the house and with two kids under two. So I started researching. The bladder is intact, by the way -- nothing but air comes out of the valve stem, there is condensation only on the bottom 1/2-1/3 or so of the tank, the top of the tank makes a nice 'ping' when tapped, the bottom a dull thud.
First, I pumped the air pressure in the tank back up with my bicycle pump to stop the pump from short-cycling -- this works just fine but only lasts about two weeks. I've been recharging it this way every other weekend.
Then I tracked the problem down -- I poured dish soap over the tank and eventually noticed very small bubbles. It's a VERY slow air leak that comes directly out of the tank where the valve stem goes through. They come right through the paint, there is no visible hole. It takes 5-10 seconds to make a pea-sized bubble, which then slides to the side and a new one starts.
So what I did was scrape off the paint for about 1/2" around the leak and on the side of the valve stem. Then I sanded it to roughen the surface. I shut off the power to the pump, drained the water from the lines, and then bled all of the air out of the tank using the valve stem to eliminate the pressure on the leak. I used a metal patch material (can't remember the name but it's a gray single-part substance about the consistency of toothpaste or caulk that I got at Home Depot that specifically listed patching tanks and claims to withstand up to 75psi) and put a patch directly on the spot that was leaking and covering all of the paint that I had removed. I let it cure overnight (double the 'time to max strength' they recommend), then in the morning pumped the tank back to 29psi using my bike pump, turned on the water, and adjusted the pressure switch until the pressure gauge in the line on the house side of the tank indicated about 31/51 on/off pressures.
I thought everything was cool -- the on-off cycle times were much longer than before (roughly 1.5 min. on, 7 or 8 off with a garden hose running at a decent rate) and I couldn't find any air leaks. But then just as I was cleaning up I decided to try one last patch test and found that the leak was back, just at the edge of the patch -- it had found a way under the patch on the side of the valve stem. I am assuming that the patching material I tried didn't bond well to the brass (I assume it's brass) of the valve stem, and since the hole is so small it's not even visible, I assume that no patch material made its way into the actual hole which would reduce its effectiveness in the first place.
So my question is -- can anybody recommend something that would be better to try? I want to give this one more shot before I replace the tank.
I found some 2-part epoxies that seem like they might be a better idea than what I tried, something called Synth-Steel that is designed for fixing pipes. Problem is this is an air leak, not a water leak. Would some other type of epoxy be able to hold in that air maybe? I'm almost thinking bike-tire patch epoxy (and maybe even the rubber patch itself) although I have my doubts as to whether that epoxy would stick to anything but rubber.
Thanks for any advice anyone can give.
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