WX202 Pressure Tank testing question

[conductor]

Hi all,
I currently have a WX202 pressure tank in my crawl space that I tried raising the pressure on from 30/50 to 40/60. The closest I could get was around 38-56. I then read about checking the pre-charge pressure of the tank. Today I went out and turned the power off to the pressure tank switch and opened a 2nd floor faucet. As the pressure was slowly dropping I measured the PSI in the tank with a tire gauge and it always was 5-10 PSI lower than what the pressure gauge was reading. The weird things was that when the pressure gauge was reading about 20PSI the tire gauge reading from the top of the tank was about 16. Shouldn't the tank be 28 at a minimum? At this point I stopped and turned the pump back on. Is this an accurate test? I only turned the pressure tank switch off and not the well pump. I do not see any way to easily drain the tank either. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

[WellWaterProducts]

Post a picture.

[conductor]

Post a picture.

I spoke with Well-X-Trol this morning and they gave me some tips on draining the tank completely and turning off the pump. This afternoon I drained the tank and checked the PSI which was at 8.4. I brought it up to 38 and calibrated the cut-in and cut-out to 40/60. I did not see any water when adding or checking air at the schrader valve. I also let it sit for a bit with that pressure before I turned the pump back on and it seemed to be holding the air.

Once I got back in the house I found a lot of air in the pipes, but after running around and running water everywhere the air was gone. I was expecting a little more pressure which I am not sure I am getting, but I did notice that the pressure tank went from being depleted in about a minute to 2.5-3 minutes. I also noticed that I have a lot of sediment coming out of the faucets and I even needed to clean some of them because they got so clogged. I guess the air in the lines caused this...?

I am new to all of this and am wondering if this all seems normal. Any comments are appreciated. I spoke with Cycle Stop Valves, Inc. and am considering putting in a 60 PSI CSV1. Anybody have any opinions on adding this valve?
Thanks

[conductor]

I have been monitoring the pressure tank and have noticed a few things. When the pressure gets to 40 PSI and the pump kicks on there is a quick 3-4 PSI drop. It does not seem to be creating any issues, but I do notice it in the shower if I am paying attention. This did not happen before when the pre-charge was low. I have also intermittently heard what I believe to be water hammer a few times from the washer, which I never heard before. Any thoughts?

I would greatly appreciate any comments regarding installing a CSV. I am now leaning more towards the CSV1W and starting at the factory preset of 50 PSI with the option of going to 60 PSI, if desired. It looks like my well pump has a flow rate of 4 GPM, which should be able to handle a CSV set at 50 or 60 PSI, right?

Thanks for any help/comments.

[valveman]

You have your precahrge a little high. Let 5 PSI of air out of the tank. I think you will be very happy with the CSV1W for the reasons you already mentioned.

[conductor]

I let some pressure out of the tank and things seem to be acting normally now. I did check the precharge after I drained the tank and it was right at 38 PSI so I am not sure why the system was having issues, but I am happy that it seems to be working well now. I am planning to install a CSV1W in the next few weeks and will post my results.
Thanks

[Benchwrench]

I'm also interested in a CSV install .

[Porky]

It's a set it and forget it valve. Install a CSV and it will give you constant pressure and extend the life of your whole system. If you're married, your wife will love it!

[conductor]

I have been looking at the installation instructions for the CSV1W and it says the pressure tank should be on a tee. I have talked to Amtrol and CSV and explained my layout which they both said is fine. It looks like I have some minor dripping in one or two places at the connections near the tank and I plan to install valve so I am wondering if it is worth changing anything and adding an official tee for the pressure tank. What do guys think? I am tempted to leave it alone, but curious if it is an okay layout. The 1" pipe on the right is the water line from the pump that runs about 20' in the crawlspace and then another 50' away from the house.
Thanks

[valveman]

Just put the CSV before the tee to the pressure switch. No official tee required.