Amtrol Baron Group Failure

I have a 20 gal. Amtrol Baron Group BN4202 pressure tank that has failed after 9 years (installed in new house built in 2003). Our well pump has been short cycling more and more, and the last few weeks it's gotten worse. It will kick on and off twice during a toilet flush. The tank also makes almost a dripping sound as it is filled by the pump.

Last night I drained the tank and it has 0 psi when empty. While putting air in the valve to push the remaining water the bottom couple gallons or so was very rusty, and once the water was out it was spitting air. This leads me to believe that the bladder is shot. I did pump it up to 38 psi before I refilled it, and it seems to have stopped the short cycling for now, but on the flip side we are now getting a bit of air sputtering in the upstairs faucets.

I can get a replacement 40 gal. Amtrol from the well driller that did the initial install at a 10% discount due to it failing "quicker than most" but his price is still quite a bit higher than I can get an Amtrol wx-250 for. I'm capable of doing the install myself, and he wasn't adding anything for labor. So here is my dilemma - is the Baron version of the Amtrol lower quality than the Well-X-Trol series? I'm mulling the wx-250, and a Flexcon FL-17. Given the fact the Baron failed fairly quickly, and the fact it is surprisingly rusty on the outside (well water is about 50° during the summer so a lot of sweating), I'm conflicted with my experience with Amtrol vs. what I've been reading online about them. The cost of the two tanks I'm considering is about the same, so I'm more interested in getting a tank that will last.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm looking to order the tank by Monday at the latest.

Thanks.

All tanks are designed to last about seven years of normal cycling. Stop the cycling and you don't need a very large tank. Less money, less sweating, everything last longer.

valveman said:

All tanks are designed to last about seven years of normal cycling. Stop the cycling and you don't need a very large tank. Less money, less sweating, everything last longer.

Click to expand...

Could you provide more information, if need be offline, as coming into this as a newbie there is a lot of info to digest in converting my system to a CSV.

Thanks.

The bladder in any brand tank has to flex all the way up and all the way back down with every on/off cycle of the pump. This bends the bladder or diaphragm back and forth until it breaks, much like bending a wire back and forth until it breaks. Most tanks are engineered and tested to survive about seven years with the average number of cycles calculated for a home pump system. It is not a coincidence that pumps are also designed to survive about seven years of cycling. I think the seven years is just enough more than the normal five year warranty, that manufacturers think you won’t be too upset having to buy a new one.

Your old 20 gallon tank only held 5 gallons of water when it was still good. A 40 gallon tank only holds 10 gallons of water. That means every time you use 5 or 10 gallons of water, the pump cycles on and off. That is not much cycling for things like an occasional toilet flush or glass of water. But when water is used for longer amounts of time like showers, sprinklers, hoses, or heat pumps, the number of cycles really adds up.

When using water for fairly long periods of time, the CSV keeps the pump running, preventing the pump from cycling at all. This greatly reduces the total number of cycles on the pump, tank, pressure switch, control box, and everything else. If you reduce the total number of cycles by 75%, you will increase the life of everything in your pump system by 400%.

Converting from a big pressure tank to a CSV system is easy. The hardest part is unhooking and removing the old tank, as it will be waterlogged and very heavy. You may even need to punch a hole in the side of the old tank with a pick or something, to let the water out so it can be moved.

Once the old tank is removed, you simply install the CSV1A valve in the line. You may want to elbow up a bit to get it off the floor. The little 4.5 gallon pressure tank, the pressure switch, and even the pressure relief valve screw right into the CSV1A. The Pside-Kick kit even comes with wall mounting brackets and a roll of Teflon tape. Then you just elbow back down, attach to the main line, and turn the power on.

The picture on the left shows this system with the Electronic Pressure Switch, but it also offered with the standard mechanical pressure switch as well.