Pump/Tank Question

Thanks everyone for this forum, the advice has been great.

I moved into a house built in the '50's in the beginning of May. A few weeks ago, I finished replacing most of the half-rusted-shut galvanized distribution pipes with Zurn PEX. I broke down and bought a kit with a "universal" crimper and go-no-go gauge (good stuff).

We've had the problem where the water would momentarily stop flowing, the lights would dim, and the water would start up again. From reading the forums, I diagnosed this as the bladder pressure in our tank being too high. Sure enough, the bladder pressure was about 22 psi. I lowered the tank pressure to 18 psi and then proceeded to adjust the pressure switch settings.

My pump does not seem to be able to generate more than 37 psi (takes about 5 minutes to get there). Does that seem strange? I currently set the switch limits at 34 and 20 psi. It takes 2 minutes to go between these two extremes. Is that okay, or should I change the upper setting? The pump, a 3/4 HP Red Jacket, seems to work fine. It delivers plenty of volume. In fact, the pressure reads ~20 psi with the bathtub on full blast (quite a blast) and a hose on.

If we're talking about a Red Jacket jet pump, you may have a plugged up nozzle. The nozzle helps the pump build pressure by directing water into the impeller.
You may also want to buy a gauge that threads to a nearby hose bibb to double check the pressure gauge on the system. Many times adjustments are made to the switch without realizing that the gauge is giving a false reading.
Ron

I'm pretty sure it works...

Pumpman,

I'm pretty sure the gauge works. It's new. The old one was rusted and perpetually read 35 psi. When I check the bladder air pressure on the tank with the water on, it agrees with the reading on the water gauge. Plus, lowering the pressure in the tank to 18 psi and increasing the on setpoint appears to have fixed my water stoppage/light dimming problem. I'm not sure what type of pump I have, but it is contained inside the concrete cover of the well. Should I be concerned about the low maximum pressure or should I just let it be? Is the 2 minute cycle time too long?

Thanks,

Al