Water Tank Pressure Gauges, Location, Use, Repair InspectAPedia® -
Water tank pressure gauges, how to find, repair, use water pressure gauges on private wells and water tanks
How to repair or replace a broken or clogged water pressure gauge
How to use the water pressure gauge to diagnose well and pump problems: leaks, lost pressure, short cycling well pump, bad water pressure in the building, bad check valve or foot valve - yep, this gauge can help debug several well and pump problems.
Questions & answers about finding, using, diagnosing, repairing, or replacing water pressure gauges on private well systems.
This article describes the location, use, and operation water tank pressure gauges, how to read, use, repair or replace water pressure gauges. We discuss water pressure gauge location, accuracy, and uses on water well pump and tank systems. A well pump gauge can help diagnose a variety of well and pump problems including leaks, bad check valves, bad well pumps and more.
InspectAPedia offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
InspectAPedia.com/Contact.htm.
In this photo the water tank pressure gauge is visible mounted on a special brass fitting which is in turn
connected to the bottom of the water pressure tank.
The water tank pressure gauge is showing about 37 PSI.
Note that
water tank pressure gauges give a general idea of the water pressure measured at the water tank, and that
the pressure shown on the gauge will normally drop down to the "pump cut-in pressure" at which point
the water pump should start operating, and the gauge pressure will then rise up
to the pump "cut out pressure" when the water pump stops.
Water Pressure Indicator Gauge Accuracy
Typical residential water system pressure gauges found at the water tank or water pump are only approximate and are not lab instrument
grade, but the water pressure gauge is a very helpful diagnostic when you're diagnosing a loss of water pressure
or pump operating problem as well as when you're adding air to a water tank. See WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY for details.
How to Repair or Replace the Water Pressure Indicator Gauge on a Water Tank or Pump
How to Replace a Broken Water Pressure Gauge, or How to Correct A Water Pressure Gauge that Reads too High or Too Low
If the water pressure gauge glass is broken or missing, if the gauge is visibly rusty or
damaged, or if the gauge simply stops changing what it indicates despite the water system pressure changing
(in other words the pressure shown on the gauge never changes) you should replace the gauge itself.
The well pump is turned off, pressure is drained from the system (you do not have to let all of
the water out of the tank, just be prepared for a little spillage). Then the new water pressure gauge is prepared
for installation (make sure the gauge bottom threads match those of the old unit being replaced as
diameters vary from 1/4" to 1/2").
Turn off power to the water pump and drain most or all water pressure from the system.
Have at hand a new water pressure gauge of the proper pressure sensing range - and be sure that the pipe thread diameter of the gauge mounting base is the same as that on the old gauge so that you won't also need an adapter to mount the new gauge in the old position.
Prepare the new pressure gauge mounting threads by wrapping with teflon tape or applying pipe joint sealing compound - keep the compound away from the opening at the bottom of the gauge through which water passes, or you may clog your new gauge early. We put our teflon tape or pipe dope on the new gauge threads before trying to remove the old gauge. Then the old gauge is removed by using a wrench
on the brass fitting at the bottom of the gauge.
Use a wrench on the brass base of the old gauge to unscrew it. DO NOT try to remove a water pressure gauge
by twisting the gauge body itself - you'll just break it off and you may get cut or start a water leak.
Remove the old water pressure indicator gauge. Clean any debris around the gauge mounting hole - or water squirting out may do this for you.
Calmly screw in the new one even though water is flowing out of the gauge
mounting hole. Screw in the new gauge first by hand to be sure that you are threading it correctly don't "cross" thread the gauge into the mounting opening or it will leak. Finish tightening the water pressure gauge in place with a wrench around the brass gauge base. Tighten the new gauge carefully in position with a wrench on the gauge bottom brass
fitting. Do not over-tighten, but screw in the new gauge until there is no water leakage.
Screw in the new gauge first by hand, finishing it with a wrench around the brass gauge base. Turn pump electrical power back on. Observe new gauge pressure indications for normal operation. If you are confident that the new pressure gauge is properly installed and in good condition but water pressures are incorrect, the problem may be at the water pump pressure control itself.
Questions & Answers regarding this article
Questions & answers about finding, using, diagnosing, repairing, or replacing water pressure gauges on private well systems.
Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
Water Supply & Drain Piping, Wells, Pumps, Water Supply Equipment
Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Moorabbin Office: Kingston Trade Centre, 100 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
Australian supplier of: Greywater systems, Solar power to grid packages, Edwards solar systems, Vulcan compact solar systems, water & solar system pumps & controls, and a wide rage of above ground & under ground water storage tanks: concrete, steel, plastic, modular, and bladder storage tanks.
Cheating on water tests: Testing Water for Real Estate Transactions - make sure your water test is valid
Smart Tank, Installation Instructions [ copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] - , Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf
Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation [ copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect_Jet_Pumps_1.pdf ] - , Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation [ copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect.pdf ] - , Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
Water Fact Sheet #3, Using Low-Yielding Wells [ copy on file as /water/Low_Yield_Wells_Penn_State.pdf ] - , Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air, stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals.
Potable Aqua® emergency drinking water germicidal tablets are produced by the Wisconsin Pharmacal Co., Jackson WI 53037. 800-558-6614 pharmacalway.com
Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
"This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended." The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods.
U.S. Army Field Manual 21-10, Field Hygiene and Sanitation, 1988, web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-21-10-field-hygiene-and-sanitation.shtml The purpose of this manual is to assist individual soldiers, unit commanders, leaders and field sanitation teams in preventing disease and environmental injuries. The manual provides information on preventive medicine measures (PMM) to the individual soldier as well as essential information for the unit commander, unit leaders, and the unit field sanitation team on applying unit level PMM.
When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
Mobile View
