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PLUMBING TOPICS
WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS
WATER PRESSURE REGULATOR ADJUST
WATER PRESSURE REPAIR GUIDE & COSTS
  Questions about lost water pressure
  Advice to a homeowner
  Adjusting Water Pump Pressure Control
  Right Repair to Pump & Tank?
  Well Pump & Tank Replacement Costs
  Reliability of Pump & Tank Repairs
  WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS GUIDE
WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT
  Water Pressure Intermittent
  No Water Pressure
  Well Tank relation to Water Pressure
  Shaking the Water Tank?
  Water Pressure Tank Problems
  Water Pressure Tank Diagnosis
  Water pressure Later Returns "on its own"
  Water pipe clog diagnosis
  Water pipe clog repair guide
  Making the "right" repair
  Typical Water Tank & Pump Prices
WATER PUMPS & WELL TANKS
WATER PUMP & TANK SAFETY
WATER PUMP & TANK CONTROLS & SWITCHES
  WELL PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
  WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY
WATER PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY
  WATER PUMP, ONE LINE JET
  PUMP, TWO LINE JET
  PUMP, SUBMERSIBLE
  PUMP, WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER
  PUMP & TANK REPAIRS & COSTS
  PUMP & TANK SAFETY
WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING
  SHORT CYCLING PUMP CAUSES
WATER PUMP & WATER TANK REPAIRS
WATER PRESSURE REPAIR GUIDE & COSTS
WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS GUIDE
WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPAIR
WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING
WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING
  CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS
  CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPING / Tankless Coil & Hot Water
  PIPING IN BUILDINGS
  SEWER GAS ODORS
  WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS
WATER TANK TYPES: WATER, OIL, EXPANSION, ALL
  CAPTIVE AIR BLADDER WATER TANKS
  STEEL WATER TANKS
  BIG WATER STORAGE TANKS
  OPEN WATER TANKS
WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR VOLUME CONTROLS
  WATER TANK AIR ADD AT AIR VALVE
  WATER TANK AIR ADD BY DRAINING
  WATER TANK AIR HOW MUCH TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR HOW OFTEN TO ADD
  WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR
  WATER TANK BLADDER PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT
WATER TANK LIFE EXPECTANCY
WATER TANK PRESSURE CALCULATIONS
WATER TANK REPAIRS
  CONTROLS & SWITCHES on WATER TANKS
  INTERMITTENT CYCLING WATER PUMPS
  WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING
  SHORT CYCLING DETECTION
  SHORT CYCLING CAUSES
  WATER TANK AIR LOSS SIGNS
WATER TANK REPLACEMENT
WATER TANK SIZE & VOLUME
WATER TANKS HOW THEY WORK
WATER SOFTENERS
WATER TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT
WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS
  WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES
  WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY
  WELL PIPING CHECK VALVES
  WELL PIPING FOOT VALVES
  WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
  WELL SHOCKING GUIDE
WINTERIZE A BUILDING

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Signs of Air Loss from a Home Water Tank
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Signs that a water tank has lost its air charge - guide to correcting a waterlogged pressure tank
  • How to diagnose & correct short cycling "on-off" of the building water pump
  • Well pump & water tank diagnosis & repair procedures
Our site 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/appointment.htm.

This article describes how to diagnose the loss of and need for air in a water tank, how to add air to a building water pressure tank, and how to detect and correct air and water leaks in a building water supply system where a private well is the water source. We also discuss how to adjust the building water pressure by setting the cut-in and cut-out pressure on the pump pressure control switch.

Several alternative procedures for adding air to a water pressure tank are described below along with advice about what to do when things go wrong, such as finding air and water leaks. Readers of this document should also see Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case which offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost. The illustration at page top is courtesy of Carson Dunlop, Inc. in Toronto.

© 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links 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.

SIGNS OF AIR LOSS - What are the signs of loss of air in the water tank

Waterlogged water pressure tank schematic (C) Carson Dunlop

  • Short Cycling of the Water Pump: If you hear the pump cycling on and off every few seconds, or if you see the water pressure squirting in short bursts at the water tap, the pressure tank needs air. Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop.

  • Condensate marks or line on the water tank: If on the outside of a water pressure tank the line of condensation is in upper 70% of tank (or higher than the normal condensate stains if such marks are visible on the tank) then there is not a large remaining air reserve. The water pressure tank probably needs or will soon need air.

    Technical notes: here we discuss two basic cases of water pressure tank problems that can result in water pump short cycling:

    1. Too little air in the water pressure tank: Unless you live in a climate where there is never condensation on the exterior of the water tank, normally the (lower) portion of the tank that contains water will be cooler than the upper tank, causing the condensation of water onto the tank surface.

    If the condensate line is high on the water tank this means it's filling up with water and there is not enough air charge. (Air resides at the top of the pressure tank and water in the tank bottom.) (Water Tanks in Dry Climates: if you live in an arid climate like Arizona in the U.S. or San Miguel de Allende in Mexico you may not ever see condensation on the water tank regardless of other factors.)

    Conventional steel water pressure tanks that do not use an internal bladder to separate their air charge from the water in the tank will normally lose air by absorption into the water over time. The rate of air loss, if no leaks are present, depends on the amount of water used and on how well any automatic air volume control is working.

    A water pressure tank that has lost its air charge is called a waterlogged tank or water-logged pressure tank. We can add air back to the tank pretty easily (described below at WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD) but we'll also want to know why the tank lost its air charge.

    Bladder type or "captive air" water tanks do not normally need to have makeup air added. If you are experiencing water pump short cycling problems with bladder-type water tanks and the problem is not in the pump control or water piping, the problem may be traced to a failure of the bladder itself - a component that may be replaceable. See WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR for details.

    2. Not enough water in the pressure tank: If your water pressure tank never shows any condensation, perhaps that's because no water or not enough water is entering the water pressure tank. This is the opposite problem from a water tank that has lost its air charge. We've found this uncommon case (of no water in the water tank) when the tank was defective, the pipe into the tank was clogged, or the tank was overcharged with too much air pressure. If there is too much air in the water pressure tank, this problem is usually self-correcting - the excess air leaves the tank through the supply piping to the building.

    But if the entry to the tank is blocked, or if the water-containing rubber bladder in a "captive air" water tank is defective (it can become stuck to itself and remain collapsed), the result can be a rapid on-off short cycling of the water pump. We test water pressure tanks to see if they're empty or nearly empty of water by seeing if we can rock or move the tank. If the tank is heavy with water it does not move easily. Be careful not to jiggle and break a pipe!

  • Water pressure surging at the sink or tub faucets: If you see the water pressure spurting or changing between good pressure and weak pressure every 5-20 seconds, the water pump is turning on and off to rapidly, and something's amiss in the system. Even if the total draw down cycle (from time the pump cut off until it cuts back on) is a minute, your system may be short cycling or close to it.

  • Pump relay clicking rapidly: If the actual water pump or well pump is located in the well or outside in a well pit rather than inside the building, you won't hear the pump turning on and off. However at the pressure tank is a pressure switch which senses the water pressure and turns the pump on (at low pressure, typically 20 psi or 30 psi) and off at the end of the pump cycle (at high pressure, typically 40 psi or 50 psi). If the relay is clicking on and off every few seconds the pump is short cycling and something's amiss in the system.

  • Effects of ambient air temperature on water tank and pump control operation are not normally any concern whatsoever, but in the off chance that your water tank is installed in an unusually hot or cold location, you'll want to review The mathematics to calculate exactly how much difference a given air pressure or air volume change makes inside a water tank is presented in our companion article Water Tank Pressure Calculations.

If your water supply problem is not described by the symptoms above the issue may with the building piping, fixtures, or the well's ability to deliver water over a sustained time - the well yield. In this case see the diagnostic guide starting at WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS GUIDE

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PLUMBING TOPICS
OIL TANKS
SEPTIC SYSTEMS
WATER PRESSURE REGULATOR ADJUST
WATER PRESSURE REPAIR GUIDE & COSTS
WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS GUIDE
WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPAIR
  WATER PRESSURE REGULATOR ADJUST
WATER PUMPS & WELL TANKS
WATER PUMP CONTROLS & SWITCHES
WATER PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY
WATER PUMP & TANK SAFETY
WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING
WATER TANK TYPES: WATER, OIL, EXPANSION, ALL
  CAPTIVE AIR BLADDER WATER TANKS
  STEEL WATER TANKS
  BIG WATER STORAGE TANKS
  OPEN WATER TANKS
WATER TANK LIFE EXPECTANCY
WATER TANK REPAIRS
  CONTROLS & SWITCHES on WATER TANKS
  INTERMITTENT CYCLING WATER PUMPS
  WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING
  SHORT CYCLING DETECTION
  SHORT CYCLING CAUSES
  WATER TANK AIR LOSS SIGNS
WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR VOLUME CONTROLS
  WATER TANK AIR ADD AT AIR VALVE
  WATER TANK AIR ADD BY DRAINING
  WATER TANK AIR HOW MUCH TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR HOW OFTEN TO ADD
WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR
WATER TANK REPLACEMENT
WATER TANK BLADDER PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT
WATER TANK PRESSURE CALCULATIONS
WATER TANK SIZE & VOLUME
WATER TANKS HOW THEY WORK
WATER TESTING
WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS

  • Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
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PLUMBING TOPICS
WATER PRESSURE REPAIR GUIDE & COSTS
WATER PUMPS & WELL TANKS
WATER TESTING
WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES
WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS

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