How the Well Tank Affects Building Water Pressure & Flow InspectAPedia® -
How to diagnose loss of water pressure or loss of water in a building
How to decide if water pump replacement is needed
How to decide if water tank replacement is necessary
Typical cost of various well, pump, and water tank repairs.
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This article describes how the water pressure tank or "well tank" affects water pressure and flow in a building - part of diagnosing bad or lost water pressure. The basics process of diagnosis and the costs of the repair are explained. Consumer advice on saving money on well repair costs
includes a review of the parts and labor costs of a typical well pump and pressure tank replacement case. Page to sketch is courtesy of Carson Dunlop.
How might a bad water pressure tank be related to water pressure or water supply loss symptoms
A bad or defective water pressure tank or water tank bladder can cause well pump short cycling which in turn is hard on the pump (damages the pump) and, especially with an older pump, might push it over the edge of failure.
When the water pump fails the building will lose water supply completely (unless it is served by an artesian well). Our photo (left) shows a Well-X-Trol internal-bladder well tank installed below a one-line jet pump.
A leaky or defective steel or glass-lined well tank (tanks without an internal bladder) often loses its air charge and leads to short on-cycles of the water pump. Water tank problems can also lead to poor water pressure or flow in a building.
At WATER TANK LIFE EXPECTANCY we discuss about how long you can expect various types of well tanks or water tanks to last.
At WATER TANK PRESSURE CALCULATIONS we get very detailed about how the peformance of a water tank might be affected by extremes in temperature to which the tank is exposed.
Putting your well tank in hot sun in Arizona or Mexico will give different performance than you can expect from the same tank in a building interior and different again from a tank exposed to sub-zero weather in parts of Canada or northern states of the U.S. Adjustments to the well tank's air charge or operating pressure may be needed.
A water pump might be at end of its life and about to burn up but still work after a cool-down cycle (some pumps have a thermal overload that shuts them off and an automatic reset - especially one that is inaccessible such as a submersible).
In this case water pressure and supply will return after the cool-down problem but the failure is likely to be recurrent. This is not a problem with the well tank.
Here is a list of well and water pressure diagnostic steps that might help decide if the problem is with the well tank or something else:
Bad or No water pressure? See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR for a step by step detailed guide to diagnosing and correcting bad water pressure or total loss of water pressure. Before changing a water pump or control, we need to know why the water pressure or water flow is poor. Also see our separate WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE in summary table form.
Details on how to repair the water pump pressure control switch are discussed at How to Repair the Water Pump Pressure Control SwitchThe illustration at page top is courtesy of Carson Dunlop, Inc. in Toronto.
How to boost water pressure in a building by installing a pressure booster pump and pressure tank is discussed in detail at WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER PUMP
How to Adjust Water Pump Pressure: The detailed, step by step procedure for inspecting and adjusting the water pressure control switch is
discussed in detail at ADJUST PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL.
Diagnosing Water Pump Short Cycling on and off: If your water pump is clicking on and off too often or quite rapidly see SHORT CYCLING.
Diagnosing Water Pressure Drops without explanation when the pump stops, see Water Pressure Falls Slowly, Erratic Pumping: bad pressure control switch, building water running or leak, bad pressure gauge, bad check valve, bad foot valve.
Diagnosing & Repairing Poor or Lost Water Pressure and Flow: we still have water flowing but pressure and flow quantity are reduced. See WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
Diagnosing & Repairing a Water Pressure Control or Water Pump Control Switch: We discuss diagnosing and repairing a water pressure control switch that sticks "on" or "off" or simply won't operate, at water pump Pressure Switch Repairs.
How to boost water pressure in a building by installing a pressure booster pump and pressure tank is discussed in detail at WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER PUMP
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Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, has permitted our use of the well and water pump system used at the top of this and some other pages at our 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/
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