HOW CHECKING FOR PRESSURE TANK PROBLEMS CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

Why You Should Care About Pressure Tank Problems

Pressure tanks are responsible for taking most of the work off the hands of the submerged water pump in your well. The pressure tank holds a certain amount of water for immediate use in your household. When you turn on the shower, this is where your water is directly coming from.

The water in the pressure tank minimizes how often the well pump has to turn it on. The less the well pump has to turn on, the less wear and tear it will accumulate. Replacing a well pump can be extremely expensive, so it’s important to make sure the pressure tank remains in good working condition so it keeps the well pump from working too hard.

Most pressure tanks have what is called a “bladder” inside. This bladder regulates the pressure and water in the tank and pushes the water through the pipes in your water system when you turn on a faucet or appliance. If this bladder ruptures, then water rushes into the bladder and pressure decreases in the pressure tank. This will trigger the water pump to turn on and off more frequently and more inconsistently.

This is an issue because water pumps are designed to turn on and off in a consistent manner. The rapid turning on and off will cause too much wear and tear and decrease its lifespan. Once the pump goes, there will be no more water running through your house, and your repair bill will be frighteningly high (replacing a water well pump can cost up to $2,000 depending on who installs it).

Prevent This Problem By Checking Your Pressure Tank

You can avoid this problem completely with routine checks on your pressure tank. Before you call a water well professional, you can do this quick test to check the function of your pressure tank. Before you perform this test, find out whether your tank functions off a 30/50 psi setting or 40/60 psi setting.

1. First grab a stopwatch (or use the timer on your smartphone) and find someone to help you.
2. Your helper will stand at the faucet while you’re checking the pressure tank.
3. Find the pressure tank gauge on the bottom of the tank. The gauge will have a psi meter that fluctuates between 5-10 psi.
4. Have your helper turn on the nearest faucet for a few minutes as you observe the pressure gauge. Watch the needle slowly move to the low setting.
5. When it hits the low setting, start your timer. Stop the timer when the needle hits the high setting. Then note how many seconds it took to reach the top. If it took less than one minute, then you have a problem with your pressure tank.

Once you perform the test and you see that the gauge moves from low to high in under a minute, call your water well professional to take a look, as it is most likely that you will need a new pressure tank. But don’t let this stress you out! A pressure tank is much more affordable than a water well pump, so you will be saving quite a bit of money and the headaches that come with those big bills. Your water well professional can discuss different pressure tank options with you based on the needs of your household.