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Well pressure tank

5K views 60 replies 12 participants last post by  kokosmom2 
#1 ·
I bought my house, which was built in 1978, in 2016. I share a well with my neighbor. (Why the developer did that, I have no idea). I have a big blue cylinder thing in my basement that I've been told is a well pressure tank.
I'm having a transfer switch being put into the neighbor's house and one put in my house. They will be run with generators if we lose electric. As I was talking with the electrician and deciding which of my things will be run on the switch, he said the pressure tank would go on there. But when I went to look, the pressure tank doesn't have electric now.


So I guess I want to make sure that putting in that transfer switch into the neighbor's house to run the well pump, will still give me water? I don't understand how this well and pressure tank stuff works.



Help in understanding this would be appreciated. This is the first time in my life that I have not been on city water so I know nothing.
 
#36 ·
Sounds odd that a main house supply would be on a shallow well, as would be indicated by a ground mounted pump (limited by laws of physics to around a 25 ft well depth), rather than a submersible well pump hundreds of feet deep.

Sounds like you have one pump, then a Tee, and a check valve (non-return valve), going to each house's air bladder tank.

Water in incompressible, so you need the pump to compress some air in the system to allow the pump a decent run time to build pressure and reduce the cycling you would have without the air tank.

But id the tank simply had some air in there, it would dissolve into the water and quickly dissappear (actually it would make your water fizz when it came out of the faucet). So they put the air into a rubber bladder built into the tank to isolate it from the water.
Each house then has a pressure switch on their bladder tank, that fires the start/run relay on the pump motor.

If it was me, I would power that switch from the house that powers the well. If that house loses power, the well can't run anyway, so why not have it all on one power supply, and you don't need to run a second generator just for water.
 
#38 ·
If it was me, I would power that switch from the house that powers the well. If that house loses power, the well can't run anyway, so why not have it all on one power supply, and you don't need to run a second generator just for water.


The second generator is for me. To power things in my house, not the pump. I explained this in a couple of posts above. :)
 
#44 ·
WE have a deep well, pump at 250', 45G bladder tank on top of well, and we feed 4 houses of of it. My house is actually 7-800' from the tank. While my pressure isnt like city water, it still has enough to push a stream of 3-4' out of water hose and showers work fine.
I dont really understand how that setup of yours is wired, as each tank is going to require filling at different times. I suppose wiring in 2 switches is not a problem, as a full tank cant take more water, so the other one is controlling it. Or maybe there is a switching valve in the water line, routing the water to the proper channel. I dunno, prolly over thinking it!
 
#45 ·
WE have a deep well, pump at 250', 45G bladder tank on top of well, and we feed 4 houses of of it. My house is actually 7-800' from the tank. While my pressure isnt like city water, it still has enough to push a stream of 3-4' out of water hose and showers work fine.
I dont really understand how that setup of yours is wired, as each tank is going to require filling at different times. I suppose wiring in 2 switches is not a problem, as a full tank cant take more water, so the other one is controlling it. Or maybe there is a switching valve in the water line, routing the water to the proper channel. I dunno, prolly over thinking it!

I would think there are 2 switches already wired to the pump. When my electrician gets over to their house to wire the transfer switch, maybe he will be able to tell
 
#46 ·
there is no need for two pressure switches. The entire water system is under pressure, when that pressure drops, the diaphragm in the pressure switch releases the contacts and turns the pump on, when the pressure gets to the top end the diaphragm senses the pressure and turns off the pump.

where ever in the system a faucet is opened the entire system drops in pressure that pressure drop actuates the pressure switch. There will be no check valves, if there was the neighbors pressure switch would not sense the drop in pressure.

the pressure tanks allow a cushion of capacity other wise if drawing a glass of water the pressure switch would sense the drop and turn on the pump, pump up fast and turn off and cause a short cycle.
 
#48 ·
Think of the wheel cylinders on your car. One pump supplies equal pressure to the brakes shoes on both wheels. Your pressure tanks are connected and more or less are at the same pressure - when the system pressure drops in the tank(s) the pump kick on.

2 little tanks connected are the equivalent of 1 larger tank. A larger tank is less cycling of the well pump off/on which is good.
 
#50 ·
you have a pressure tank in your home for a boost so to speak, the well driller thought that was a benefit. He figured the bladder in the pressure tank would give you some storage and would allow the pump to cycle properly. I have installed two houses on one well with one pressure tank and had great performance. Not much different than installing a big water line out to a barn. The yard hydrant is opened and the entire system drops in pressure and the pump comes on. I've not seen two pressure switches on one well in my 35 year career. I'm racking my memory and can't recall any and can't see why.
 
#51 ·
it don't know what tank to fill it only knows that the system pressure has dropped.

the system is your pressure tank, the neighbors pressure tank, the drop pipe in the well, the water line from te well to your house, the water line from the well to the neighbors house, your water lines in your house, the neighbors water lines in their house. when that system drops in pressure the well comes on and repressurize the system.


s
 
#52 ·
The tanks are connected and thus equal pressure. Say she is watering the lawn. Water comes out of both pressure tanks until the pump kicks on because the the pressure switch told it to. Water now come out of the well and goes into both pressure tanks and out the hose to the lawn. At some point the tanks are full and the pressure switch shuts off the pump. Water again leaves both pressure tanks and goes out on the lawn until the pressure drops and the switch turns on the pump... the cycle continues until no one is using water.
 
#53 ·
Well, that makes sense now. Thanks guys!


BTW, the transfer switch is installed in my house now and everything works as expected. Today starts the transfer switch install in the neighbor's house. I hope it goes as good as mine did. Now my handyman is going to make a "house" for the generator so it can stay outside
 
#54 ·
I think my bladder may be leaking. When I lost power about a week ago the tank pressure went to zero rather than my low pressure set point. However it doesn't seem to be short cycling. I guess I need to do some testing tomorrow to see how the pump is cycling. One can live with a leaking bladder if they add air occasionally.

My old tank didn't have a bladder the top pipe section in the well had a flapper valve that let the water fall out when the pump shut off. There was a Schrader valve that let air into the pipe so the water could run out. Every pump cycle would send a shot of air into the tank. The tank had a float controlled pressure release valve about halfway up the tank to keep it from getting too much air.
 
#55 ·
some of the old galvanized tanks have a control that's called a air volume control. It's installed about a third of the way down from top. Look a bit like a mushroom.


Your system may also have a leaky check valve at the pump. One way to check is to bring it up to the cut off setting and then shut the valve off to the house. Observe the gauge.
 
#56 ·
Mission accomplished! Both transfer switches are in and working and the well pump turns on when running on the generator and fills up the pressure tanks. Now all that is left is for my handyman to build a house for the portable generator so I can keep it outside.
 
#57 ·
Wi well logs - https://wgnhs.wisc.edu/water-environment/well-records/

Most states (perhaps all) have a central registry for such.

Sounds to me like a shared "Convertible Jet Pump". This is jet pump with two pipes going down the well hole to an ejector. Good to 100ft down (vs a shallow installation with the same pump/no ejector/one pipe which is good to 25ft down).

Only benefit of having two pressure tanks would be less expensive to buy 2 small than one large. But then have additional plumbing expense. No benefit of having two pressure switches that I can see. It's all one system. Contrary to early posts you now see that a shared well (very common) saves huge cost of drilling.

For TONS of good info on water supply see forum: https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php
 
#58 ·
I bought my house, which was built in 1978, in 2016. I share a well with my neighbor. (Why the developer did that, I have no idea). I have a big blue cylinder thing in my basement that I've been told is a well pressure tank.
I'm having a transfer switch being put into the neighbor's house and one put in my house. They will be run with generators if we lose electric. As I was talking with the electrician and deciding which of my things will be run on the switch, he said the pressure tank would go on there. But when I went to look, the pressure tank doesn't have electric now.
Cost. One well means only paying to drill once, and only one permit. I have seen lots of land here that has a shared well. I prefer having my own.
 
#59 ·
So, today my neighbor says that since we put the transfer switch in for the well, her water pressure is less. I know the electrician did nothing to the tank. BUT when they (neighbor and electrician) were testing the transfer switch, they turned off the breaker to the well pump, ran a faucet until there was only a trickle, then turned the breaker on on the transfer switch box. The pump then started and filled up her pressure tank cuz she had running water again.


So would that have anything to do with her water pressure being less? If so, how can I fix this? My water pressure hasn't changed at all.
 
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