o.k. guys and gals, back to this water logging problem. this is an antique setting of air tank hanging and submersible pump in a dugout spring well, it is shallow. we drained the tank(huge galvanized air tank) a couple of times completely, but in a month or so it is back to its water logged state. is there another gadget that we are missing, to adjust? does the pressure switch have anything to do with this. ? we have left this alone, figuring it just was pressure regulator.........any thoughts on this????
water logging, again and again
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Kate, this problem has a solution. The easiest, but most costly, is to add a bladder tank to the system. The cheapest is a homemade modification. The modification consists of drilling a small "waste Hole" in the delivery pipe. Somewhere up hill from the pump a 1/8 inch hole can be drilled into the delivery pipe. It must be drilled to where some air can enter the pipe. A checkvale would need to be installed between the drilled hole portion of the pipe and the storage tank to prevent the storage tank from draining. This modification will let a little air enter the pipe and on startup of the pump a shot of air will be injected into the tank. Realize that you will have to drain off the water that is wasted from the 1/8 inch hole while the pump is replenishing the storage tank. A third method is to install a float switch in the storage tank and to buy an el cheapo air compressor so that when the level of water in the tank rises the switch will activate and turn the compressor on to refill the tank will the air required.
Agman is correct, they call them "snifter valves." My FIL had them on his setup. They do require maintenance to keep them unplugged. If it were me, I'd get the bladder tank. Less hassle, and you can get them pretty big now. Mine's 50 gallons.
Check this site out...
http://www.pumpsonline.com/FAQ.htm
Check this site out...
http://www.pumpsonline.com/FAQ.htm
o.k. agmantoo, that gave me something to think about, since this is a devil to get at, i would like to know more about the installation of a bladdertank, do you mean instead of the pressure tank that is there? , or an addition to it, somewhere? thanks for all the thoughts on this. k.
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Like has been said already the best thing to do is install a bladder tank. You would not need one near as big as the tank you have now.
Now if your wanting to keep what you have here is the problem. Some place you should have a device that adds a little air to the tank every time the pump runs. It is missing or is bad. It should be mounted on the tank itself and should be about 4 inch round looking thing with a line running to the pump. The pressure change of the pump running makes it work it is sort of like a air pump itself.
Finding a new one may be hard to do as no one installs them on new systems any more. Everyone used a bladder tank.
If you decide to go with a bladder tank make sure to check the air pressure in it before filling with water the first time. It should come with something on the tank or in the box that says just how much pressure it should have while empty. I can not say off hand as different brands could be different and it depends on how much pressure you run in the system as well. But the thing that says should list what to put for what your pressure will be when the pump shuts off and comes on.
Now if your wanting to keep what you have here is the problem. Some place you should have a device that adds a little air to the tank every time the pump runs. It is missing or is bad. It should be mounted on the tank itself and should be about 4 inch round looking thing with a line running to the pump. The pressure change of the pump running makes it work it is sort of like a air pump itself.
Finding a new one may be hard to do as no one installs them on new systems any more. Everyone used a bladder tank.
If you decide to go with a bladder tank make sure to check the air pressure in it before filling with water the first time. It should come with something on the tank or in the box that says just how much pressure it should have while empty. I can not say off hand as different brands could be different and it depends on how much pressure you run in the system as well. But the thing that says should list what to put for what your pressure will be when the pump shuts off and comes on.
Your tank likely has a schraeder valve (car tire valve....) on it. It also likely has a plug on the top of it. Either of these could be leaking - very slowly. Esp the tire valve.
You said the tank is 'hanging' I believe? Hopefully not horizontally? They should be vertical. Water enters & leaves very low. You don't want any more surface between the water & air than you have to - having the tank horizontal is a no-no. The furnace guy talked dad into doing that with the boiler expansion tank - bad thing.
--->Paul
You said the tank is 'hanging' I believe? Hopefully not horizontally? They should be vertical. Water enters & leaves very low. You don't want any more surface between the water & air than you have to - having the tank horizontal is a no-no. The furnace guy talked dad into doing that with the boiler expansion tank - bad thing.
--->Paul
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Yea that is it lol I have not even thought about one of them things for 20 years now.agmantoo said:
And they will work with a submersible pump as I changed one long ago on one.
I can not remember if it took a different one then a normal pump or not it has been so long ago.
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