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Cliff Rohrabacher
07-12-2009, 11:57 AM
My water pump is cycling more than I recall it doing before.

It does it whenever the water is running which only sort of make sense but it seems to be on and off more than it should. I am wondering if My WELTROLL unit may be dead or under pressure Is there a way to check it?

Tommy Curtiss
07-12-2009, 1:27 PM
The water well guy told me their should be no water in the pressure tank at all,,he said the air bladder takes up "space" for "extended presure" if you know what I mean,, so the pump doesn't run as long, so he said you could just tap on in to see if it had water in it,, and if it does, you need a new one. He did this on mine about nine months after drilling my well,he installed a bigger pump for me for a sprinkler system, he checked mine and replaced mine under warranty for free

James Rambo
07-12-2009, 2:14 PM
Turn off the well pump and release all the water pressure. Using a tire pressure gauge check the pressure in the bladder tank, it should be 1 or 2 lbs. less than the turn on pressure for the pump. If there is no pressure in the bladder tank than that is your proublem, replace it. If much more that the 1 or 2 lbs. less, then put air in to the tank until the 1 or 2 lbs. less is reached.

Michael Wetzel
07-12-2009, 5:22 PM
It could be a bad check valve (foot valve) down at the pump.

Steve Rozmiarek
07-12-2009, 5:28 PM
Pressure tanks can also fill up with sand. If that happens, they need replaced. I disagree with the no water in the tank idea. The well will pump between 40 and 70 psi, depending where the pressure switch is set. To have no water in the tank during operation would mean that you need that much air pressure in there, which would defeat the purpose of the pressure tank. I've always run them so that the water level is about half of the capacity of the tank. 99.9% of the time with a well that cycles too much, the air is low.

You don't have to remove all of the pressure either, if the air fill is at the top of the tank. Just open a faucet somplace and pump it up. If the schrader valve is on the water supply line, you will need to dump water. Most current tanks have a bladder though, so they fill at the top.

David G Baker
07-12-2009, 6:16 PM
Steve,
I agree with you on the water in the pressure tank, why would a tank be needed if it wasn't designed to hold water and maintain pressure.

Jerry Bruette
07-12-2009, 8:51 PM
Cliff

If you have a bladder tank and water comes out of the shrader valve (valve on air side of tank) when depressed your tank is kapoot.:(

If pump cycles when nobody is using water you have a system leak. Check your toilets for leaks or it could be your check valve. If you have a shallow well pump and the check valve is bad the pump will lose it's prime, with a submersible pump it'll still pump. On a rare occasion it could be the o-rings on the pitless fitting if you're required to have one.

You need an air cushion in the tank, whether it's a bladder or older style, because you can't compress a liquid--water--but you can compress a gas--air. The air cushion gives your system pressure when the pump isn't running.

The air cushion should be about 2psi less than the cut in pressure setting on your switch. Make sure the tank has no water pressure in it when you set the bladder pressure. If you have water pressure your air pressure reading won't be correct.

Good Luck
Jerry

Bob Rufener
07-13-2009, 9:38 AM
I had a similar problem this past winter. My well pump was cycling on when there was no water running. First, check to make sure your toilets are running or any faucet is dripping or leaking. If all is ok, another problem may be in your well. Either a check valve or, as in my case, a leaking O ring. The well people had to pull the pump and replace the O ring.

Good luck!

Cliff Rohrabacher
07-14-2009, 10:49 AM
hmmm opinion all over the map.

It bears noting that it's only when the water is running that I notice the cycling.

in the OP

It does it whenever the water is running which only sort of make sense but it seems to be on and off more than it should. I am wondering if My WELTROLL unit may be dead or under pressure Is there a way to check it?

Lee Schierer
07-14-2009, 10:55 AM
hmmm opinion all over the map.

It bears noting that it's only when the water is running that I notice the cycling.

in the OP

Quick test. Turn the power to your pump off. Then open a facucet at some level of the house above teh pump and tank and time how long the water comes out with any sort of pressure. If you can collect the water and measure how much it will tell you if your welltroll is working or not. You should get about half as much water as the total volume of your pressure tank.

If you get no or very little water when you open the faucet then your welltrol is bad and your pressure tank is water logged. Solutions vary according to the exact type of system you have.

Cliff Rohrabacher
07-15-2009, 3:44 PM
Quick test. Turn the power to your pump off. Then open a facucet at some level of the house above teh pump and tank and time how long the water comes out with any sort of pressure. If you can collect the water and measure how much it will tell you if your welltroll is working or not. You should get about half as much water as the total volume of your pressure tank.

If you get no or very little water when you open the faucet then your welltrol is bad and your pressure tank is water logged. Solutions vary according to the exact type of system you have.

Gotta try that.

Reed Wells
07-15-2009, 4:44 PM
Cliff, I had the exact same prob. Mine as soon as a demand for water was there, it would cycle on and off until the demand was eliminated. My no good, no it all, yankee brother in law told me the tank was waterlogged. Ya right. So what the heck, I shut the system down, drained the water out of the tank, hooked it back up and blew some air into it. Da--ed if it didnt work. I guess I will have to let him keep sleeping with my sister for a while. Give it a try, it might work for you. Reed

Mike Cutler
07-15-2009, 5:02 PM
Cliff

You're short cycling the pump. Most likely the tank and switch need to be checked.
There is normally water in the tank, You have my word on that. What shouldn't be happening is that there is water in the bladder, or the top of the tank. The tank is your system head and surge volume, it's purpose is to reduce the cycling of the pump, and decrease rapid pressure drops. Which is what you are seeing now.
Checking a tank is an easy task to do. Lee's check is a quickie, but a good one. I'd have a 5 gallon bucket or two on hand though if you do it in the house;). I have a 35 gallon tank, so,,,,,,
Here is Amtrol, or Well X-trol's website. Click on the installation/operation PDF in the lower right of the page. It will give you the info you need. The basics are the same for just about any tank, maybe setpoints are different.

http://www.amtrol.com/wellxtrol.htm

Paul Atkins
07-16-2009, 1:43 AM
There are two kinds of bladders too. One is like a balloon and the other is just a diaphragm set into the tank. The balloon type can be replaced if broken but it is a real pain. Seems to me the pump pumps up to pressure too fast and then goes off then quickly comes on when the pressure drops - not enough air.

Cliff Rohrabacher
10-20-2009, 11:19 AM
Well thanks to all you gentle foilk I am the proud owner of a kapoot hydraulic accumulator (pump tank).

It's an Amtrol unit with an iron elbow at the bottom and about 24" diameter and 36-48" long

Thoughts I've had about how to recycle this include:
A little charring grill for the pool area.
A metal smelting furnace.
An "egg" style cooker.
Something to keep the recycler guy busy for a couple minutes.

David G Baker
10-20-2009, 4:56 PM
Cliff,
Cut the tank in half and make a couple of wind chimes out of it. Your neighbors will love you.

Cliff Rohrabacher
10-20-2009, 7:34 PM
Cliff,
Cut the tank in half and make a couple of wind chimes out of it. Your neighbors will love you.

HA HA HA HA BONGGGGGGG BONGGGGGGGG BONGGGGGGGG
I may just do that.