Can a well pressure tank be too big?

[Brian Elfert]

My well pressure tank is only 20 gallons. Two plumbers both told me to get a bigger tank so the pump cycles less often. I have no idea what GPM the pump is as the house was bank owned.

I found a heck of a deal on an 86 gallon pressure tank brand new. It is cheaper than a new 20 gallon tank. Would an 86 gallon tank end up being too big? I have a 30/50 pressure switch now and I notice the pressure getting low right before the pump kicks in. I plan to go to a 40/60 pressure switch with a new tank. With a really big tank would the period of time when the pressure is low be a lot longer since the tank is so big? Tank manufacturers claim there is no downside to a larger tank, but of course they want to sell a bigger tank to make more money.

[Brad Adams]

I am a licensed well contractor. A bigger tank will be better for your pump as it will have less start and stop cycles. The only down side of a really big tank could be that you could pump the well faster than it could recover, but it is really unlikely.

[Jerry Bruette]

Really no need for a new switch, you can adjust the one you have for 40/60 if that's what you'd like. Just remember to adjust the air pressure above your bladder to 38 psi when the tank is empty.

[Dan Hintz]

I want to say the tank on our well is about 2 gallons in size. If we lose power, I can get a single flush in before the pressure is down to practically zero. Other than that, I don't notice it.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Do you mind sharing where you got that deal, and do they ship? Go for it. I am saving up to replace the pressure tank for my cistern. I would love to get an 80 gallon. I am going fiberglass, as the last one rusted, and it will be $550 for a 50 gallon.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have a 175 gallon tank in my house works very well. 40 to 60 psi on it

[Pat Barry]

I have a shallow ell pump with a small tank that I really want to upgrade to something like the 80 gal size. Two reasons - 1: this is at my cabin and it sure is a pain when we lose power and therefore can't pump water.. Having a bigger reservoir will be a big plus for that situation. 2: I think the current setup cycles way to often and that is hard on the pump. I know the total amount of pumping will be the same but the frequency will be a lot lower and I think that will be better for the pump and its efficiency.

[Dave Zellers]

I have a 175 gallon tank in my house works very well. 40 to 60 psi on it
Wow- I didn't even know you could do this. This would go a long way toward providing water through power outages which happen all the time here. We are always filling up buckets for flushing just in case before a storm.

[Ole Anderson]

No real downside. Go for it. Keep in mind that an 86 gallon tank with a bladder, will provide about 25 gallons of usable capacity with a 40-60 psi switch.

[Tom M King]

The last time I replaced our pump, we went with a variable speed, constant pressure Grundfos system. The tank is tiny for that system. We'd been using regular pressure switches for 35 years. The biggest problem with the regular pressure switch system was keeping a constant temperature for washing dogs. Constant pressure is Nice.

I have a system for easily pulling the pump. I have a stainless cable hooked to the submersible pump. At the well head is a cable pulley on the stainless cable. Pulley is hooked to a fairly short piece of chain. Park loader bucket over well, hook chain to chain hook on bucket. Strong climbing rope tied to stainless cable shackle, and front of truck bumper. Back truck up=pull pump. A couple of helpers handle pipe to keep from it breaking, but if it breaks it's no big deal.

[Brian Elfert]

Do you mind sharing where you got that deal, and do they ship? Go for it. I am saving up to replace the pressure tank for my cistern. I would love to get an 80 gallon. I am going fiberglass, as the last one rusted, and it will be $550 for a 50 gallon.

There is a local liquidation place that sells Home Depot returns and overstock/slow moving items. They usually sell the items for 50% to 60% of what the Home Depot price is. The price on the 86 gallon tank is $225 now. They are having a 50% off sale tomorrow morning so I hope to get the tank for $112.50 tomorrow. I am pretty sure it was never opened. The tank has been there for weeks and I was last there a week ago and it was still there. I hope it hasn't sold in the last week. It is probably way too big for most.

There is only one and they don't ship stuff.

[Pat Barry]

There is a local liquidation place that sells Home Depot returns and overstock/slow moving items. They usually sell the items for 50% to 60% of what the Home Depot price is. The price on the 86 gallon tank is $225 now. They are having a 50% off sale tomorrow morning so I hope to get the tank for $112.50 tomorrow. I am pretty sure it was never opened. The tank has been there for weeks and I was last there a week ago and it was still there. I hope it hasn't sold in the last week. It is probably way too big for most.

There is only one and they don't ship stuff.
Where is this place Brian? What's the name?

[Brian Elfert]

Where is this place Brian? What's the name?

I didn't give the name so I don't lose out on my deal. It is MN Home Outlet in Burnsville just off of Hwy 13 and 35W. mnhomeoutlet.com They advertise all kinds of stuff on Craigslist. I search for MN Home Outlet Burnsville to find their listings on Craigslist.

Some of the stuff is absolutely brand new from Home Depot, but most was returned to Home Depot. They claim to test everything and offer a 14 return policy only if defective, but I suspect for a lot of stuff they have no way to test. They have things like GFI outlets that have "bad" written on them yet they sell them. How could they possibly properly test a GFI outlet? They usually have piles of returned chain saws. Some of the chain saws look like they got used for one tree and then returned as defective. They had a brand new roll of indoor/outdoor carpet marked at $100 that I offered $50 for and they took it. I usually buy that carpet for 42 cents per square foot at Home Depot, but I paid around 9 cents per square foot.

Their appliances are damaged way beyond just scratch and dent in most cases. They often have major damage to them, but they say they all still work. I saw one french door refrigerator damaged so badly the doors wouldn't close. I probably would never buy an appliance there unless it for a deer shack or something.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

So how'd it go? Was it still there?

[Brian Elfert]

So how'd it go? Was it still there?

No, I missed out on the 86 gallon tank. I ended up getting a 44 gallon for $70 still sealed in the box. Some people had been at the store Friday evening to scout things out and they said they had seen the 86 gallon tank a couple of hours before store closing. I went to straight to well tank section this morning when the store opened and I didn't even see any empty hole where the 86 gallons tank had been. I don't know what happened to it.

The place was a total zoo. They opened at 6 am. I got there about two minutes before the doors opened. The line to get in was across the parking lot with at least 100 people in front of me. You would think I would have seen someone with the 86 gallon tank as the thing is huge. I also bought a whole bunch of drawer pulls for 50 cents each. I looked them up when I got home and they sell for $6.97 each at Home Depot!

[Mike Cutler]

Brian

Too bad about the 86 gallon tank, but in all honesty the 44 gallon should work just fine for you. At $70.00 bucks, it's a steal. From a maintenance perspective it will be a little easier to check and de-pressurize the bladder when necessary.
Don't change the pressure switch settings unless you find a real need. 30/50, with a 44 gallon reserve head inventory is more than adequate.
Check the bladder pressure on the new tank and make sure it's pressurized correctly prior to installation. For a 30 PSI "CUT IN" pressure, it should be about 26-28PSI.

[Brian Elfert]

The reason I want to increase the pressure is it should make my reverse osmosis system work better with more pressure. I hate to replace something that works, but a new pressure switch is only $13 at Menards.

[Mike Cutler]

The reason I want to increase the pressure is it should make my reverse osmosis system work better with more pressure. I hate to replace something that works, but a new pressure switch is only $13 at Menards.

Ahhh. Then you'll definitely need to check the bladder pressure.

[Ole Anderson]

I am going to check again, but my son just bought a HUD house to flip that has twin 20 gallon tanks and the switch seems to be set 50-70 psi, but it appears to have a lawn sprinkler run off of it also. What bladder pressure should it be set for, about 45 psi?

[Curt Harms]

The reason I want to increase the pressure is it should make my reverse osmosis system work better with more pressure. I hate to replace something that works, but a new pressure switch is only $13 at Menards.

Is your current pressure switch adjustable? I thought most were, usually two nuts on threaded shafts compressing springs. But then I haven't dealt with well systems for years.

[Brian Elfert]

Is your current pressure switch adjustable? I thought most were, usually two nuts on threaded shafts compressing springs. But then I haven't dealt with well systems for years.

It might be. I have no idea how to properly set the PSI if it is adjustable. It is a standard Square D pressure switch. I suppose there might be instructions on the Internet. I already bought a new switch for $13, but I could return it.

[Jerry Bruette]

Here's how to adjust your switch. www.sta-rite.com/resources/images/13433.pdf

Be sure to adjust air pressure in bladder to 2psi lower than cut in pressure when tank has no water in it.