What PSI should be in my well expansion tank?

[CobyRupert]

It might leak down over days or weeks too. There are a various levels of quality in these bladder tanks, and many of the lower cost tanks have bladders that develop slow leaks (pin holes) as they deteriorate. I was surprised to read about many failures in less than 5 years. My last tank lasted 12 I think, and that was a higher quality tank.
A slow leak can give you time to decide when and what you want for a replacement.

Right. In fact a bladder with holes works fine IF you had a way to replenish the air that slowly dissolves into the water over time (days/weeks).
My mom’s tank has no bladder, but it does have a air volume control (ACV) valve that replenishes dissolved air.

 

[radios1]

Most switches are either 30/50 or 40/60. Ours is 30/50, which I like because it uses less water. Being on a well using less water is important and we really don't notice any difference.

then you have a leak somewhere if you use less water at the lower pressure, you should check your piping!. think about this, if a tub holds 50 gallons of water, how much less is used to fill it at that lower pressure?. how about watering your lawn?. if you want to water your lawn with 1/2" of water, how much less will you need to use at 50 PSI, vs. 60 PSI?.. please let me know, because this is something I never heard of!..

 

[CobyRupert]

then you have a leak somewhere if you use less water at the lower pressure, you should check your piping!. think about this, if a tub holds 50 gallons of water, how much less is used to fill it at that lower pressure?. how about watering your lawn?. if you want to water your lawn with 1/2" of water, how much less will you need to use at 50 PSI, vs. 60 PSI?.. please let me know, because this is something I never heard of!..

30/50 should be liked because the pump turns on fewer times for your examples....but takes longer to complete them.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

then you have a leak somewhere if you use less water at the lower pressure, you should check your piping!. think about this, if a tub holds 50 gallons of water, how much less is used to fill it at that lower pressure?. how about watering your lawn?. if you want to water your lawn with 1/2" of water, how much less will you need to use at 50 PSI, vs. 60 PSI?.. please let me know, because this is something I never heard of!..

Things like showering, hand washing, teeth-brushing will take less water at lower pressure because the fixture will have a lower flow. Things that take a constant amount of water -- toilet flushing, dishwasher, washing machine -- will still use the same amount, they just might take a little longer.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Thanks for the responses.

So it seems I first need to open a faucet and watch the "cut-in" and "cut-out" pressures when the pump cycles on and off. That was I know the cut-in pressure, regardless of what is printed on the cover of the switch (in case it was previously adjusted.)

Then drain the entire system, and test the psi in the tank. If it is anything different than 2psi below the cut-in pressure, adjust it to be 2 psi below cut-in pressure. Then wait 15 minutes, and re-test the pressure to see if any leaked down?

You don't have to drain the entire system, just enough to get the water pressure to zero at the tank. Usually there will be a shutoff valve between the tank and the rest of the house. If you close that you can drain the tank and leave the rest of the house full.

 

[turnkey4099]

I noticed the kitchen faucet was pulsing water, and pressure seemed a little low. Usual house pressure is 60psi but I don't know what it is right now as my gauge failed.

I checked the expansion tank at the well. It had about 45psi in it. So I pumped it up to 60 psi and it seems to have fixed the pulsation problem. Is there any rule of thumb about how much pressure to run?

If it hasn't already been mentined, it sounds as if your pump is 'short cycling' and will be destoyed very soon. If you have a non-bladder tank, you have lost your pre=-charge. 2 lb below cut-in. Ifyour high 60, you low should be 40 and pre-charge 38.

 

[turnkey4099]

Guess they don't make 'em like they used to. Haven't had to deal with pumps in the last almost 15 years since we get enough pressure from gravity alone here (well is on a hill behind the house, probably 20-25 feet higher), but the tank & bladder were still good at my previous place when I sold it in '06. I'd installed the pump and tank new in the late 70s. I wanna say it was from Sears.
Only thing I ever replaced was the pressure switch. Thought I'd be clever and replace the original 20/40 with a 30/50 to get a little more pressure, but the pump couldn't do much more than 40 psi. Definitely not city water pressure, but adequate.
Both places had shallow wells, not artesians.

That is the wonder of a bladder tiype tank over the old 'air bubble' style. You still need the air bubble but it is now locked off fro the water and will lose pressure very slowly. My tank was changed to the new style over 20 years ago and no problems ...yst. One is still bupposed to check the precharge occasionally though. In a non-bladder, the air is gradually absorbed by the water and leaves the tank whit the water.

 

[turnkey4099]

30/50 should be liked because the pump turns on fewer times for your examples....but takes longer to complete them.

Mine is 30/50 but I have been considering changing to 40-60. A lot of the impulse sprinklers do not run well at the low end of the pressure range at 30/50.

 

[plowhog]

Most sprinklers I have looked at recommend 40psi minimum. If you shop around you can find them rated below that.

 

[radios1]

Things like showering, hand washing, teeth-brushing will take less water at lower pressure because the fixture will have a lower flow. Things that take a constant amount of water -- toilet flushing, dishwasher, washing machine -- will still use the same amount, they just might take a little longer.

when I had a low flow shower head, it took me at least twice as long to shower, so that didn't work out!..