Well Hardware

SCB · Oct 25, 2004

Junkman,
Thanks for posting the link to your thread. Lots of good info there. One question. In your thread you seemed to say that you placed the filter between the pump and the tank to keep the sediment from damaging the bladder. But in this thread you said that it is right after the tank. Did you have a change of plans on the installatiuon? I tend to think that it is best if you can keep the sediment out of the tank. My tank fitting is about two inched up from the bottom and I don't see how I can flush the sediment that will settle to the bottom. What say you.

turnkey4099 · Oct 27, 2004

I'll try this again.

My face is red as I made a big boo-boo in my last post. Don't know where my head was but it was rather dark at the time.

Series hook-up - The common pressure tank has only one pipe that serves as both inlet and outlet. I know of no way to hook them up in series.

Harry K

ByronBob · Oct 27, 2004

Put in a holding tank like I have in my house. They come in 80 or 120 gallon sizes and will reduce the pump activity quite well.

BXMMCC · Nov 3, 2004

Put in a holding tank like I have in my house. They come in 80 or 120 gallon sizes and will reduce the pump activity quite well.
 Does the holding tank have an air bladder in it? I always had a problem understanding hydraulics; I don't know how the pump would cycle any less unless the holding tank was pressurized. Or does the pressure in the well tank take care of this?

turnkey4099 · Nov 3, 2004

( Put in a holding tank like I have in my house. They come in 80 or 120 gallon sizes and will reduce the pump activity quite well.
 Does the holding tank have an air bladder in it? I always had a problem understanding hydraulics; I don't know how the pump would cycle any less unless the holding tank was pressurized. Or does the pressure in the well tank take care of this? )

At first I thought that only one tank needs a bladder but then thought about it and now I'm not sure. Below is my first reasoning which now doesn't seem right. Two tanks (only one with a bladder) is functionally the same as one big tank.
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In an hydraulic system, the pressure (static) is equal throughout the system. One tank with a bladder is sufficient to pressurize everything. The holding tank will allow more water to be drawn before the system pressure falls to pump cut-in. The pump will also run longer before pump cut-out.

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Harry K

Dennisfly · Nov 3, 2004

I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that the holding tank would need a bladder or other means of pressurizing it or the pump would run just as often. When the volume of the air in the bladder decreases enough to lower the pressure to the pump turn on point, the pump will run. If you haven't increased the air volume, then you haven't increased the amount of water between pump activations. Therefore, a bladder or diaphragm would be required in each tank. Again, I'm not an authority, but does this make sense to anyone else?

Jimbrown · Nov 3, 2004

Me thinks there is a terminology proplem here. Tanks come in all sizes from 1 gallon to 1000's of gallons.
There are two types of pressure tanks. Captive air and bladder. The captive air tank does not have a bladder and simply traps air in the top of it to pressurize the water. A bladder tanks has a bladder that is pumped with air to provide the pressure for the turn on and off points of the pump. Normally 20-40 or 30-60. Captive air tanks are pretty much out of style, they are usually made of galvinized steel. Almost all new installs are bladder tanks wich can be steel or fiberglass. A 50 gallon bladder tank is egual to a 120 gallon captive tank. A 50 gallon bladder tank will provide approximately 36 gallons between pump on and off. A storage/holding tank is not pressureized and simply stores water. I have a 550 gallon holding tank that feeds two 50 gallon bladder tanks. If you have a 80 gallon pressure tank and add a second tank with no captive air or bladder you will still only get the amount of water that the original tank would provide between pump on and off. If you pressurize the second tank you would double the amount of water between pump on and off(assuming they are the same size). The more pressure tank that you have will increase the time between pump on and pump off which is good. You do not want your well pump cycling on and off in very short intervals. Ideally it should run several minutes each time it turns on. Mine is set to pump 120 gallons each time it turns on.

turnkey4099 · Nov 4, 2004

Yep, it is the size of the air bubble (of whatever type) that regulates the run time. One tank with a bubble, storage without will not increase drawdown before cut-in. I finally got my brain unscrewed enough to see the light.

Harry K