well pressure and....

[Richard]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( i did put the filter between the pump and the tank )</font>


Just my .02 here, I asked my well driller where I should put my filter and he in no uncertain terms told me to NOT put it between pump and tank. I never asked why, but I speculate his thinking was the pump could burst the filter with unregulated pressure, where-as if I put the filter AFTER the tank, it would get no more than "household pressure".

Just my .02.. if I'm wrong, I'll happily refund back to you, TWICE your monthly TBN subscription charges /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Richard

 

[farmerpsv]

Heck Richard,
now there's a thought /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. with such a guarantee, i can't lose /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. looks like i have some work to do.
paul

 

[WVBill]

Paul:

'coupe of thoughts:

The red color you are seeing in your filter and fixtures may be clay sediment not rust. The fact that you said your fixtures aren't getting rust stains leads me to that conclusion. I have a lot of red clay sediment in my well water and my water tested very low for rust so that's been my experience.

I put my filters (two parallel whole-house) in line after my pressure tank and before my water softner. One reason is that it let me tap off the outside faucets before the filters so I'm not filtering water that just goes back into the ground watering the lawn.

If you're still getting red stuff in the house it could be that it's still being flushed out of the tank, pipes, faucet screens, etc. Take off the little screens at your faucet fixtures and clean the red gunk out of them.

Your idea of how the bladder works is pretty close. This link to Flexcon , a well tank manufacturer gives a good illustration of how a bladder tank operates. The bladder separates the air and water in the tank. Because the bladder is flexible, the whole tank (air, and water) are at the same pressure. If the bladder ruptures, the tank will continue to work - for a while, but eventually the air will mix in with the water and go out the faucets and your tank will become water-logged. When this happens, the pump cycles on and off very quickly. Also, you will hear a lot of "gurgling" from the tank when the pump is running. (I know this because it happened to me.)

The whole purpose of the pressure tank is to keep the pump from coming on EVERY time you turn on a faucet.

On stopping the red clay sediment problem, I was told to get the well driller to come back out and raise the pump up off the bottom of the well. I never did that because we were in a drought and I wasn't sure how much raising I could do. This past winter/spring/summer we're more than 18" above average precip and I've noticed significantly less red sediment collection in my filters.

 

[farmerpsv]

WVBill,
thanks for the input. i'm still pretty sure this is rust instead of clay. it has a distinct smell, plus if it was sediment i wouldn't expect it to clarify in time...which it did before when i first bought the place. it is sounding like my tank has problems. the pump pretty much goes on immediately when i turn the water on and pressure is low,which means i may be just using the pressure from the pump. looks like the tank needs replacing? it also seems there are 2 issues, rust from two sources, the tank and the casing of the well.
paul

 

[cbh]

I think you are risking damage to your well pump by putting your filters before the bladder tank, or to be more specific, before the pressure switch. If the filters plug, the pump will not shut off, because the pressure switch after the clogged filter will not sense the rising pressure. This condition, known as "deadheading", will eventually destroy the pump. I would relocate the filter ASAP.

 

[farmerpsv]

cbh,
yep, thanks, wasn't thinking when i did that /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. my well house is rather confined, so i just stuck it in the most convenient place. i actually havn't used a filter for the 4 years i've been living there, this was just kind of a temporary fix till the water clarified. still, i want this to be right before the new owners take possession of the place. they did an inspection and nothing was picked up, maybe i'm just going overboard, i just want to make sure.
paul

 

[Molerj]

Hi Paul, You've got pretty good info so far. Before buying a new tank, try to drain it like I said before & recharge it. You will need to open a faucet or whatever to let air in the tank so it will drain. Remember to shut the pump off first. Use your compressor, it is easier than a hand pump. If your cut-in pressure is 20 lbs., charge it to 18. As for the filter, I installed the filter between the pump & the tank. I was trying to capture the rusty stuff (iron) before it went to the tank. In my case, my pressure switch is located on the pump (this is a jet pump), so if the filter would plug solid (it never has) the pump would still shut off. Haven't had any problems with it since(20 yrs.). I also have a fiberglass tank which is probably twice as much $ as a steel tank. Let us know how you make out.

 

[kiphorn]

I just moved into my house and have a well for the first time. I had a "problem" with the pressure petering out before the pump kicked on but I solved that by correcting the pressure in the air tank.

I still have poor pressure at my outside faucet. The inside faucets are fine. The cut in/out is 40/60. I'm not sure what the pressure was when I had city water but it seemed higher than what i have now.

What could be up with my outside faucets?

Kip

 

[Molerj]

Hi Kip, the reason your pressure seems lower with the well water is probably because of the drop in pressure to 40 lbs. until the pump kicks on & slowly builds back up. With your city water the pressure is more or less constant, probably around 50 to 60 lbs. As for the pressure problem with the outside faucets, I would suspect a restriction in the line or they may have branched off to the outside faucets with a smaller line (but I doubt that). I have also had a valve that would not let the full flow thru do to corrosion or faulty valve. I would shut off the line to the outside faucet, remove the valve & see what kind of flow comes out of the line. Hope this helps out.

 

[DavidJ]

<font color="blue"> What could be up with my outside faucets? </font>

I've bought a few outside faucets that had a very small opening even when fully opened. They would only let a trickle through. You should pull one and check for obstructions and the actual valve design.