Well Pump Pressure Tank Fill?

[34Willys]

Bought an old house a few years back and the well has been cycling shorter and shorter as time goes by.
There is no Schrader valve at the top of the tank, just a welded on stub.

There is a Schrader valve located in the Tee where the tank is plumbed in parallel to the house supply.
I assumed this was for winterizing but maybe it's where to air up the tank?
The tank is a Medalist Manufacturing Co series 400L Rigid Perma Pressure Unit.
I have no paper work and can't find info on the web on a procedure to fill, if there is one since it's Perma-nently filled.
I'll be redesigning the system and eliminating or replacing the tank as it's rusting and slightly weeping water, but I need to irrigate and the pump is cycling constantly.
As always, thanks!
Patrick

Sorry for the large picture, not sure how to resize.

 

[steve tym]

Drain the tank, add air until you are 2 pis below turn on. Make sure the tank is empty. I don't believe there is a bladder in that tank. I think it's just a glass lined tank.

 

[Roadworthy]

Now would probably be a better time than later to replace the pressure tank if you can't get the water out of it. Eliminating it would cause your pump to cycle far more frequently. For irrigating, if you can get enough sprinkler heads on your system you may be able to set it up so the pump runs all the time - no cycling at all.

 

[ultrarunner]

Not a well, but city psi of 20 to about a dozen homes so a booster pump and stainless tank at each residence.

He didn’t know anything about the tank and now about every 4 months drains his tank to recharge with air.

Without getting air back into the tank his pump was on-off every time someone would get a glass of water…

 

[caver]

Ironic as H2o Mechanic just did a video on a well tank.

 

[34Willys]

Sorry, maybe the question was buried in the details.
I understand what needs to be done, the question was how.
Do I use the Schrader valve in the Tee? There is no other place to air up the tank.
Thanks again.
Patrick

 

[anomad]

Sorry, maybe the question was buried in the details.
I understand what needs to be done, the question was how.
Do I use the Schrader valve in the Tee? There is no other place to air up the tank.
Thanks again.
Patrick

I don't see how you could hurt anything by trying that. I would.

I also like having an excessively large pressure tank in case the power is off for a while. Good time to think about hurricane season after typing that.

 

[ponytug]

Sorry, maybe the question was buried in the details.
I understand what needs to be done, the question was how.
Do I use the Schrader valve in the Tee? There is no other place to air up the tank.
Thanks again.
Patrick

Turn the pump off, and shut the valve from the pump to the tank.
Drain the tank of water.
Then pressure up the tank with air via the scraper valve until the pressure is about the kick in pressure. I prefer to have it about 2psi below the kick in pressure, but depending on your plumbing, you may get slightly better or worse performance a few psi above or below that.

Since your tank appears not to have a bladder, it will need air periodically, as the air dissolves in the water and is slowly lost. Periodically being every couple of weeks to months, depending on your system. With bladderless systems, there is normally something that bleeds air in, such as an air bleed on the intake side of the booster pump, if you have one, or if you have a submersible shallow well pump, a vacuum breaker that lets air back into the well pipe. Lots of threads on the subject here if you poke around a bit.

All the best,

Peter

 

[34Willys]

OK, I drained the tank last week by opening hose bib at the house hoping it would 'recharge' it's self. I'll just drain and give it a charge at the Tee.
Hoping the rusty area doesn't let go while air charging......
Patrick

 

[Xfaxman]

You need a new small tank and a Cycle Stop Valve.

Check here: Constant Pressure Pump Control Valves

 

[Valveman]

Sorry, maybe the question was buried in the details.
I understand what needs to be done, the question was how.
Do I use the Schrader valve in the Tee? There is no other place to air up the tank.
Thanks again.
Patrick

Yes, that Schrader can be used to put air in the tank. With a booster pump and no air charge system you will need to add air on a regular basis. Big tanks will slow the cycling but a Cycle Stop Valve will completely stop the cycling while irrigating. The CSV works with a small diaphragm tank that would not need periodic air charging.

 

[steve tym]

Add air at that sniffter valve on the bottom, in your picture.
Air should be 2 psi below turn on psi.
Be careful over irrigating, you may run the well dry.

 

[Stimw]

Before there were bladder tanks they had just a plain tank and they would get "saturated" over time and needed to be drained.
I seem to remember some kind of valve that kept the air gap but don't see one in the pic.
When you drain the plain tank when the pressure is gone it will "gurgle" letting air back in as the rest of the water drains. You don't pressurize the plain tank, the water does that.
The shrader valve is probably there to ad pressure to fully drain the tank with the pump off/hose bib open.
My best guess. ???

 

[34Willys]

Thanks everyone! I drained the tank and charged it with the valve in the tee. Pressure spread was off, so I adjusted and now it's 40/60psi with much slower cycle times.
Too many projects to take on water system improvements now, but I see cycle stop and storage tank(s) in the future.
Patrick

 

[steve tym]

By the way, that's an air tank, not a water tank. The more air in it, the better, water is just a side affect.

 

[ultrarunner]

My brothers stainless air water tank had no way to charge…

It has 3 hydrants up the side of the tank..

I told him when it short cycles to turn off the pins and open the middle hose bib until water stops coming out and then he is good for several months of captive air.