Water Pressure Tank Issue

rgilfert · 11-05-2013, 07:27 AM

All season long I noticed that our lake water pump would kick on, in my opinion, way too often. It seemed that it would turn on after only minimal water usage (e.g. one or two toilet flushes). I'm concerned that the over usage of the pump (a $600 item) will cause it to fail prematurely. Obviously I'm focusing on the water pressure tank as the cause...but...even knowing that, I'm not sure of the correct resolution.

A word of background so that you can understand my set up: I have a 1/2 HP Jet Pump (J-Class RP2 Series) that sits under the cottage drawing water approximately 20' in elevation up from the lake (the approx distance from the lake to the pump is 60'). The pressure tank is a 19 Gal pre-charged unit (Simer VT20) with a switch that kicks on at 20 PSI and off at 40 PSI.

According to the specs, my pressure tank is supposed to have a 6.9 Gal useable draw-down.....so that would tell me that I should be able to flush the toilet 5 or 6 times before the pump kicks back on.

At first I suspected that the bladder in the tank had ruptured...but when I checked the pre-charge pressure in the tank it was correctly set to 18 PSI (i.e. 2 PSI less than the kick on pressure) so it probably isn't a bad bladder. With that said....then what could possibly be preventing me from getting the useable 6.9 Gal draw-down?? It baffles me.

If I replace the tank...then...what do I replace it with? Do I simply replace it with another 19 Gal tank and hope that it will magically fix the problem? Do I increase the capacity of the tank? Do I change the switch to a 30/50 PSI switch? I'd appreciate any input.

11-05-2013, 07:27 AM	#1
rgilfert Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Bedford, NH / Rattlesnake Island Posts: 299 Thanks: 152 Thanked 227 Times in 57 Posts	Water Pressure Tank Issue All season long I noticed that our lake water pump would kick on, in my opinion, way too often. It seemed that it would turn on after only minimal water usage (e.g. one or two toilet flushes). I'm concerned that the over usage of the pump (a $600 item) will cause it to fail prematurely. Obviously I'm focusing on the water pressure tank as the cause...but...even knowing that, I'm not sure of the correct resolution. A word of background so that you can understand my set up: I have a 1/2 HP Jet Pump (J-Class RP2 Series) that sits under the cottage drawing water approximately 20' in elevation up from the lake (the approx distance from the lake to the pump is 60'). The pressure tank is a 19 Gal pre-charged unit (Simer VT20) with a switch that kicks on at 20 PSI and off at 40 PSI. According to the specs, my pressure tank is supposed to have a 6.9 Gal useable draw-down.....so that would tell me that I should be able to flush the toilet 5 or 6 times before the pump kicks back on. At first I suspected that the bladder in the tank had ruptured...but when I checked the pre-charge pressure in the tank it was correctly set to 18 PSI (i.e. 2 PSI less than the kick on pressure) so it probably isn't a bad bladder. With that said....then what could possibly be preventing me from getting the useable 6.9 Gal draw-down?? It baffles me. If I replace the tank...then...what do I replace it with? Do I simply replace it with another 19 Gal tank and hope that it will magically fix the problem? Do I increase the capacity of the tank? Do I change the switch to a 30/50 PSI switch? I'd appreciate any input.