Remember the good ol’ days when wells were just a hole in the ground, with a rope and bucket and you had to go out there multiple times a day just to have enough water for day-to-day living? You don’t…yeah, us either. Today’s wells are much more sophisticated with many moving parts, and one of those parts is the pressure tank.
Pressure tanks have a multitude of responsibilities: from acting as a water reservoir to keeping consistent water pressure level. To understand how pressure tanks work and how they can be used to increase water pressure, you need to know the basics of the parts of a well system, how to check the pressure of your tank, and common causes of low water pressure. We could write an entire essay telling you all about the pressure tank, but today we will just hit the highlights.
Important Parts of Your Well System
Like we said, wells aren’t just rope and buckets anymore; they’ve got a lot more parts now. As they all work together, in order to understand pressure tanks and how they work, you need to know what well pumps and pressure switches do as well.
1. Well Pump. This is placed in the well casing and it pushes the water from below ground into your pressure tank.
2. Pressure Switch. This controls the automatic activation of the pump. When water leaves the pressure tank and the pressure level drops below a certain point, the pressure switch turns on, allowing the pump to pull more water into the tank. Once it’s full again, the pressure switch turns off.
What is a Pressure Tank?
When the pump pulls the water up from the ground it goes into the pressure tank. Pressure tanks are anywhere between 10 and 200 gallons in size, with the most common size being 44 gallons. The tank acts as a reservoir allowing water to be drawn from the tank without the pump turning on and off every time water is needed (which extends the life cycle of your pump, but we’ll talk more about this later.)
Are you looking for a pressure tank for your well system? Check out our selection of tanks here.
How Do Pressure Tanks for Well Water Systems Work?
Water pressure is what causes the water to flow through the plumbing lines. When water is pulled by the pump into the pressure tank it creates water pressure using compressed air to bear down on the water. When you turn on a faucet, for example, the pressure in the tank forces the water to flow through the plumbing system.
Since the pressure tank acts as a reservoir for your home, this keeps the pressure within 20psi of your start/stop parameters. For example, the standard pressure of a pressure tank is 60psi. When water is drawn out of the tank, the pressure level starts to drop. When the pressure level hits 40psi, the pressure switch activates the pump and the pump brings in more water until the pressure level is back up to 60psi.
Benefits of a Pressure Tank
Having a pressure tank as part of your well water system has a myriad of benefits, but there are a couple of huge benefits. The first is that with a pressure tank you have immediate access to well water without having to manually turn on your pump. Nothing like the ease of convenience.
Having a pressure tank helps preserve the life of your pump. Since your pressure tank acts as a reservoir for water, when you turn on a faucet, water is drawn from the tank. Water continues to be drawn from the tank when needed, and it’s not until the pressure level drops below a set point that the pump starts to draw more water into the tank. With the pump not having to turn on every time you need water, it preserves the lifespan of the pump, making this a wonderful benefit to having a pressure tank.
Pressure tanks also help keep a consistent level of water in the system. With this consistent level of water in the system, there’s more consistent water pressure. This is a massive benefit because there isn’t much worse than stepping into the shower and finding the water barely dripping out.
How to Check the Pressure Level of Your Tank
Now, even with a pressure tank helping keep your water pressure levels consistent, it isn’t a 100% guarantee for good water pressure. If your water pressure is low, you may want to check to ensure your pressure tank and switch are working properly. Luckily, that’s fairly easy to do on your own. Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Turn off the circuit breaker dedicated to the well pump.
Step 2: Test the air fill valve (it looks like the one on your car tire) with a pressure gauge to see where your pressure lies.
Step 3: If water pressure is floating around 40psi or below, increase it by adjusting the pressure switch (often located on the pipe connecting the well to the pressure tank)
Step 4: Turn your circuit back on and test out the water by turning on a faucet.
Step 5: Readjust, if necessary, by repeating these steps.
Installing a Constant Pressure System
If the amount of water pressure that is needed for your home is increasing or you are constantly having to readjust your pressure switch, you may want to consider installing a constant pressure system. A plumber installs this on the water line that enters your home, and it prevents the water pressure from dropping, even when multiple fixtures are being used.
Other Potential Causes of Pressure Drops
If you pressure tank is working well and there are no clogs in your water lines, there are a few other things you may need to consider. Did you just add a new addition to your home, or set up a new irrigation system that might be putting new strain on the pressure tank? If so, you may need to invest in a larger pressure tank to handle the new demand. Have you been going through a drought lately? The lack of rain may mean that the well is working harder to access water.
Low Pressure vs. Low Flow
A pressure drop or consistent low pressure in your home may cause you to believe that something is wrong with your pressure tank. That could be true, but it’s important to check first that it is not a flow issue. If your pipes are clogged, it can cause less water to be flowing through your pipes. If you check your pressure tank and the pressure levels are where they need to be, you may want to have a plumber come out to check for any clogs in the pipes.
If it’s a reoccurring problem, see about getting a water softener installed to help breakup some of the hard minerals in the water. Increasing the pressure in your system when it is a low-flow problem could cause water system damage resulting in potentially catastrophic system failure.
Pressure Tanks for Managing Well Water Systems
It’s important to understand the various systems in your home, and knowing how your pressure tank works can help you better understand your well water system. From helping you have instant access to water to ensuring a more consistent water pressure level to helping preserve the lifespan of your water pump, the benefits of pressure tanks are endless. Knowing more about your pressure tank can help you understand more about where your water is coming from and enable you to troubleshoot minor problems on your own.