I am constantly seeing messages on here about the bladder tanks for wells not working. I have had to replace far too many of them myself. I have never opened one of them, but I assume these bladders are similar to a inner tube for tires. Apparently the water contact with them causes the rubber to deteriorate.
Does anyone know what the average lifespan is for the bladders? I seem to have to replace them every 7 or 8 years, and that is getting costly. Before I installed the bladder tank, I had a large galvanized tank that had no bladder. That tank would need to be drained 3 or 4 times a year, but even when it waterlogged, the pump did not cycle as often as a much smaller bladder tank.
I know my tank is probably due to be replaced soon again, and I am considering going back to the old fashioned large non-bladder galvanized tank, which seem to last forever. In fact I still have the one I removed years ago, and I bet it will still work.
I'm starting to think the manufacturers of these tanks give them a limited lifespan so they can keep selling them, and since the bladders are not replaceable, they can sell a whole (costly) tank each and every time.
By the way, I found the tanks with defective bladders make good air compressor tanks, so at least they serve some purpose afterwards.
Over 30 years, I've had pressure tank replaced twice. Last time, a few years ago, it was leaking. It is a pricey job but over life time of well usage, probably cheaper than buying water.
I drill wells, normally I don't deal with the bladder tanks & what not, but I still have my two cents:
It seems to me that more often than not, the ones that have issues show them within the first year due to assm. issues, or within 5 to 8 years due to maintenance issues. You should check to make sure you have it setup right - some tanks can't handle being set on their sides, some are specifically designed for it....Also, the big rule of thumb is - you get what you pay for.
Maintenance - Shut off the power to the pump(s), drain the tank & system completely, check the air pressure with a tire gauge, fill to 2 psi below turn on level (if your pressure switch is a 40/60 on/off, fill to 38psi). Then turn everything back on. Never suddenly open valves, use a nice slow smooth motion, this reduces shock loading systems. If you have a constant pressure system installed (ask the dealer you bought it from - usually a big control box with flashing lights & a computer inside), then the tank pressure level is different. Some manufacturers have said 20 psi is the max, some have said 20 psi below the set pressure level, some have said to do it the same way you do any other tank....mixed messages to say the least. Check with your pump manufacturer.
The other option that I've mention on this board before is the use of a constant pressure system, either an electric controller like the MonoDrive from Franklin Electric, or a Cycle Stop Valve which is mechanically based. Both of these systems allow you to use a much smaller bladder tank (5 gallons vs 85 gallons), thereby reducing costs of tank failures....plus, they generally protect the pump pretty well.
As for the fellow replacing his pump every 7 to 8 years....what are you pumping?? If it's not pumping a number of solids, there's no reason your pump should be replaced every 7 to 8 years....I'm going to assume you're pumping water out of a drilled well for the below suggestions:
I've seen submersible pumps in the ground for 50 years & still running. Call the local _pump_ dealer, like United Pipe, Western Hydro, or Grainger even, give them the depth of the water in the well when it is fully charged, the amount of water the well makes, and the depth you plan on putting the pump at. They should be able to figure out how to get you a Flint & Walling or Gould's submersible with a Franklin Motor - make sure it is a 3 wire with ground, 230v pump. That pump should last you 20 years. Also, I'd check to make sure you have proper run times set up - the pump should run for a minimum of 2 minutes from on to off. If you aren't running it that long, your motor is going to burn up, thereby necessitating a replacement. You can increase the amount of run time with a cycle stop valve, mono drive, or a bigger/additional pressure tank. Also, ask the dealer to size the pump for the middle of the curve. If your well is on the right of the curve, the pump won't make enough pressure/flow. If it's on the left of the pump curve, the pump will have too much power & will eat all the thrust bearings out of itself. Also, make sure the well & pump is properly connected to ground.
I've heard of some guys in Michigan that go around putting 2 wire 110v pumps in every well - they figure they'll last about 7 years at most, so they just stock the truck up with about 4 of the same pumps & plan on doing 2 or 3 service calls a day to replace them.....Now this is purely rumor, but if they sized the pumps correctly - they'd last for
20 years....But, then they don't get repeat business ;)
As others have said, the key is keeping watch on the air pressure. When the pressure gets low more water gets in the bladder, stretching it beyond it's intended limits. Some tanks have replaceable bladders, with bladders available from the tank manufacturer. But in my experience, when a bladder ruptures and the tank waterlogs, the inside of the tank starts rusting and is subject to failure. Better to replace the whole thing at one time than piecemeal it.
replying to Pierce Kiltoff, BOBBY w CARLISLE wrote: i have a slow recovering well about 165 ft deep the well was here long before i bought the place what can i do to increase the amount of water .some suggested clean the well screen with a well screen brush .i have pulled the pump before so i know what it is involved .any suggestions would help without bunch of money
replying to Pierce Kiltoff, BOBBY w CARLISLE wrote: i have a slow recovering well about 165 ft deep the well was here long before i bought the place what can i do to increase the amount of water .some suggested clean the well screen with a well screen brush .i have pulled the pump before so i know what it is involved .any suggestions would help without bunch of money
Where's the current water level and what was it when the well was dug?
In all likelihood, the water table is simply lower now and the only thing you can do is drop the pump deeper; presuming there's still some depth below where the pump is set.
If not, it's likely new well time or live with it.
We're in same shape here...table was 128-130' in '66; now it's about
140'. If you're lucky you know who drilled the well and they've still got the records and can tell you what it was...
This might not apply to deeper drilled wells or your soil conditions -
- our well was only ~ 45 feet deep but - after many years of struggling with low flow - we had it " blown out " - a small tanker truck with a big honkin air compressor - blew the silt out from the bottom of the well .. It made a big immediate difference - not sure about long-term. John T.
That's something good to know and it is a good topic to discuss even though op post is over 10 years old.
I had high recovery rate on mine when house was built over 40 years ago but my next door neighbors well developed very low flow and a new one was dug. It was only about 20 ft from the old one so maybe it could have been blown out too.
I think they want a recovery rate of at least 3 gallons a minute and mine was said to be 15. I know a guy with only one gallon recovery rate and he had to install a large holding tank for his house.
Aquifers are apparently not pools of water or streams but just highly porous rocks. I have a sediment filter that I need change every 6 months or so when flow slows down.
I don't mess with my bladder tank pressure but being a bladder it could gradually leak air and need to be pumped to proper pressure. I had to have my tank replaced twice as tanks themselves developed a leak.
replying to Pierce Kiltoff, Karna wrote: I appreciate your opinion and advise but I just want to let you know I spend between three and $500 on a pressure tank roughly every 7 years . I check the pressure in the tank every 3 months to ensure it reads 28 pounds . My issue is that it doesn?t seem to matter which brand of tank I buy I am constantly plagued with leaking bladders . I guess just bad luck
I have never actually found a replacement that looked like it was for the tank I had. I have a fiberglass one sitting here I have tried to fix for a while. If it is a steel tank they are usually rusted out inside anyway.
On Friday, October 26, 2018 at 6:28:45 PM UTC-4, snipped-for-privacy@ccanoemail.ca wrote :
The ones I've seen have had a plug, maybe 3" in diameter on top, the air valve goes through it. I would assume you remove the plug and the bladder is attached, comes out and you put the new one in. Seems logical to me.
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