Well and pressure tank

So I've only lived here for 2 years. I just solved a 2 year mystery... and I realized what the last people did.

There is a shed out there with 1 light bulb. To power it, these idiots used the well wires. Then they ran a separate gray wire out to power the well pump
 
One of those wire nut connections at well head must be ground -like I said old pump wire being used but that's not pressure loss problem
 
I wish I was closer have to see it to figure all that out. Used to live in Granville so 3 years ago I could have been a lot more help - 33 years of this and I was ready to retire.
 
1) Pressure switches are adjustable
2) Did you empty all of the water out of the pressure tank before checking/adjusting the air pressure?
3) If the tank is over 10 years old just replace it, the bladder is most likely cracked
4) Www.wellcontractors.nc.gov to find a professional if you need
 
I think like I said check valve or hole in drop pipe -did you check tank by shaking a little?
 
WellCC said:
2) Did you empty all of the water out of the pressure tank before checking/adjusting the air pressure?
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No, the youtube didn't tell me to do that. I can do that now. Should I turn off the breaker while I do it?

WellCC said:
3) If the tank is over 10 years old just replace it, the bladder is most likely cracked
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i have no idea how old it is. Im going to guess less than 10y/o. It's still shiny ✨️ 🤷‍♂️

WellCC said:
4) Www.wellcontractors.nc.gov to find a professional if you need
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Thank you!

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Amtrol will put a 10 yr warranty on their WellXtrol tanks (longest out there)
Perma Tank 6 yrs, why you ask, because the bladder usually fails around 7 yrs
If the tank is replaced, write the date on it with sharpie
 
Yes, turn breaker off before emptying tank so pump won't start
 
WellCC said:
Amtrol will put a 10 yr warranty on their WellXtrol tanks (longest out there)
Perma Tank 6 yrs, why you ask, because the bladder usually fails around 7 yrs
If the tank is replaced, write the date on it with sharpie
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Youtube did say the wellxtrol tank is the best. Yesterday someone said GT tanks but didn't elaborate.

If it's my tank ill probably get a wellxtrol
 
Just know, more tankage is better, multiple tanks is really good
A 20 gal tank only holds 6.1 gal of H2O when switch is set at 40/60 (most common setting)
 
I just drained the tank. I got about 1.5-2gallons out of it. I checked the bladder psi. It was at around 24psi.

The label on the side of my tank says it's a 52 gallon
 
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HOLY POOP, COULD THIS BE MY ISSUE? I JUST FOUND WATER TRICKLING OUT OF THE GROUND WITH A LOT OF SEDIMENT. From the looks of it and the direction it's facing, it's the water line that feeds my farm spigot/yard hydrant.

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I'm down about 2.5ft deep and just hitting tree root after tree root. I'm at one that appears to be about 1ft thick. I'm done for the day
 
Armed4defense said:
Really unusual for it to be that deep, maybe dig cross ways from the where you think it runs -and WATCH OUT FOR THE WIRE!
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And if you cut the water off while you are digging and wait a bit for water to absorb into the ground then cut it back on and check the hole, lots of times you can better locate where to dig
 
Armed4defense said:
And if you cut the water off while you are digging and wait a bit for water to absorb into the ground then cut it back on and check the hole, lots of times you can better locate where to dig
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I just did that and saw it pissing so i stuck my hand in there and felt the pipe and hole. It's smooth so I don't think it's a galvanized pipe. I think it's that black plastic. I've never worked with that black plastic before. what would I need to fix it? 2 barbed couplings, a new section, and hose clamps? Can someone link me to the correct barbed fittings? I keep running into barbed fittings for irrigation. I have a Lowes near me, which is probably the only thing open on a sunday tomorrow.
 
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yeeyee said:
I just did that and saw it pissing so i stuck my hand in there and felt the pipe and hole. It's smooth so I don't think it's a galvanized pipe. I think it's that black plastic. I've never worked with that black plastic before. what would I need to fix it? 2 barbed couplings, a new section, and hose clamps?
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That would do it -maybe just 1 coupling and 4 clamps -cut it right on the hole. Dig up enough to give yourself some room to pick it up enough to get it into the fitting, If it's thin wall black pipe it will split easy. Once you get one side on, if you have a hand torch, warm it just a bit and slip on the other side quick. Make sure you have all your clamps on loose before you do that.
 
Armed4defense said:
That would do it -maybe just 1 coupling and 4 clamps -cut it right on the hole. Dig up enough to give yourself some room to pick it up enough to get it into the fitting, If it's thin wall black pipe it will split easy. Once you get one side on, if you have a hand torch, warm it just a bit and slip on the other side quick. Make sure you have all your clamps on loose before you do that.
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Can you link me to the correct barbed fittings? I keep running into barbed fittings for irrigation. I have a Lowes near me, which is probably the only thing open on a Sunday tomorrow.
 
Armed4defense said:
That would do it -maybe just 1 coupling and 4 clamps -cut it right on the hole. Dig up enough to give yourself some room to pick it up enough to get it into the fitting, If it's thin wall black pipe it will split easy. Once you get one side on, if you have a hand torch, warm it just a bit and slip on the other side quick. Make sure you have all your clamps on loose before you do that.
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Lowes or Tractor Supply would have it - either 3/4 or 1" nylon coupling
 
Typically all of the well related fittings are together at Lowes, located by the well pumps, manifolds and pressure tanks.

This is what you’re looking for (but in whatever size your pipe is).


For water pipe, I like to use dual clamps on each end of the tubing, with the two clamps installed 180 degrees apart. Said differently, one clamp is installed with the screw head on the left side of the pipe, the other clamp is installed with the screw head on the right side of the pipe. So you’ll need 4 clamps for one splice fitting.

I like to put a bead of clear silicone on the fitting, on the barb closest to the center of the fitting. I’ll also use a heat gun to soften up the black poly a bit before sliding the fitting into it. The objective here is to heat the poly enough so that it will deform around the barb when the clamps are tightened, with the two clamps closest to the center of the coupling being over the siliconed portion of the fitting. Think of it this way - the outer clamps lock the black poly to the coupling, and the inner clamps (with the silicone sealer on the coupling portion) provide the secondary level of sealing. Be careful that you don’t overdo it with the heat gun, or the black poly will collapse on you when you try to insert the coupling.

Also, not all hose clamps are 100% stainless steel. Many of them have a stainless steel band and casing, but the screw is carbon steel. These clamps will fail in around 10 years, so try to source ones that have stainless steel screws.

Is the leak located in-between the well and your pressure tank?
 
Scsmith42 said:
I like to put a bead of clear silicone on the fitting, on the barb closest to the center of the fitting. I’ll also use a heat gun to soften up the black poly a bit before sliding the fitting into it. The objective here is to heat the poly enough so that it will deform around the barb when the clamps are tightened, with the two clamps closest to the center of the coupling being over the siliconed portion of the fitting. Think of it this way - the outer clamps lock the black poly to the coupling, and the inner clamps (with the silicone sealer on the coupling portion) provide the secondary level of sealing. Be careful that you don’t overdo it with the heat gun, or the black poly will collapse on you when you try to insert the coupling.

Also, not all hose clamps are 100% stainless steel. Many of them have a stainless steel band and casing, but the screw is carbon steel. These clamps will fail in around 10 years, so try to source ones that have stainless steel screws.
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Thank you for this advice. I've only worked on galvanized, black iron, copper, brass, and glue-in PVC. This black plastic stuff is new to me.
 
After hacking through about four other 2"-4" roots I find this behemoth Y shaped root right above the leak. The part coming from the tree is about 5" thick and the other two are about 4" thick. FML

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yeeyee said:
After hacking through about four other 2"-4" roots I find this behemoth Y shaped root right above the leak. The part coming from the tree is about 5" thick and the other two are about 4" thick. FML

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Sawzall and a pruning or wet wood blade works good on things like that. More than likely that root is what caused the issue pressing or rubbing on the pipe.
 
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What kinda tree is it?
 
I see it in the picture - put that bad boy to work!!! Sawzall has saved my ass in this situation more times than I can count!
 
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