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Mike
 
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Default Pressure tank

I have a Submersible well pump (outside the house) with a conventional
pressure tank
located in my basement (non-bladder tank). My pressure tank rots through
about every ten years due
to corrosive sulphur in my well water (terrible rotten egg smell).
The guys who replaced my well pump told me that the next time I need to
replace
the pressure tank, that I could go with abladder tank. the water is in a
rubber bag, and will not touch
the metal (thus no rotted out tank). They also told me that because a
bladder tank is not air-over-water,
that the lack of oxygen on the sulphur water, will make the sulphur smell
even worse than before,
they said I will have to think about the pros and cons of the whole
situation.

They told me that in order to be able to use a bladder tank if I want later,
that when they installed the new pump, they did not reinstall the bleeder
orfrices
(sniffters) the only thing above the pump itself is the check valve.

I have three options
1. Iinstall a cheap (non bladder) tank with no modifications. Betwen
$150.00 to $200.00

2. Install an expensive fibreglass tank (that will never rot out) Betwen
$450.00 to $500.00

3. Iinstall a bladder tank (which will need to have the plumbing and
electrical modified)
About $300.00 including tank

All the above estimated prices are for material only, Labor I will do.


What is the best way to go in the long run ?
Thanks for all comments and opinions.

Mike


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Olaf
 
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Default


"Mike" wrote in message
...

3. Iinstall a bladder tank (which will need to have the plumbing and
electrical modified)
About $300.00 including tank



Why would the plumbing and electrical need to be changed for a bladder tank?
Screw a bladder tank to the existing plumbing and follow the manufacturer's
instructions with the tank to be sure you pressurize the tank properly (and
don't blow the bladder).

I never thought of a possible benefit of the water having exposure to air in
the pressure tank. I don't see how it could continually benefit from it
though. If it did use O2 from the air in the tank it's not like that air is
refreshed at any useful interval.

We have pretty much the same setup at the home where I work. High sulfur
water included. They have a bladder tank and submersible pump. A reverse
osmosis filtration system for drinking water makes the water actually
tolerable to drink.


  #3   Report Post  
Harry K
 
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Default


Mike wrote:
I have a Submersible well pump (outside the house) with a

conventional
pressure tank
located in my basement (non-bladder tank). My pressure tank rots

through
about every ten years due
to corrosive sulphur in my well water (terrible rotten egg smell).
The guys who replaced my well pump told me that the next time I need

to
replace
the pressure tank, that I could go with abladder tank. the water is

in a
rubber bag, and will not touch
the metal (thus no rotted out tank). They also told me that because a


bladder tank is not air-over-water,
that the lack of oxygen on the sulphur water, will make the sulphur

smell
even worse than before,
they said I will have to think about the pros and cons of the whole
situation.

They told me that in order to be able to use a bladder tank if I want

later,
that when they installed the new pump, they did not reinstall the

bleeder
orfrices
(sniffters) the only thing above the pump itself is the check valve.

snip

If they did not install snifter valves or some method of automatically
adding air to the tank, you will have to constantly, i.e., about every
week, drain the tank to get air back into it. I can't believe that any
pump person would do such a bone-headed thing.

Olaf gave a good reply to the remainder.

Harry K

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Mike
 
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The reason they did not install snifter valves, is because they knew I had a
big air compressor
and I always had trouble with the air float switch in my tank not working. I
replaced that
air float valve so many times I gave up. The rust and sulphur from the water
in the tank
caused it to fail within a year af being installed. I just air charged the
tank as needed.
The pump guys knew this, so they left out the snifters, and said this was
now good for
either tank setup.. You are correct in saying that I must add air to the
tank. I drain the tank
and add air twice a year (I should do it more often) or the tank gets
waterlogged,
and the pump runs for a long time.

Mike


  #5   Report Post  
Mike
 
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The reason for the electrial change, (if i go with the bladder tank) is
because
the pressure swicth is on top of the tank right now. The bladder tank setup
has
the pressure switch just off the floor. I will need to run a new line down
to the floor.
Not a big problem.

The plumbing change is because my (non-bladder tank.) has a pipe going in on
one side,
and a pipe coming out on the opposite side. With the bladder tank, I must
install a brass tee
(not included with the tank) into the bottom of the bladder tank, the detour
the in and out
water pipes into the tee. Also I need a pressure relief valve. When it's all
added up,
it gets a little expensive to make the detour with the exsisting plumbing.

Mike.





  #6   Report Post  
Mike
 
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Default

Aeration of water is a good thing.
There are thousands of articles about this all over
the internet (do a google search)
The link below is just one example.
Aeration of water , also helps eliminate
the oxides in rust.

http://www.malibuwater.com/SulfurMountain.html

Thanks for your comments


  #7   Report Post  
Olaf
 
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"Mike" wrote in message
...
The reason they did not install snifter valves, is because they knew I had

a
big air compressor
and I always had trouble with the air float switch in my tank not working.

I
replaced that
air float valve so many times I gave up. The rust and sulphur from the

water
in the tank
caused it to fail within a year af being installed. I just air charged the
tank as needed.
The pump guys knew this, so they left out the snifters, and said this was
now good for
either tank setup.. You are correct in saying that I must add air to the
tank. I drain the tank
and add air twice a year (I should do it more often) or the tank gets
waterlogged,
and the pump runs for a long time.

Mike



Very interesting. I learned something else new today. :-) I thought
bladder-less tanks were old fashioned relics from the past. They have
devices for automatically adding air to the tank?

Heck, if it significantly helps with the sulfur in the water I'd consider
the fiberglass bladderless tank. But if you don't add air soon enough to the
tank won't it burn your pump up? Does it really help with the sulfur? I'd
love to suggest it to my employer.. The water at works about gags everybody.

Thanks for the info! Very cool!


  #8   Report Post  
Harry K
 
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Default


Mike wrote:
The reason they did not install snifter valves, is because they knew

I had a
big air compressor
and I always had trouble with the air float switch in my tank not

working. I
replaced that
air float valve so many times I gave up. The rust and sulphur from

the water
in the tank
caused it to fail within a year af being installed. I just air

charged the
tank as needed.
The pump guys knew this, so they left out the snifters, and said this

was
now good for
either tank setup.. You are correct in saying that I must add air to

the
tank. I drain the tank
and add air twice a year (I should do it more often) or the tank gets


waterlogged,
and the pump runs for a long time.

Mike


Aha! That makes sense. I have had the good fortune to have never had
a sulphur problem on any of the wells I worked on. I am beginning to
wonder about my current one tho. Once in a while I get a sniff of
sulphur when taking a shower.

Harry K

  #9   Report Post  
Doug Miller
 
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Default

In article , "Mike" wrote:
Aeration of water is a good thing.


Oxygenation, specifically.

There are thousands of articles about this all over
the internet (do a google search)
The link below is just one example.
Aeration of water , also helps eliminate
the oxides in rust.


Yes, that's true - but you're not going to get any significant aeration of
water in an air-over-water tank after the first few days. Since the tank is
not open to the atmosphere, the oxygen which reacts with various substances
in the water is not replaced. As soon as the oxygen is depleted from the air
inside the tank, any benefits of aeration disappear.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?
  #10   Report Post  
Harry K
 
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Default


Mike wrote:
The reason for the electrial change, (if i go with the bladder tank)

is
because
the pressure swicth is on top of the tank right now. The bladder tank

setup
has
the pressure switch just off the floor. I will need to run a new line

down
to the floor.
Not a big problem.

The plumbing change is because my (non-bladder tank.) has a pipe

going in on
one side,
and a pipe coming out on the opposite side. With the bladder tank, I

must
install a brass tee
(not included with the tank) into the bottom of the bladder tank, the

detour
the in and out
water pipes into the tee. Also I need a pressure relief valve. When

it's all
added up,
it gets a little expensive to make the detour with the exsisting

plumbing.

Mike.


Kinda hard to see the set up here but it sounds like you are doing more
than necessary.

I would tie the in/out pipes together with a galv (or copper) T. Then
run from the T to the fitting that comes with the tank (or at least
mine did). Of course tank location might make that impossible.
The PRV valve should go on the hot-water heater, never saw one on a
pressure tank.

Harry K

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