Well Pump Keeps Running? No Pressure – but it’s Probably Your Well Pressure Tank

“It seems like our well pump is operating all the time.”

If this sounds like your water system, there’s a technical description for it: “short cycling.” No sooner does the pump stop running, than it starts up again. It’s desperately working to sustain pressure within the system.

Why? The well pressure tank, which contains water drawn from the well prior to use, has a problem. The precise issue depends on the type of water pressure tank.

Most likely it’s “waterlogging,” which happens in a bladder tank. These well pressure tanks, the most common type, hold water in a bladder within their metal shells. Surrounding air pushes on the balloon, keeping the water under pressure.

All is well until the bladder ruptures … and the air pocket fills with water. Bye-bye, water pressure.

Homeowners in Dodge County, it’s time to replace the tank … which means a call to Kelly James Service, the well water pressure tank specialists in Dodge County. They’ll install a new pressure tank the same day, and stop your well pump’s endless short-cycling.

Air spitting from faucets? It’s another indication of a broken bladder. If the problem isn’t already terminal, it soon will be.

Not all Dodge County homes with well water systems have bladder tanks. Some use an air volume control tank, a component of the well’s vertical in-ground pipe. The system employs bleeders, which allow a measured volume of water into the pipe. The water creates an air pocket, which generates pressure when the pump cycles to push in more water.

Problems ensue when these bleeders become stopped up over time, lowering the starting water level in the pipe. With less water, pressure in the system drops. The pump cycles in a nonstop effort to provide more water to sustain adequate pressure, and keep the system functioning.

A third type of well water pressure tank is made of galvanized metal, which nessitates) that its internal air supply be manually replenished {each year. Typically used in older homes, these tanks eventually leak. Similar to an air volume control tank, the well pump operates near-constantly to maintain pressure as the internal water level drops.

Galvanized and air volume control tanks can also be compromised by mineral buildups. These constrain water flow from the tank into the home. Low water pressure results. Again, replacement is the only practical choice.

Dodge County residents: Tired of listening to your well pump run constantly? Let Kelly James Service bring back the peace – not to mention water pressure – that you appreciate. You’ll be amazed how short a time they require to stop your pump’s short-cycling.