Old Time Bladder-less Well Tank

[@442olds7]

I have one from the 1950s. Still working fine, just need to drain it down maybe once a year. Bladder style tanks dont seem to last very long for me , 5 to 10 years maybe, depending on brand and water quality, they dont seem to like my water. Funny thing is that I went through 2 balder tanks in 10 years all the while the 1950s bladderless tank was sitting in a corner in the basement unused for like 25 years. Hooked it up 10 years ago and its still working fine, it so old it was made with rivets .

[@wisdomsleuth77777]

I'm literally fixing to put my old galvanized one back on because the one I had with a bladder was a piece of junk and didn't last for 5 years and wound up with a rust hole in it. Galvanized one been sitting there for this whole time still looks new. You know how easy it is to add air and drain it every once in awhile. Save your money keep the galvanized they're usually much bigger tanks than the one you're going to afford.

[@EatinPeaches82]

Thank you for the best galvanized tank recharging video I've found so far 👍

[@plumbbuild6517]

I had to replace my bladderless tank about 6 years ago it was a 81 it sprung a leak about 10 years ago I fixed it with JB weld and started leaking again about 6 years ago so I was done fixing and just replaced it. I’ve worked on a lot of wells but never see them anymore. Thanks for sharing another video my friend.

[@jakemichael8586]

Bladderless well tanks work fine. You don't need a air compressor to charge. All you do shut power open sum taps till no more water drains out then let in air by removing the valve stem core or pressure gauge on tank or plug. When the reminder of the water drains all out. Put plug back on tank shut tap turn pump on it will compress the Air in tank. Used this method and all ways fixed sort cycle problem. It is no nonsense not fast but is easy.

[@Zoyx]

Good vid. I have an old bladderless tank. It only takes about 20 seconds for the tank to refill, so I'm thinking it needs a recharge.

[@NTM2009]

I just got two 100 gallong each bladderless fiberglass pressure tanks. They are only a couple years old but weren't approved for sprinkler system guy was installing. I got them for free too

[@jeffscott5943]

I'm trying to fix a tank just like this one..will the tank keep the pump from coming on in any way

[@wg7644]

They still make the bladderless tanks - ours is that way.

[@sherribrown9989]

oh how sad! If they are working properly, air comes in with each cycle if the pump. A valve let's out excess air when the water level goes down. These can work trouble free for 100 years. I have one that was purchased used, in a demolition, 42 years ago. It will last another 42 years. So long as the tank holds water, it is trouble free. The only time I have an issue is when my valve that drains my water line back down below ground level, plugs. (6 to 30 years between this happening,). Once that gets rectified the tank automatically recharges itself with the pump cycles. How sad .. these trouble free tanks went out of favor at the same time as appliances that lasted for generations. It certainly wasn't for efficiency or longevity!!

[@darrelwright4179]

How does a submerged pump bring in air, and what would regulate it to be just the right amount? As I understand it bladderless do need to be monitored and re-calibrated periodically generally at least once a year. Though I suppose if you can hear your well pump, it would be really easy to just notice it's cycling a little faster and put in some pumps of air.

[@citizen762]

@@darrelwright4179 the system would need a check valve between the pump and the tanks intake. When the pump stops water will drain back down the pipe some bringing in air into the pipe, when it kicks back on the trapped air is pushed through the check valve and into the tank recharging the air volume. Just make sure the valve is oriented correctly where flow direction is only from pump to tank and not vice versa. Some of these old tanks have and AVC or air control valve with a float that will release excess air automatically. Both of these designs are pre bladder type tanks. Theres videos on YT about them. Search AVC.

[@byronsellers7419]

The galvanized tank that i have has an Air Volume Control Valve that screws into the tank. It has a threaded port to install a pressure gauge and it has a float that extends into the tank and closes off the bleed valve as soon as the water level is high enough to raise the float. There is a one way check valve located on the inlet side of the tank that has a threaded port to install the pump pressure cutoff on one side of the valve, and another threaded port to install the 1/8" NPT 3 psi snifter valve. When the tank is drained and the pump is switched back on the water will rise in the tank but air will be pushed out of the bleed/float valve until the water level reaches the float. When the float begins to rise it will close the bleed valve and allow the pump to build water pressure as the water level continues to rise in the tank until the cutoff pressure set on the pump control switch is reached, which is approximately 70 psi. When the pump shuts off the snifter valve will open to allow the water to drop back down through the pump piping to a level where a "weep hole" is drilled into the piping, usually about 4' below the top of the well head. This prevents the water from freezing in the top of the wellhead when temps drop to below freezing. When the water is being used the water level will drop until the pressure cut-in (40 psi) activates the pump. Sometimes the water level may drop enough to allow the float in the tank to drop down allowing some air to escape the tank. When the pump kicks in the air between the "weep hole" in the piping and the one way check valve is forced into the tank which supplies the required about of air pressure into the tank, and as the water level rises the float will once again seal off the bleed valve until the pump reaches it's cut-out pressure. This process ELIMINATES the need to "pre-charge" the bladder-less galvanized well water tanks.

[@JasonS.inTexas]

@@byronsellers7419 So when this setup you described gets waterlogged do you just drain completely empty with the gauge on the AVC removed then reinstall, block the outlet valve in and turn pump back on? Should that fix the waterlogged problem?

[@byronsellers7419]

@@JasonS.inTexas sure, all you need to do is shut off the pump and drain the tank. IF you have a submersible pump, the AVC should bleed some air after you turn pump back on via the air between the pump and check valve. When water level in the tank reaches the AVC the float will close the bleed valve and the pump will continue to pump water into the tank until the set pressure on your one way valve is reached. If your tank is waterlogged it means that after your pump stops the water is not draining back down on the pump side of the check valve. On mine there is what is called a "snifter valve", much like a tire schrader valve, installed on the pump side of the check valve. When the pump stops the snifter valve allows the water to drain back down to the pump. When the pump kicks back on, after the pressure drops, the air that was created between the pump and the check valve supplies air to the tank along with water. The air that enters the tank between pump cycles should keep the tank from becoming waterlogged. Check your check valve to make sure it's not allowing tank pressure to bleed back to the pump side because that will prevent the operation of the snifter valve to allow the water to drain back to the pump when it shuts off creating the air needed. IF the check valve is ok then it might mean the drain back valve closer to the pump is clogged not allowing the after to drain back from check valve. To check that would require pulling the pump.