Importance of a Properly Sized Pressure Tank - Size Matters!
Nothing screams performance like a big, honking, water pressure tank. It is the size of your pressure tank that impacts the longevity of your well’s water pump, the amount of electricity you consume, and the amount of water delivered to the home. I’m sure you have noticed a tank in the yard next to your well, some are located in the garage, or in a pump house. These are pressure tanks, and they serve an important function in your water system.
Tanks come in many different sizes, there is no such thing as a tank too large, but there are definitely tanks too small for the job asked of them.
For instance, a standard size washing machine, can use upwards of 50 gallons of water per wash load, filling, rinsing, refilling, final rinse, etc, etc. Let’s say you have a tank approximately 3 feet high and 18 inches across; that tank will have a difficult time providing 5 gallons of “draw down” at a 40-60 pressure switch setting. That being said, that equates to your pump starting, and stopping, 10 times, just to do one load of laundry. Yikes! And if you have kids, you do a boat load of laundry, not to mention those frequent, 20-30 minute teenager showers.
We recommend a pressure tank with a minimum 25 gallon draw down, and you can see why, using the above example, the pump would come on 2 times to do a load of laundry. The benefit of a larger tank is less electrical consumption due to reduced pump cycling, which also reduces premature wear and tear on the pump, switches, and control components. It is not unusual to see pumps lasting 15, 20, and in one case 37 years. The reason for their longevity? They were all plumbed to large pressure tanks, to share the load.
If you do happen to have a problem with your current water tank size or other problems like no water running in your house, please call us at Gaineville Pump. We strive for same day service to solve your water problem.
More information about pressure tanks can be found here.
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