Easy & Simple Pressure Tank Installation That Works

In this diagram, you will see a few essential components and the proper order they should be installed in. In this depiction, the tank and water well are both in the pump house, but for some of you, the well is outside the well house. In that case, the water comes out the top of the well and then would hook back down through a union into the ground to make the trip over to the pump house or equipment closet. If the pump needs pulling, you will disconnect there at that union on the well head. You can wrap this well head and piping with batt insulation (like you use in the walls of a house) and then drop a Dekorra Rock over it to weatherproof it. Bury the rock bottom edge in a 2" deep trench to keep wind out.

Next, there in the pump house, you'll want to install a backup check valve in case the one on the pump ever fails. This could save you a lot of grief (a pump, or even a ruined water well). In this drawinig, we show a check valve that has been ported (like the flomatic 11/4 model 80xb) where you can install your pressure switch and pressure gauge. The pressure switch should not be further away from the tank than 5 foot. Next would be a tee that takes water over to the pressure tank. This short piece of pipe leading to the tank is another place where a union will come in handy the next time you need to change out the tank. Anywhere right after this tee, you can install another tee for a faucet. It's nice to be able to get water out of the system even if you had to turn off the water to the house for some reason. For example, you could draw a 5 gallon bucket of water here and use it to flush a toilet. Next, you will install the cutoff valve that would cut the water off to the house or garden. Lastly, if you use a water filter, it would go in the line here as the last thing you install. As a water filter clogs up, it is like a valve closing, you would not want to put this filter anywhere else. When the on/off valve is closed, you can change out the filter element in this filter.

Note: If you have a pop-off valve on your water heater in the house, that could take care of a stuck or blocked pressure switch situation where the pump could pressure up way past the working pressure of the tank (a bomb). But otherwise, you might want to install a pop-off valve there in the line near the faucet you installed.

To set the air in your pressure tank correctly, note the "on" pressure of your pressure switch and with the pump off, no pressure in the system or on the lines, set the air in the bladder 2 lbs. less than that "on" pressure of the switch.

Example: 30-50 pressure switch = 28# in the bladder or diaphram, 40-60 = 38#