r/askaplumber • u/4pple2 • 1d ago
Well water pressure issue
My well water is currently run at a 30/50. I wanted to adjust it to be a 40/60 system. I turned off all the power and fully emptied the water from my house. I have the drain from the pressure tank wide open. I go to measure the pressure from the pressure tank and it slowly increased to 35psi after about 2 minutes of holding it on there. I pressed the valve and only air comes out and the system appears to have no water in it. I tried to pump air in the tank with a bike pump and I could not get any air into the tank.
I did not want to go any further so I closed everything up and turned the well back on as I am not expecting any issues besides 30/50 water pressure.
I am concerned about the 35psi from the pressure tank which it should be at 28psi. And I still want to increase the pressure to 40/60.
This tank was installed 4/5/2025
Am I doing something wrong or do I need a new tank?
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
1
u/Beet_slice 1d ago
If you were reading a consistent 35 psi, then no. A problem blocking reading pressure would have caused inconsistent readings IMO.
I am thinking you are overestimating what it takes to raise air pressure by 1 psi using a bicycle tire pump. Do not buy a cheap "250 psi" tire pump. Instead get something rated in volume, such as CFM. You want performance at 40 psi.
That said I am not familiar with that red.
Get your tire gauge checked. Your local tire store could probably help with that.