Water Storage & Pressure Tanks - Home

What is the purpose of the water tank on building water supply systems

Photograph of a sketch of a water pressure tank in cross sectionWater tanks in or at building water
supplies serve one or both of these basic functions:

1. Prevent short cycling pump: An air charge in the tank delivers water pressure out of the tank and into
the building to avoid water pump rapid on-off cycling or "short cycling" that is annoying and that
ultimately damages the equipment.

2. Provide water storage: At some properties where the supply capacity of the water well is limited, a
large water tank may also be used to store water for use by building occupants.

That storage capacity assures that occupants always have water and permits the tank to be re-filled
slowly during off-use periods.

Here we provide information on the purpose and function of water tanks and on water tank selection,
installation, troubleshooting, and repair. Our complete list of water tank installation, diagnosis, & repair
articles is at the end of this page.

Private well and pump systems include a well (the water source), piping from the well to the building, a
water pump, and a water tank to which building water supply plumbing is connected.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Building plumbing fixtures (sinks, toilets, showers, tubs) are supplied with water from the building water
supply piping, and drain into the building drain-waste-vent (DWV) system.
How water pressure tanks work

When water is turned on at a fixture in the building, compressed air in the water tank acts like a spring:
it pushes water out of the water tank and into the building water supply piping and thus water is sent on
to the building plumbing fixtures.

If many fixtures are being run at once in the building, or if the water flow rate produced by the pump
and piping and controls is a modest one, the pump may run continuously all while the fixture is being
operated.

More typically, if only one fixture is running and if the pump and well can deliver a high water flow rate,
the pump may come on and off several times while the fixture is being run.

Schematic of a bladder type captive air water pressure tank (C) Carson Dunlop Associates

As water leaves the water tank, water pressure in the water tank drops. Since the water tank also
contains air, the air pressure drops too. In the tank water pressure and air pressure will be at the same
psi.

Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates.

A pressure control switch, usually mounted on or near the water tank, senses the pressure drop, and at
a pre-set "pump cut-in pressure" (typically 20 or 30 psi) the pressure switch turns on the water pump.

See WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT for details of this control.
The water pump, located at the tank or perhaps in the well, pumps water to the building from the well,
simultaneously re-pressurizing the water tank and providing water to the building.

See WATER PUMP LIFE EXPECTANCY for types of water well pumps, how they work, how they are
diagnosed and repaired.

Because the water pressure tank is connected to the water pump (water in from the well) and also to
the building water supply piping (water out to the building) the water tank is said to be "floated on the
water line" and when the water pump is running water is pushed simultaneously into the water
pressure tank and into the building supply piping.

The pressure control switch turns off the water pump when water pressure in the pressure tank reaches
the "pump cut-out pressure" (typically 40 or 50 psi) - pressure switch turns off the well pump.

What's the Difference Between a Bladder Type Captive Air Water Tank and a Conventional Steel
Bladderless Water Tank

Bladder type water tank (C) Daniel Friedman

Bladder type or "captive air" water tanks (shown in our photo at left and in the sketch above) store the
water tank's air charge in the upper portion of the steel water tank. Water in the tank moves in and out
of a rubber bladder in the tank bottom.

Because the air charge is kept separate from the water in the tank, air is not absorbed into the water
and bladder type water tanks do not normally need to have makeup air added.

Water pressure or water pump short cycling problems with bladder-type water tanks are usually traced
to a problem with the pump controls, with well and water piping leaks, or less often, to a failure of the
internal tank bladder itself - a component that may be replaceable.
If the water-containing rubber bladder in a "captive air" water tank is defective (it can become stuck to
itself and remain collapsed), the result can be a rapid on-off short cycling of the water pump.

We test water pressure tanks to see if they're empty or nearly empty of water by seeing if we can gently
rock or move the tank.

If the water tank is heavy with water it does not move easily.

Watch out: Be careful not to jiggle the tank so hard that you cause a leak or break a pipe! Bladder type
or captive-air water pressure tanks and their repairs are described just above and in more detai

l at WATER TANK TYPES

where we describe all of the types of storage tanks found in, on, or around buildings.

Steel water tank (C) Daniel Friedman

Bladderless Steel Water Pressure Tanks (photo at left and sketch just below) use a single steel tank
interior to hold both the air charge and the water supply.

Modern steel bladderless type water tanks may be coated internally to increase the water tank life by
resisting corrosion.

That's what "glass lined" refers to on some water tanks.

(A "glass lined" or "epoxy coated" water tank will not be a bladder type water tank which we discussed
above.).
Bladderless water pressure tanks, because the air charge and water are in the same container, can lose
their air charge over time (air is absorbed into the water) and may need air added.

See WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD for details.

Why Air is Needed in a Water Tank

Waterlogged water pressure tank schematic (C) Carson Dunlop Associates

Air in the water tank acts like a spring or cushion which serves to smooth the delivery of water into the
building as the pump cycles on and off. That's why we call this the water pressure tank rather than a
water storage tank - though for most people these are the same device.

Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, report writing, & education
company.

This air cushion effect prevents the water from surging (much) at the plumbing fixture as the pump turns
on and off as water is running during use of the fixture (such as a sink or shower).

More important, this cushion effect prevents short-cycling of the pump on and off, which in turn
prevents pump burnout or water pressure control switch damage which could occur if the system
switches on and off too rapidly.

Why is a pressure tank with a buffer or spring or cushion of air needed? Water itself is not very
compressible.

Since a pump can usually pump faster than the flow of water out of a single faucet, as soon as the pump
switched on, water pressure would build way up and the pump would immediately switch off.
Water would not flow nicely from the tap. Instead it would come in a series of squirts. Worse, you'd
burn up the water pump or pump control switch by this rapid cycling.

The air cushion in the tank acts like a big spring which is compressed by water pushed into the tank by
the pump at the same time that water is also flowing out of the pump, tank, and piping system into the
building to whatever faucet has been opened.

So while water is running in a building served by a private well, part of the time the water flow is being
maintained only by air pressure in the water tank, and part of the time the water flow is being boosted
by the pump during its on cycle. And during the pump's on cycle, it is both pushing water into the house
and re-pressurizing (by compressing) air in the water tank.