I have a captive air pressure tank (bladder tank) and it doesn feel like it has any water in it, even though the pressure gauge shows 40 psi, is somthing wrong?
A. No. When you shake the tank from side to side, or rap on the side of the tank with your knuckles, it should sound hollow and empty. This is because of the construction of the tank. The pressure tank is 4/5ths air chamber, and 1/5th water chamber. A tank that advertises a “20 gallon capacity” really only ever stores about 4.5 gallons of water at it’s fullest. If the tank does feel heavy when you shake it, there is a good chance that the bladder is broken inside and it will water log soon. (pump runs when you draw the tiniest bit of water, and shuts off quickly after you stop running water). This will burn up the pump motor in a short time. We need to add air to the tank or replace it. Q. I have a captive air tank, and want to check how much air is in it. A. OK, The first thing that you DON’T do is check the air in the tank when it is full of water. You are not checking air pressure at that point, you are reading a combination of air and water pressure. Here’s how to properly check th
